Call recording software is capable of recording telephone conversations which take place over VoIP or PSTN in the form of a digital audio file. Call recording is not the same as either call logging or call tracking, which record some of the data regarding the call but not the actual contents of the conversation. However, there is some software available – even as software downloads – which may have functions of both call logging and call recording.

Call recording is becoming a more and more crucial aspect of the world of business in the twenty first century with technology changing on a seemingly daily basis and the habits of workers also becoming increasingly mobile in nature. A lot of financial regulators are now recommending that the recording of telephone calls is an issue which needs to be addressed. Additionally, call recording is starting to become more and more central to business continuity planning as well, particularly in relation to pandemic planning.

The actual recording of calls takes place via a call recording system which has software which is capable of both managing calls and monitoring the security of the subsequent recordings. The great majority of applications for call recording software packages depend for their successful operation upon the analogue signal from either a telephony board or a call recording adaptor.

Digital lines are unable to be recorded unless a digital PBX has been supplied which is capable of actually processing the proprietary signal (most usually via a conversion box) before then being sent to the computer in order to be recorded. Another option is to use a hardware adapter which can be used on the handset of a telephone and will at that juncture convert the digital signal to that of an analogue signal instead.

VoIP recording is traditionally associated with either streaming media recorders or with software which has been developed by either the IP PBX creator or the soft-phone. Other solutions often use packet capture technology in order to be able to passively record VOIP telephone calls via the LAN.

Hardware is necessary in order to be able to ensure the voice signal is available to the equipment of the computer which is being used.

The direct recording of cell phone calls, on the other hand, depends upon a hardware adapter which has been connected to the handset, although there are other methods, including routing calls through a new PBX system which is directly linked to the recorder.