Top 10 mobile phone recording challenges

Mobile phone recording is a primary focus for European financial markets this year. Although still relatively new, the technology is under evaluation in the UK, Norway and other Scandinavian regions as legislation has either mandated its implementation or still has it under review. Outlined below are key issues any firm evaluating a solution should consider.

The ability to record in a ‘compliant’ manner

Many firms will testify to how easy it is to record mobile phones. In fact a number of organisations are already doing this using hosted telephony and other solutions which simply require pre-dialing a number to initiate the recording of a conversation. The real challenge lies in being able to record the mobile conversation in a ‘compliant’ manner. This means having the ability to record all inbound and outbound mobile calls automatically and ensuring that a call cannot proceed unless it is recorded. This is a much more complex arrangement requiring a tamper-proof system where recordings cannot be accidently lost or deliberately destroyed after the event.

The ability to retain calls onsite

For those firms with strict data retention and security policies, the ability to keep all mobile recordings onsite alongside fixed landline calls will be critical. The consolidation of fixed and mobile call recordings in one place puts the responsibility and ownership of that data firmly back in the hands of the organisation without relying on third party vendors. It also ensures that the firm can search for mobile recordings just as they would landline conversations, minimising training needs and ensuring quick turnaround on internal retrieval and playback requests.

Search facilities & playback functions

Irrespective of the type of recording solution implemented, the ability to search for and locate calls is key to the compliance function of a financial organisation.  Solutions are available that enable companies to maximise on their existing investment in call recording technology by using the existing on-premise call recording system to record the mobile traffic.  Alternatively, as will be the case with hosted technology, custom interfaces may be used.  It is essential that these are well thought-through and designed to meet the requirements of financial compliance officers.

Protecting your existing recording investment

It makes sense for an organisation to want to build on and protect its existing call recording infrastructure. Technology is available to facilitate the recording of mobile calls by routing calls on the landline system. Regardless of whether a firm has invested in NICE, Verint or more bespoke landline call recording solutions, with the simple application of a Compliant Enterprise Server (CES), mobile conversations can be captured. Calls are routed to and from the CES which then sends Call Detail Record (CDR) information to the existing call recorder to facilitate normal search and replay of calls.

Resiliency of telephony network

When implementing any technology solution the resiliency of the telephony network should not be compromised by having to rely on third party vendors.  The benefit of an on-premise solution is that all telephony is on the firm’s own lines making it far simpler to control service levels and any technical difficulties through the relationship with the firm’s own carrier.  Where a hosted solution is considered, it is important to ensure that the carrier used by the vendor of the hosted solution is a reputable Tier 1 carrier with acceptable service levels and business continuity plans.

Safeguarding the user experience

When recording mobile phone conversations it is important to take the user experience into consideration. It will be hard enough to gain trader and dealer buy-in to having their company mobile recorded without the added irritation of having longer connect times and the call being handled in what the user perceives to be an obtrusive way. Users should be able to continue to use their mobiles, almost entirely unaffected by the recording application. Similarly deployment of any software onto the handset should be manageable centrally, with minimal input required by the handset’s user.

Ability to adapt to suit different market regulation

For those firms operating across multiple geographies and subject to differing regulation within each, standardisation of one solution across the organisation should be possible. Firms should opt for technology which supports international and roaming users and which has the flexibility to customise features to meet the different privacy and legal issues across borders. The capability to incorporate ‘whitelists’ which effectively by-passes the recording system, should be considered in those regions which have more flexibility in their regulation. Similarly ‘blacklists’ can be established to restrict calls being made to specific numbers or number ranges.

Support infrastructure & security

As this technology is still at a fairly embryonic stage, firms should be assessing the level of support they can expect to receive from any vendor they engage with. Do they provide ‘single site’ and ‘multi-site’ redundancy and 24 x 7 monitoring capabilities which can be flagged with internal staff as well as remotely by the vendor to facilitate pro-active maintenance? Recording mobile phones ensures there is no longer a weak link in a firm’s telecoms architecture. Security procedures and policies in this area should reflect existing systems in place.

Choosing the right solution

Firstly a firm needs to prioritise its requirements. Is there a strict policy to keep call recording data on-site, or could it opt for a ‘pay-as-you-go’ hosted solution. Does it need to record mobile phones for compliance, risk management or business continuity reasons? Does it already have a substantial call recording estate it wants to leverage or would it be happy to outsource some establishment costs? As an emerging technology there are a number of smaller start-up organisations who may not have the financial stability demanded by procurement. Can the technology be supplied by an existing and trusted partner with a proven track record in the field of call recording?

Minimising impact to the business

Mobile recording is just one of many technologies deployed within financial markets, so the focus should be on minimising any impact an implementation has on Corporate IT, the user and the Compliance team.  Here are some of the key factors that can help:

•    Leverage existing call recording investment, which IT and compliance should already be familiar with. 
•    Ensure that software can be centrally deployed to a users’ handset, ensuring scalability and centralised control.
•    Choose a solution that is simple to use with little user training required.
•    Make sure that there is little or no noticeable impact on user experience.