At the same time, it’s become increasingly clear that data privacy, protection and security are crucial in the modern world. With data breaches becoming more common by the day, customers and nations are demanding that companies take data security seriously.  This has implications for the ways in which businesses handle voice calls. Let’s explore some examples of national and international legislation, before examining these implications for voice in the mobile age.

Legislation - Phone Call Recording

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The GDPR is a regulation in European Union law that governs privacy and data protection. While not the first of its kind, it affected more organisations than ever before. The GDPR kickstarted the conversation about how companies collect, store, and use data on their customers.

Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II)

The MiFID II is an update to the older Markets in Financial Instruments Directive. It broadens the scope of regulation to focus on all types of financial instruments and not just equities. The regulation was designed to protect consumers and offer greater transparency in how financial markets operate. It is a comprehensive and exhaustive piece of legislation that affects thousands of businesses.

Both the GDPR and MiFID II are notable for the following reason – they are extremely broad in scope. Companies that operate within the EU (even if they are based elsewhere) have to comply. Even a business that doesn’t have an office in an EU nation has to comply if they process data of an EU citizen. If a company in Singapore trades within the EU, it must comply with MiFID II.

So, what does all of this have to do with the widespread adoption of mobile phones by businesses? Put simply, both regulations provide for recording calls and other conversations in an enterprise context. There are specific rules on which calls should be recorded, how to store them, how long to keep them, and so on.

What do these regulations mean for a company? It means your business should prepare for compliance. If your company operates in a location governed by such rules, you need to ensure that you can:

• Record phone calls
• Store and protect recorded calls from unauthorised access
• Provide access as and when needed
• Review recorded calls for specific purposes

The call recording process

So how can you record calls if your business relies on mobile phones extensively? One method is to use app-based solutions. A quick search will show multiple apps that can record audio calls made on the phone. However, such solutions have many drawbacks:

• An app may not capture metadata – information on the caller, number, duration, etc.
• Recorded calls live on the user device where they can be tampered with
• Users can uninstall or disable recording - which violates most regulations

Network-based Recording

An alternative is to use a network-based solution. These are deployed in the mobile network, connected directly with the mobile infrastructure responsible for routing calls and media. Such solutions require no manual intervention. Call recording is automated and seamless, needing no action from the users.

A network solution is also independent of the device, which means users are free to use whatever hardware they like – which means that businesses can enable a flexible Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy to improve productivity.

Touch Call Recording Service

The Touch Call Recording Service is a network-based solution that is fully compliant with international legislation. Touch is a trusted partner to many mobile service providers, working with reputable. Touch Call Recording Service is a fully automated solution that cannot be disabled by the user. The service does not require the user to turn it on or off. It always works in the background.

Our service offers more than the default call recording features. All your recorded calls are stored in secure data centres. Businesses specify authorised users who can access the recorded data as per their requirements and according to their company’s policies. The Touch service does not require enterprises to purchase special equipment or software licenses. It simply works as you would expect, all the time.

Benefits of using Touch Recording Service

The Touch service offers many advantages to businesses. Some of them are:

1. It captures all metadata related to calls – caller number, call duration, timestamps, etc.
2. The Touch service does not need any manual intervention.
3. The service is tamper-proof since users cannot access the recordings or disable call recording altogether.
4. Your recorded calls are protected even if the device is lost or stolen. All data resides in secure data centres.
5. The service is not tied to a specific operating system or device. That means you do not have to force employees to use one or two models. Users are free to use the hardware of their choice.
6. It is cost-effective. You do not have to buy new phones, servers, or apps.
7. Recording calls is automated, seamless, and happens in the background. It will not affect the performance or productivity of workers.
8. Businesses can set access control and authorise specific people who can listen to recorded calls.
9. You can access recorded calls through an easy to use online portal.

Modern businesses record calls for multiple reasons: call recording can help with training new employees and many companies are required to record calls by law. Businesses may simply wish to protect themselves against legal action by recording crucial conversations. Regardless of the reason, enterprises need a reliable solution that is easy to implement and is also cost-effective.

The Touch call recording service is a truly innovative solution that just works. Organisations do not have to struggle with inferior tools and apps any longer. Contact us and find out how Touch can transform your organisation today.