Choosing the Right Phone Recorder for Your Business
Shopping for a phone recorder to archive client interviews and conversations so you can refer to them later? Recording your project discussions with clients (with the client’s permission, of course) can save you and your client many headaches by preserving a record of what the client asked for and what you agreed to. It’s much easier to refer to a recorded conversation than try to decipher scribbled notes or remember a conversation that may have taken place days or weeks ago.
When you purchase a phone recorder, your first decision will be between analog recorders (cassette tape) and digital recorders.
A cassette phone recorder is easy to use, is the least expensive type of telephone recorder, and will capture your phone conversation on cassette tapes that can be used in any machine, for transcription or review. A basic recording device will use standard cassette tapes, the size music albums are recorded on. You may prefer a micro-cassette recorder for its smaller dimensions and tape size.
By using a digital phone recorder, you can record phone conversations onto the machine’s built-in memory, which holds many more hours of conversation than a cassette. In fact, some digital recorders hold hundreds of hours of conversation. Digital devices are also much smaller than even the smallest cassette recorders. And with a digital machine, you can upload your conversations directly to your computer.
If your priority is low cost and ease of use, a cassette recorder may be your best option, while a digital recorder makes sense if you want to upload to your computer and record more conversations without switching out tapes.
While price and size will be a consideration in choosing a phone recorder, you will probably make these decisions as part of your cassette or digital choice. When you choose digital or cassette, you are also choosing the amount of storage.
The next major question is, do you want to record phone calls only on your land line, or do you need a phone recorder that will record cell phone calls, as well? If you need to record from your cell phone, you need a digital device designed to work with cell phones. Cassette, or analog, recorders, and some digital recorders, cannot be used with cell phones. These machines attach between the handset and the phone cord. You need a recorder specially designed to record from your cell phone.
If selecting a phone recorder is starting to sound complicated, it’s actually not. There are many varieties of these devices, but narrowing the selection is very simple. Again, you should first decide if you want a cassette or digital recorder. This will limit your search to only one type of machine.
If you want a cassette recorder, your main choice will be micro-cassette or standard cassette, and then you can choose the device that sounds best for your needs and your budget.
If you decide on a digital recorder, do you want one that records from cell phones? Once you choose between cell-capable and land line digital devices, you can choose from the machines that do exactly what you need to do. You’ll look at the capacity, the size and other features.
Once you know the basic type of recorder you want, choosing the specific model is relatively easy. There are many different styles and types, varying from basic to extremely feature-loaded, but the trick to finding what you want is knowing what you need.
Choosing a phone recorder is much like choosing a car or a computer. You start with a basic list of features you need, and the things you think would be nice, then you can seek out the recorder that meets those requirements within your budget.
The best way to make sure the phone recorder you buy meets your needs is to take the time to shop carefully. Allow yourself to be impressed with all the bells and whistles on some machines, then focus clearly again on what you really need and buy the machine that does what you need to do, at the best price.
Tags: record phone calls | phone recorder | recorder