Microsoft Teams is easily one of the most popular tools in the business world today.
An essential system for productivity, collaboration, and knowledge sharing in the hybrid world, Microsoft Teams has over 250 million monthly active users. Of course, as any company deciding to use Teams at the heart of the digital workplace knows, there’s more to leveraging this tool correctly than just setting up your user accounts.
An investment in digital transformation with Microsoft Teams begins with a careful consideration of your team, customers, and processes. This includes a thorough evaluation of the policies you may need to manage when offering access to the Teams ecosystem.
Fortunately, Microsoft Teams partners can help customize your Teams investment to suit your specific needs, with solutions that may include policy-based call recording.
What is Microsoft Teams Policy-based Call Recording?
Microsoft Teams represents one of the most convenient ways for companies to enable collaboration between team members and communication with clients. The fastest-growing app in Microsoft history, Teams allows interactions through voice calls, video, chat, and file sharing. You can also record, store, and monitor crucial discussions within Teams.
Policy-based call recording refers to the methods used to collect and store crucial information according to specific compliance standards. Solution Partners in the Microsoft Teams environment can access the Graph API within Microsoft Teams to give users solutions that provide more control over policies used for recording requirements.
The Microsoft administrative policy feature allows customers to “mark” users for recording. Policy based recording solutions (such as Verint) offer robust features that are used to implement compliance recording requirements for these designated users.
By using feature rich policy-based recording solutions from third parties, you can determine exactly how you capture and store video, screen sharing, audio, and other content. The policy-based recording solutions use a recording bot which is programmatically configured based on the pre-defined business requirements.
For instance, if you were using Microsoft Teams to host hiring interviews with potential team members, you can keep records of the interviews for future audits. With policy-based recording, you could automatically record calls with any user who has the “interviewer” role.
Why is Policy-Based Recording Important?
Companies are using Microsoft Teams for all kinds of internal and external conversations. Many of these are in industries wherein specific regulations and industry standards mandate the way they record and monitor communications.
From utilities companies to healthcare and financial organizations, various rules exist regarding how businesses should manage data from each interaction. For instance, the financial sector now has the MiFID II in Europe, and the DODD-Frank Act for the US, mandating the record-keeping requirements around electronic communications.
Failure to access the right recording strategy when you begin to implement Microsoft Teams at the center of your business operations could leave you with a significant compliance gap. Companies that don’t follow the regulatory guidelines of their industry risk fines, lost market opportunities, and even reputational damage.
Is Policy-Based Recording the same as Native Teams Recording?
Teams users can access recording features within the Teams environment as part of their Microsoft Business Phone plan. However, there are limitations on what you can do with the recording capabilities already available through Microsoft. Recordings created directly in Microsoft Teams may not have the security features in place to meet required guidelines.
Alternatively, policy-based recording offered through the right Microsoft partner offers a wider range of benefits. You can capture high-quality media across all compatible endpoints and devices, access interaction captures on PSTN, Skype for Business and peer to peer, and even implement specific admin policies.
Compliance recording with the help of a certified Microsoft Teams partner offers:
- Automated call recording functionality controlled by policies established for specific AAD users or user groups.
- Multiple forms of compliance storage and WORM archive integrations with data segregation offered on a regional basis.
- Advanced search and playback for compliance use cases, covering all security, governance, discovery, and user administration.
- Open integrations with advanced transcription engines offering high-accuracy and improved search and analytics capabilities.
- A single platform for recording all interactions across Teams, UC systems messaging, mobile and IP telephony environments.
- Multiple resilience options including load balancing, geo-resilient failover, and redundant 2N recording options.
- On premise, hybrid, or cloud deployment models to suit your business needs.
- Secure access controls, compliance workflows, and a comprehensive audit trail for all events, including customizable retention periods.
The right Microsoft partner will also have access to the latest new features and functionality available from Microsoft Teams as Microsoft continues to roll out new APIs and tools.
Why Work with a Partner for Policy-Based Recordings?
Working with the right Microsoft partner ensures you get the right selection of features bundled into the perfect system for your Teams transformation. For instance, with help from Geomant, you can access compliant policy-based call recording as part of a comprehensive Microsoft Teams contact center. This means you get state-of-the-art policy-based recording alongside:
- An omnichannel contact center allowing you to connect with customers on the channels they use most. This includes intelligent routing to help improve first-time resolution.
- Dashboards and wallboards with real-time analytics, to help you track team compliance, employee performance, and customer satisfaction.
- Bots and integrations to help you gather useful information about your customers and support your employees even in a hybrid work environment.
Geomant works hand-in-hand with Verint to offer state-of-the-art compliance call recording across all devices. The Verint award-winning recording service allows you to safely collect information from all types of interactions through one dashboard. You can automate your recording requirements and set your own rules for archiving and retrieving omnichannel conversations.
Through compliant call recording from Verint, business leaders can discover the true value of recording, not just for security and compliance, but business analysis too. The Verint system makes it easy to track and surface important information in the event of an audit or investigation. Searchable transcriptions are stored in a single repository, for quick and easy searching.
Choosing your Partner for Policy-Based Call Recording
Call recording has long stood as an important tool for businesses of all sizes. The right call recording capabilities can help you gather crucial information about the customer journey and client satisfaction. Call recording is also a valuable investment when it comes to getting an insight into employee productivity, team performance, and areas where your people need additional training.
However, all call recording solutions aren’t necessarily alike. As companies continue their transition into an age of remote and hybrid working, it’s essential for business leaders to think carefully about the way they collect and store interaction information. No matter where your people are collaborating with their colleagues, or which tools they’re using to connect with customers, your communications need to be secure and compliant.
Choosing the right compliant call recording partner can make your business more resilient in the age of digital transformation. Remember, always look for:
- Official certification: An officially certified policy-based solution for recording Microsoft Teams communications will give you the peace of mind of knowing your technology has been tested and verified by Microsoft experts.
- Extensive experience: The Microsoft partner you choose should have lots of experience working with Microsoft Teams deployments. For instance, Verint was one of the earliest members of the Microsoft Technology Adoption Programs, and the company has worked alongside Microsoft on a host of projects.
- Customization: Choosing a partner for policy-based call recording with a high level of flexibility means you can customize your investment to suit your needs. This could mean investing in a cloud-based platform like Buzzeasy Contact Center for Microsoft Teams. It could also mean simply adding the modular features you need into your existing Microsoft instance.
Take the time to speak to the company you’re considering working with on your Microsoft policy-based call recording solutions about your specific needs. The top partners in the market today will be able to adapt their offering to suit your unique requirements. Reach out to Geomant today to find out how you can take the next step in compliance recording for Microsoft Teams.
