I record calls, you should too!

by Derek Gendron, May 24, 2014.

ABSOLUTELY!  I record calls – and have for many, many years.

Years ago, I used to record calls using a cassette recorder with a tape deck and wires hanging out of my ear to the phone and back to the recorder.  Why? It started with keeping my word to customers. As I bid on jobs in the early days, this company wanted this and another that. The only way to remember the barrage of calls was to record the calls.

I do not record calls so I can sit back and listen to them and giggle or anything, who has time for that?  No, its for a much more important reason.  The same reason that you carry car insurance, home-owners insurance or wear hiking boots when hiking. 

Safety!

Why do you really record calls, you might ask? 

There are a great deal of dumb people out there who say this or that.  Over the years, I have had people post this or that about me saying I said this or that.  One guy in particular, a Dr. Ken Wenzer who has a PHD, (pretty smart right?) posted things that I supposedly “said” to him, promises I made. 

They were a complete and total fabrication and misalignment of the facts.   And he convinced others to say the same thing, in a collusion of sorts – getting others to lie to authorities and in online forums.   And fortunately, I have always maintained and archived all of my voice proofs. 

Recordings NEVER lie!

Its clear what was said and using a time-date-stamped audio tape has always help me prove EXACTLY what was and was not said.

If you want to be 100% sure that you follow through on the specifics you promise someone or are going to work into a written agreement, you want to be sure you have that outlined as well.  Hear the words, hear the voice inflection and understand the reality of it.

It is easiest to speak the truth in your conversation, that way, it requires little review to see “what was said”.   I find myself occasionally referencing a conversation to log notes important to the individuals contact history, or if I promised to send them a link to this or that.

When should I record?

Always. That way you have a record of everything and no one can say you pick and choose what to record. Legal, Medical, Landlord, Bank, Employee, Contractor, you name it. You MUST record calls – all of them. 

The one time that it becomes absolutely necessary to keep liars at bay, you will regret not having a conversation.

Record INCOMING and OUTGOING! 

Check with your State laws. In the author’s opinion, it is legal to record your own conversations for record-keeping purposes. 

I report on life and record calls to be accurate. Free speech is accurate speech. As a result, I have a repository of information to look back on and review. This also serves to impeach testimony if someone makes outlandish claims.  There is no greater defense than a consistent and persistent offense.

But why doesn’t everyone do it? 

Many do according to rumors.  Verizon and AT&T use a program referred to as the “Witness“.  It records all calls, crunches software to determine if people are mad,  satisfied or talking too long.  They use software to analyze employee conversations without actually “listening” to the call. As a result, they legally circumvent the wiretap laws.

A tone beeps. A message plays. “Your call may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance”. As if they are doing us a favor, to provide a better service.   Big companies understand that recording a call is vital to the business model, including security and protection.

Arm yourself with knowledge

Check the law and get familiar with the restrictions regarding your ability to record calls.  Find and ask a competent attorney, (read my article A Bad Attorney). Buy a digital recorder and record calls and protect your ass. 

If there are Doctors with PhD’s that are stupid enough to lie about things, you must cover your ass. Imagine how many people tell lies, fabricate or embellish the truth. Are you going to risk your freedom or warranty or life on those people?