Recording phone calls and SMS in the CRM system

Current CRM systems have an impressive suite of dedicated plug-ins and functionalities. Each serves a different purpose, although they are ultimately intended to contribute to the effectiveness of marketing. One of the most popular additions to a CRM system is the ability to record phone calls. This is a convenient solution, although it requires procedures. How should CRM call recording be handled and what are the benefits of implementing such a tool?

Recording phone calls in CRM

CRM systems are multitasking tools that are an essential work tool for many people in a company. It is in it that contacts for ongoing service are included, along with a range of customer information. Sales opportunities that arise can be pursued via email, although phone calls are a much more commonly used channel. This allows direct contact with the customer, which, thanks to the seller’s skillful persuasion, is more likely to induce consumers to make certain decisions. With this in mind, developers of CRM-like tools are increasingly equipping their systems with a conversation and recording module.

Even if a particular CRM system does not offer customer calling functionality, it usually has a plug-in extension. This makes it possible to both establish a call and record the conversation in progress. Such a recording is later visible in the history so that those with authorization – e.g. team leaders, department managers – can listen to the conversation. However, in order to listen to and use the recording for further purposes, the consent of both parties to such action is required. Otherwise, there is a crime defined explicitly in current legislation.

Can phone calls be recorded?

In order to understand the essence of the issue, it is necessary to distinguish between two states – the first is the recording of the conversation, and the second is its listening by third parties. The recording of the conversation itself is perfectly legal and does not require the consent of our co-counsel. However, such a record of the conversation can only be used by the people who had the conversation with each other. As we can guess, recording conversations in CRM is not for the pleasant reminiscence of conversations held in person. And here comes the situation where we are talking about third-party listening to the conversation. This legal status (current as of 25/11/2022) applies to everyone, regardless of whether it is our co-worker, supervisor or coach.

Article 267 of the Criminal Code defines the concept of unlawfully obtaining information. A CRM with a call recording module in this case constitutes “other software,” an item defined in paragraph 3 of this article. Thus, if we do not obtain permission from the client to conduct the conversation along with recording it, any person who decides to listen to the conversation is committing a crime. It is punishable by a fine, restriction of liberty or imprisonment for up to 2 years, which should raise awareness of the importance of obtaining consent from the person responsible for conducting the call. It is worth noting here that the call initiator does not have to give his or her consent to the recording – this willingness is presumed by the mere fact of calling.

Legal call recording for company use

In view of the above information, the question arises – when will we talk about the legality or illegality of recording a conversation in CRM? The answer is simple – when the person receiving the call gives his consent to such action, which can be expressed explicitly or implicitly. The way to express directly is nothing more than verbally confirming the understanding that the conversation is being recorded and authorizing such action. Implied consent, on the other hand, is given when, after reading the recording message and the condition “if you do not consent, please terminate the call,” the calling party continues the call. The reading of the message and condition should be done at the outset of the conversation for the implied consent to have legal force.

Refusal to register a call is tantamount to termination of the call, in view of which virtually every customer chooses to give implicit consent. This, in turn, makes it perfectly legal for the company to obtain the recording for its own use. The material prepared in this way can be used in many ways, including for training and control purposes. Based on the conversation, a case study discussing the employee’s sales mistakes or a typological portrait of the customer can be created. The controlling nature, on the other hand, serves to verify knowledge and the consultant’s own assessment of the conduct of the interview. The recorded conversation can also serve as evidence during the investigation of a complaint.

Benefits of call recording in CRM

While the introduction of a call recording module in a CRM may seem like a rather risky idea, it actually has many benefits. All that is needed is to sensitize employees to obtain consent and redirect customers to the privacy policy (which should be publicly available on the company’s website). Among the advantages of recording calls through a CRM system are the impact on such areas as:

• Development of the company -recordings with interviews provide material for holistic analysis of errors and improvement of service quality, which positively affects the company;
• Training material – examples of both good and unskillful conversations allow for sales training;
• Analysis of work reliability – recordings of the interview emphatically show how the employee engages in his work and whether the declared interviews took place;
• Evaluation of substantive preparation – the way the services are presented and the way the conversation is conducted allows you to determine whether the employee is familiar with the company’s offerings;
• Evidence – in the event of a dispute with a consumer, the recording will serve as evidence, crossing out speculation and “word against word” arguments.

Regular control of conducted conversations in the CRM system allows you to reliably supervise sales processes and honestly hold employees accountable for the quality of their work. The SalesWizard CRM system is one of the best tools to record outbound telephone communications.