Interviews, testimonials, podcasts, customer calls, etc., are crucial promotional tools for a business looking to optimize its marketing efforts. So the idea of a voice recorder isn’t such a long shot after all. Yes, your company can unlock new potential from a sound recording device than you ever imagined.
How would you like to record meetings for future reference? Or capture the goings-on in a conference and transcribe it to mine valuable industry insights?
If those don’t sound beneficial, why not capture customer testimonials during live get-togethers? Does that ring any bells?
Your audience is listening! A 2020 survey by Statista found 55 percent (over half) of US consumers tune in to podcasts. That being said, it’s counterproductive to ignore these useful marketing tools.
So what’s the deal with recorders? What can they do for you, and how do you identify the right gadget in a crowded market?
Still to Come;
- What is a Voice Recorder
- How can it benefit your Business?
- How to Decide the right one for your Business
- 7 Important Features to Compare
Voice Recorder: What is it?
It is a handheld gadget that captures and converts audio, e.g., speeches and other sounds, into a digital file. The recorded file can be shared from device to device. It can also be played on a PC, tablet, or mobile phone and stored as a digital file.
Beyond that, you can share copies or burn it on a disc and play the sound along with clips or presentations (e.g., in PowerPoint and slideshows). With the right software, you can improve and edit the files from an audio recorder like most digital files.
Most businesses use gadgets to capture notes and memos, which they later transcribe into text. With dozens of companies popping with their versions, digital recording tools now vary in features, quality, and cost. However, the price difference is dramatic; anything from a meager $10 to a seemingly exaggerated $10,000 can get you a recording device.
You can still do simple recording from your PC. The downside, however, is you can’t always carry it wherever you go. Plus, the sound quality in audio recorders is way better than what you’d get from a built-in PC recorder.
How a Voice Recorder can Benefit Your Business
It’s no surprise a recording device won’t cross your mind when listing the items to buy. Most businesses don’t realize just how much they can do with a digital recording device. After all, aren’t there more important things to think of, like payment devices, computers, etc.?
Voice recorders help boost workplace productivity, store crucial business information, train staff, capture customer stories, and more.
Discover the many benefits of a digital recorder to a business
1. Taking minutes in your scrums
Taking minutes is hectic because you must listen to attendees speak and summarize their points in real-time. No matter how fast you are, you can easily lose track and miss crucial points.
Savvy business owners would rather record the session and extract the facts later than have a secretary take notes. This simplifies the minute-taking process and ensures all crucial points go to record
2. Capture phone calls
Keeping business phone calls is essential for many reasons, as you shall discover below. These files carry crucial customer information and can serve as proof of verbal contracts. They can also serve as sample training audios for newbie customer support agents.
PS: It is perfectly legal to record your customers’ calls without their knowledge as long as you don’t give the recording to a third party.
This means you can’t send or sell the audio to anyone. You can only use it for business purposes. Thus, recorded phone calls are helpful in:
- Showing proof of a business payment
- Understanding customer needs
- Tracking customer orders
- Training new support agents
You can also capture employee phone calls to monitor the unacceptable use of company telephones.
3. Reminders
For a busy entrepreneur, a handheld voice recorder can serve as a crucial reminder. With so much to do, you can easily forget lots of golden ideas that you can otherwise capitalize on. Instead of walking around with a notebook and pen, carry a digital audio recorder and backup important points in audio form.
4. Dictating workplace memos
Typing up text is tiresome and time-consuming for a business owner. But who needs a keyboard when you can speak to a device and pass the info to a secretary; who can type and share the memo?
Even after sharing a memo in text form, you may need to reinforce it with an audio record. Sharing an audio memo is also a creative way to ensure the message reaches your remote workforce
5. Better your customer support
Recording customer calls is essential in improving customer support. Audios from customer care teams carry crucial insights on shopper preferences. They also help you spot flaws in your product or business process.
Lastly, you can use the audios as a sample when training newly recruited customer support agents.
6. Track customer orders
Some businesses, e.g., a wedding planning business, involves to and fro calls. The customer shares lots of details concerning their needs. It can be tedious trying to jot down everything as they speak. It’s also off-putting to have a client repeat the same thing time and again.
To avoid annoying your client, turn on a recorder as soon as you begin talking to a customer. This ensures you capture everything for future reference.
