What is call recording?

Call recording is the capture and storage of the audio of phone calls so they can be replayed later. Businesses use it for training, quality control, dispute resolution and, increasingly, to generate transcripts and AI summaries.

How it works

In a business phone system, recording happens in the cloud: the platform saves the audio of both sides of the call and attaches it to the call record, with no app on the handset needed.

Recording can be automatic for every call, limited to certain numbers or users, or started on demand. Recordings are stored with access controls and a retention period.

Once audio exists, speech-to-text produces a transcript, and AI can summarize the call, extract next steps and fill CRM fields.

Why it matters

01

Coaching

Managers review real calls and new hires learn from the best ones.

02

A reliable record

What was promised on the phone is on record when there is a question later.

03

Less note-taking

Transcripts and summaries mean reps can focus on the conversation.

Allo and Call recording

Allo records, transcribes and summarizes every call, and syncs the recording and summary to your CRM. Recording comes with consent controls.

See call recording in Allo

Frequently asked questions

It depends on where the parties are. In the US, some states require one party's consent and others require everyone's. GDPR in Europe requires a legal basis and informing callers. Telling callers the call is recorded is the safe default.

As long as there is a business or legal reason, and no longer. Some industries have mandatory retention periods; privacy laws push for the shortest reasonable one.

Recording keeps the audio. Transcription converts that audio into text that can be searched, summarized and copied into a CRM.