Call recording software: a guide for Irish SMEs

Call recording software saves a phone call as an audio file so you can replay it, search it or turn it into text. It suits an Irish business that needs a record of what a client agreed, wants to train staff, or must show how a complaint was handled. There are three realistic routes: a recording feature built into your business phone system, recording inside Microsoft Teams or Google Voice, or a separate recording and transcription tool.

Call recording software for business#

Imagine Declan, who runs a small accountancy firm in Drogheda. His team takes client calls all day, and he wants a simple record of the instructions clients give. The real question is not whether recording helps, but where it should live. He works through it in an afternoon:

1. Check what you already pay for (10 minutes). Log in to your phone provider’s admin portal and look for a recording setting or an add-on. The most common mistake is buying a second tool before checking this.
2. List the calls you need to record (20 minutes). Write down which calls matter: new enquiries, instructions, complaints, or every call. That list decides whether you need a call centre tool or a simple switch.
3. Compare the three routes (1 hour). Set your current phone system beside Teams, Google Voice and a separate recording tool. Rule out anything that cannot store data where you need it.
4. Write the policy before you switch it on (1 hour). Decide what callers are told, how long files are kept and who may listen.

Declan finds his provider charges extra for recording, so he keeps that quote on file while he checks the other routes.

Business phone recording system#

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A business phone recording system is the recording feature inside a VoIP (Phone calls that travel over the internet instead of a traditional phone line.) service. The provider normally stores recordings in its own cloud. An admin (The person who manages the business account and its settings.) gets a switch to turn recording on or off, plus controls for who may listen. Some systems record every call, while others let staff start recording when they need to.

Microsoft 365 customers often find this inside Teams. Microsoft Learn explains that an admin enables call recording in the Teams admin centre through Voice and then Calling policies, and that audio conferencing and group calls are managed by Teams Meeting Policy. At the time of writing in October 2026, Teams Phone with pay-as-you-go calling (Calls are paid by the minute on top of the monthly price.) costs €11.30 per user per month paid yearly in country zone 2 (The price band Microsoft shows on its Irish pricing page.). Teams Phone with domestic calling (A bundle of calls to numbers within the country, included in the price.) costs €19.10 per user per month paid yearly, both excluding VAT, as listed by Microsoft.

Declan asks his phone provider two questions: does recording cost extra, and where are the files stored?

Tip: Check whether your current phone system already includes recording before you buy a second tool. The cheapest option is often the feature you already pay for.

Call center call recording software#

Call centre call recording software is built for teams that handle a high volume of calls, so it is a different purchase from Declan’s. It usually records every call automatically and keeps them in a searchable library. Quality monitoring tools let a supervisor score calls against a script and use them for coaching, and some tools pause recording while a caller reads out card details.

This category suits a support desk, a sales floor or a busy bookings team. It is more than a small professional firm needs, and vendors quote per agent, per minute, per storage, or as a platform fee plus usage, so ask for a written quote. Declan rules it out and looks for selective recording in the system he already has.

Mobile and PC call recording software#

Calls made through an app on a laptop or phone can be recorded like any desk phone call, as long as the provider supports it. Google Voice for Workspace lists ad-hoc user call recording (The user starts recording a call only when needed, not every call.), and Google Workspace says the feature is available on the paid plans shown on that page. At the time of writing in October 2026, Google Voice Starter costs $10 USD per user per month and Google Voice Standard costs $20 USD per user per month. Both plans include call recording, as stated by Google Voice Help.

Calls on a staff member’s personal mobile are the awkward case. A separate recorder may not capture both sides clearly, and the file then sits on a device the business does not control. Declan decides that client calls must run through the business phone system or Google Voice, never a personal mobile.

Note: Google Voice prices are listed in US dollars. Before buying, check the euro price for Ireland in your Google Workspace admin console and confirm the VAT treatment on your bill.