7. Understanding your audience better
A voice recorder helps you gather troves of customer data useful in boosting your marketing efforts. It also gives access to vital statistics, including customer interests, ages, geography, etc.
8. Steer clear of legal challenges
Perhaps the most important benefit of recording a business call is access to ready evidence. With tangible proof like a recorded call, you can easily win lawsuits filed against your business.
You can also opt for an outside-court resolution in cases where the audio proves that your company is guilty as accused.
9. Interview industry experts and share with your audience
One way to earn customer trust is by sharing quality information with them. Interviewing industry experts proves your prowess and professionalism. A portable recording gadget allows you to conduct short discussions on trending topics. You can do this at a conference (in-person) or over a phone call.
How to Decide the Right Voice Recorder for your Business
Recording devices vary in size, shape, price, and features. To choose the right one for your needs, it’s crucial to consider factors like;
· Place of use
Do you need a recording device for outside or indoor use? If you plan to use it outside, check for abilities like noise reduction.
· Uses
Do you need a powerful recording device to capture interviews or meetings? Or just a simple tool to capture client phone calls and workplace memos?
· Ease-of-use
Are you after a simple touch-and-go device or one with multiple customization options? How would you like one with an automatic voice detector?
· Specific features
An LED screen, easy setup, multi-mic connectivity, battery life, voice-detection, sound quality, storage space, etc., are some things to look for.
So, where do you begin searching for a device that can handle your unique needs? One recorder can serve all your needs, but you can have multiple gadgets depending on your firm’s size and activities.
7 Important Voice Recorder Features to Compare
A recorder is a handheld gadget that captures and converts audio like speech and other sounds into a digital file. While features vary from device to device, some factors are similar in all of them.
Below are the most important things to compare in recorders.
1. Portability
Though most are handheld devices, some are larger and heavier than others. They also vary in shape. The most sophisticated types are as heavy as 10 ounces. If you prefer the metric system, you can easily convert ounces to grams.
2. Sound clarity
A device’s audio quality and recording power determine sound clarity. A powerful mic and a higher bitrate or bits-per-second can produce a clear sound.
Some gadgets allow you to increase or reduce sound quality and guarantee echo-free audio even in a large hall.
3. Memory (Storage) Capacity
Storage determines how long you can use your gadget before clearing your memory or moving the files to a PC.
Storage capacity depends on two things:
- Type of file (Wav, MPEG3, etc.)
- Bits per second
Upscale recorders have innovative storage abilities like inbuilt flash memory. This enables you to move files from a flash drive.
Others provide a memory card slot to help you expand your capacity.
4. Duration of operation
Don’t forget to check your gadget’s battery duration. It’s annoying to watch your device die when you need it most. Some recorders are rechargeable; others use dry cells–choose whichever you like.
If possible, reduce the sound quality to enjoy longer recording durations.
5. Voice-detection
A voice-detector senses sound and starts recording autonomously. It also stops when you go silent and picks up soon as you resume. This feature eliminates the need to turn your gadgets on and off.
6. Recording duration
The sound quality has a significant impact on recording duration. Some gadgets are built to log up to a thousand hours, but a high bitrate can utilize more battery power and reduce recording time.
Hire a Freelancer to Transcribe Your Audio
Many times, you want to be able to use the captured content for other purposes like creating blogs, studying trends, etc. But you can’t do much without transcribing it into text and extracting the critical points.
Poorly transcribed work can undermine the whole point of this campaign and result in the wrong messages or conclusions. Hire a transcriber to handle your projects. Transcriptionists have the skill sets to turn your audios into text while maintaining context and data accuracy.
You can meet these experts in freelance websites that offer transcription services like Bunny Studio.
Final Words
In a digital business environment, you must prepare to switch between technologies. Identifying and familiarizing yourself with the latest tools (both hardware and software) streamlines your workplace operations in many ways.
A digital voice recorder, for instance, impacts many aspects of operations, including marketing, customer support, compliance, sales, etc. Draft a strategy today and begin the search for the right tools.
Switching from audio to text or vice versa can be challenging. At Bunny Studio, we offer quality transcription services. We also have expert voiceover artists with the skills to turn your scripts into audio files.
Submit an audio project for transcription. Or you can send us your script and let an expert handle the voiceover work.