VoIP Call Recording

Much has been written in recent months about software as a service, on-demand applications, and hosted solutions. Behind all the talk is the idea that, with the advent of IP networks (including the Internet), various products and functions can delivered efficiently and cheaply as off-site services.

 

In the on-demand, hosted world, instead of buying software on a disk, a customer would download it directly to his or her computer. Instead of buying expensive desktop phones, a company would install software and subscribe to a service that provides advanced telecommunications features.

 

And, instead of investing in very expensive recording equipment to monitor customer calls for training and regulatory purposes, call centers would subscribe to a service that takes care of the recording and storing from offsite.

 

That’s the idea behind CTI Group’s (News - Alert) recently launched SmartRecord IP solution, which VoIP service providers can use to enhance their offerings.

 

TMCnet recently spoke with Sid Rao, Chief Technologist at CTI Group, to find out both how the company came to embrace the hosted business model, and what led it to launch SmartRecord IP.

 

 

CTI Group’s focus is on billing and communication management solutions for enterprises. Until earlier this year, those services were primarily delivered using the traditional premise-based model: companies would purchase hardware and software needed to perform various business functions on-site at offices around the world.

 

But recently, Rao told TMCnet, CTI Group began taking notice of a shift in the communications market, from on-site hardware to offsite software and services. This shift inspired the company to change with the times, and it began working with service providers to offer hosted VoIP solutions for end-users.

 

The company's strategy now is on giving providers access to hosted solutions and products that they can use to more efficiently serve their commercial clients.

 

Making the transition to hosted services can be challenging for providers, Roa noted, because they may be uncertain how the new business model will generate revenue.

 

In the past, when customers replaced their PBXs every 3-7 years or so, the expense of new physical equipment was a given. But now, with the entrance of VoIP onto the scene, it is possible to deliver all the functionality of hardware-based, key systems for much cheaper—using software.

 

Today, customers have choices, and there tends to be a knee-jerk reaction away from installing proprietary, expensive, premise-based solutions, Rao said.

 

“The end-user is not happy paying a huge capital expense up front,” he noted.

 

In order to compete in this new marketplace, service providers need to be able to offer hosted solutions to their customers—solutions that require little or no up-front investment, but instead are paid for through an ongoing contract.

 

That contract translates to recurring revenues for the provider, assuming the provider partners with a company like CTI to obtain the resources needed to meet customer needs.

 

“The shift is very subtle, but at the end of the day it's about enabling the customer experience,” Rao said. Telephony today is rapidly becoming something that’s an always-on, always-available, outsourced service. 

 

Rao added that the hosted service trend is driven in part by the fact that workers are increasingly mobile; it doesn't make sense to have equipment be accessible on-premise only if employees are here, there and everywhere doing their jobs.

 

 

No conversation about twenty-first century telephony is complete without at least mentioning services and applications for call centers.

 

For CTI group, the connection was a no-brainer; until about 2003, the company’s main focus was on call accounting and reporting, Rao told TMCnet. When the company began branching out into voice services, it naturally kept a close eye on the types of voice services call centers need.

 

More specifically, CTI Group partnered with a U.K.-based company so it could provide VoIP call recording solutions for enterprises.

 

But, the U.K. partner wasn’t able to provide resources necessary to offer hosted VoIP call recording solutions.

 

So, when CTI Group decided to shift its focus from premise-based to hosted telephony solutions, it also decided to invest in the infrastructure needed to provide outsourced voice recording.

 

Just as with telephony services, Rao explained, the idea is to help providers offer a much-needed service to call centers, without forcing customers to buy on-premise equipment.

 

 

Voice recording is a resource-intensive service when offered on a hosted basis, Rao noted. Because of this, until CTI Group launched SmartRecord IP, most service providers weren't able to provide voice recording—but now they can.

 

And, because hosted voice recording is so affordable, being able to offer this service give providers a definite strategic advantage.

 

Historically, voice recording was very expensive for customers, because it involved both a huge initial investment and high ongoing maintenance costs. CTI’s SmartRecord IP has changed the equation.

 

“We made voice recording very economically efficient,” Rao explained.

 

Because SmartRecord IP is a hosted solution, providers can give their customers what they want, and end-users benefit from obtaining a valuable service based upon an affordable, recurring fee with no up-front investment.

 

“It’s a win-win for all parties,” Rao told TMCnet.

 

Hosted VoIP call recording not only is cheaper, but it is much, much faster deploy. Rao told TMCnet that, because CTI Group takes care of all the details, a typical deployment can be up and running in minutes instead of a week or longer as in the past.

 

He added that, thanks to the company’s powerful voice services infrastructure, SmartRecord IP is just the beginning for CTI Group.

 

“We see this product as one of twelve we plan to launch in the next year,” he said.