Free call recording software#

Free call recording software usually comes with limits: a short recording time, a watermark, no central admin controls, or storage on a personal device. A free tool can be fine for a quick note to yourself. It is a poor fit for client calls that carry personal or financial information, because nobody can say who has listened or how long the file is kept. If a staff member leaves, their recordings may leave with them.

Watch out: Recordings spread across personal accounts make a data access request (A person asks for a copy of the data a business holds about them.), or a staff departure, very hard to answer.

Comparing the realistic options for an Irish SME#

Once Declan knows what he needs, the fair way to compare is to start with the criteria: price model, where the data is stored, GDPR controls, integrations (How well a tool connects to the other software the business already uses.), ease of use and support. The table below sets out the realistic routes for an Irish SME. It is not a ranking, and the official prices named earlier still apply.

Official product prices referred to in this guide were checked in October 2026. Microsoft Teams Phone prices are per user per month paid yearly and exclude VAT. Google Voice prices are in US dollars per user per month as listed on its help page; check the euro price for Ireland in your Google Workspace admin console.

For a wider view of how recorded calls feed into follow-up and lead handling, see the lead generation services page. Declan puts the table beside his current phone bill and decides to stay with his provider if recording can be added at a fair price.

Recording calls and GDPR in Ireland#

In Ireland, a recording of an identifiable person is personal data under GDPR (The EU data protection law that also applies in Ireland.), and the Data Protection Commission is the Irish regulator. Declan works through four written decisions before he switches anything on.

He starts with a lawful basis (The reason GDPR allows a business to keep someone’s personal data.). He chooses the basis that fits and writes down, in one sentence, why he records calls, for example to keep an accurate record of advice given to a client. Next he decides what callers hear at the start of the call: the fact of recording, the reason, how long the file is kept and who may listen. Then he sets a retention period and deletes recordings when it ends. Finally he limits access to the people who need it, with a short internal policy covering what is recorded, where it is stored and what staff must not do.

People can also ask for a copy of the personal data a business holds about them, and recordings count. Do not copy consent wording from UK or US guides, because the rules and the regulator are different. Declan writes a one-page policy and adds a spoken notice to his team’s greeting.

How Baikou handles recorded calls#

A recording only helps if someone acts on what was said. When Baikou sets up call recording for an Irish business, the work follows the same pattern every time.

• Callers are told at the start that the call is recorded and why.
• AI turns each call into a transcript and a short summary with the next step.
• The transcript and summary land in HubSpot or the business’s own customer system, next to the right contact.
• The data is kept in the EU, and the business decides who may listen and how long recordings are kept.

For a firm like Declan’s, that means the instructions a client gives on the phone reach the client’s file without anyone typing them up.

Putting call recording to work in an Irish SME#

The comparison is the easy part; the real work is making recording fit the systems an SME already runs. Recording should sit inside whatever answers the call, whether that is the phone system, Teams or Google Voice. It should also write back to the CRM (Software that holds customer details, calls and sales notes.) so a recording attaches to the right contact.

Storage and retention come next. Decide where recordings live, how long they stay and who may listen, and put all three answers in writing with one named person responsible. At the start of each call, tell the caller that the call is recorded and why. Train the staff who answer the phone on when recording starts, how to stop it if a caller objects, and where to find a file afterwards.

Off-the-shelf tools handle calls that run through the business phone system, Teams or Google Voice well. They handle staff personal mobiles poorly and often miss WhatsApp or other messaging apps. Where a team wants recorded calls turned into written notes, CRM updates or a follow-up workflow, a call transcription service can be connected alongside the recording tool. The Local Enterprise Office Grow Digital Voucher may part-fund new off-the-shelf software subscriptions with their set-up and training, as set out in this guide to the Grow Digital Voucher.

Choosing the right call recording setup#

The next step is to list the calls you must record, check what your current phone system already includes, and only then compare Teams, Google Voice and a separate tool. Write the internal policy first, so staff know what to say and who may listen. Then run a short pilot with one team and review the recordings before committing to a yearly plan. Baikou helps Irish businesses turn recorded calls into notes and CRM updates through call transcription, and its home page shows the wider service.

FAQ#