In a world that is increasingly reliant on a workforce that can work anytime, anywhere, businesses are looking for increased connectivity through innovations in wired and wireless solutions. Enter fixed-mobile convergence (FMC), where calls can be seamlessly transferred from fixed to mobile devices and vice versa. Read an in-depth guide to FMC in our white paper.

Although FMC is by no means new, the infrastructure and investment required means it has been slow to realise. But with advancing technology, the idea of combining offerings into one bundle for customers is beginning to gain traction. Could 2020 see developments in converged offerings?

What does FMC mean for businesses?

The growing popularity of FMC is the result of both customer needs and networks looking to stay ahead of the competition and retain customers with more powerful, personalised services.

FMC solutions create a union between wired and wireless technologies and allow calls to continue without dropping even as the user moves from location to location and between devices. FMC also enables better reachability, so that customer-facing employees can be reached on the first try — whether they are in the office or out on the road. Similarly, single-number reach allows customers and clients to contact a business on one number that redirects calls to available contacts, through cloud-based communications technology.

Enterprises that deploy solutions that unify fixed and mobile communications will see increased productivity.

What does FMC mean for telecommunications service providers?

Telecommunications service providers have already begun to buy into the concept and are benefitting from being early adopters of the technology. By bundling their fixed and mobile services, service providers are likely to reduce customer churn as they are able to offer cheaper packages, while increasing average revenue per user.

These simplified communication solutions also make it easy for providers to offer value-added services like cloud-based call recording from one single, unified portal without requiring any up-front investment, hardware or lengthy setup processes.

By moving to the cloud, telecommunications service providers can combine wired and wireless communications in one solution, offering greater flexibility, ease of use, and reduced IT and network costs for providers and their users.

Get in touch to find out more about how Dubber call recording and voice AI can work with FMC solutions.

Dubber are committed to providing the highest levels of security for our native cloud platform, as well as offering unlimited scalability, and rapid deployment to meet and exceed the expectations of our clients with no CapEx. Read on to find out the ways in which we maintain our high standards of security.

Cloud security

We chose to build our products and services in the cloud, specifically to leverage the levels of security that are only made possible through the cloud. Security is maintained at every stage of the call capture and data processing journey, with AES-256 encryption protecting recordings and multiple data storage sites mitigating any disaster recovery concerns.

Safe and secure sharing

The security of our platform is just one aspect that we considered when creating our solution. We also wanted to ensure that data was protected while still maintaining accessibility for businesses and individuals. Unlocking the valuable data stored in phone calls is one of the main reasons that customers choose Dubber solutions, but it is important to make sure that the owners of this data are protected. We created teams and permissions settings that restrict access to recordings, and a unique sharing function that does not share files with third parties but instead emails a non-downloadable link that expires for added security.

Local storage myths busted

Unfortunately, security is often a concern that prevents businesses from moving to the cloud. In reality, moving storage off-premise means organisations immediately mitigate the risk of having vulnerable data on-site. With data centres all over the world, we can offer a variety of options for organisations who require specific storage locations for their data. These storage centres also offer data sovereignty, so data is only stored in one geographic location. Within each location, data is written to multiple data centres for geographic redundancy: preventing data loss in the event that a data centre is compromised. These data centres guarantee availability of every single recorded call at any time, allowing quick and easy access to data for every customer.

Dubber’s cloud storage employs the latest in encryption technology to offer the highest protection, which is managed by a team of experts at a level that legacy solutions cannot compete with. Any data stored within Dubber is only stored by us, and not owned by us. Data rights are retained by the owners of the data, Dubber merely offer solutions that capture, process, and store data.

We are ISO certified

Dubber is ISO 27001 compliant. ISO 27001 is the globally recognised and respected standard for information security management systems (ISMS). In order to gain certification, an organisation must develop and implement a rigorous security management programme: including an ISMS. Organisations must systematically evaluate information security risks, taking the impact of security threats and vulnerabilities into consideration. Any security risks must be addressed with a comprehensive suite of information security controls. An audit and compliance management process must be implemented to ensure ongoing protection.

This achievement is an assurance that Dubber’s data security processes are effective at every level of our organisation. The Dubber core principle is one of agile and continuous improvement and this extends to our data security commitment.

Download our ISO certificate here.

How we protect data

• Establishing, maintaining, monitoring, reviewing, auditing and continually improving our ISMS
• Establishing, reviewing and communicating our information security objectives and performance measures
• Committing to satisfy business, legal, and regulatory and contractual security obligations
• Committing to continual improvement of our ISMS by seeking feedback from clients, staff, and through internal and external audits
• Ensuring that the ISMS is communicated with every member of the Dubber team

Have any questions about our security? Drop us a line.

Organisations who download their recorded calls to local storage are putting valuable data at risk of damage, theft, or tampering. Dubber are committed to providing a secure and reliable call recording platform to meet and exceed the expectations of our customers: at an affordable monthly cost, with zero CapEx.

Why shouldn’t you download your calls?

There are four main risks associated with downloading recorded calls to local storage:

• Security: Recorded calls downloaded to local storage are much more vulnerable to theft, damage, or tampering. Having only one on-premise server means fire or power shortages could destroy all recordings.
• Access: Storing data locally can be detrimental to team members who need to access recordings, as it is often more difficult to manage and access recordings outside of a dedicated recording platform.
• Cost: Using and maintaining on-premise storage solutions is expensive: both to set up and maintain on a day-to-day basis. Organisations need to either employ trained staff members, or to engage expensive third parties to manage the solutions. As incidents can occur at any time, this could result in call-out charges.
• No audit trail: With local storage there is no audit trail. Users can listen, share, or delete recordings with no record of their actions.

Protect against risk with secure cloud storage

Utilising Dubber’s cloud solution, organisations immediately mitigate the risk of having vulnerable data on-site. The Dubber solution also employs the latest in encryption technology to offer the highest protection, which is managed by a team of experts at a level that legacy solutions cannot compete with.

Instant access to every call

Cloud storage with Dubber guarantees the availability of every single recorded call at any time, allowing quick and easy access to data for every customer. Storing calls with Dubber also allows users to retrieve calls instantly with advanced elastic search functionality that trawls every call, no matter when it was recorded. Cloud storage also facilitates ease of use for remote workers or those based in different offices. With all recorded calls available to access from any location, staff working across different locations can continue to playback recordings and use voice data without being in the office.

Consistent costs with no surprises

The costly management and staff resources associated with local storage can all be avoided with long-term storage with Dubber. All of the setup, management, and ongoing maintenance is covered by Dubber, meaning that costs stay the same, no matter what. The monthly subscription fee is the only expense, and there are no worries about unexpected costs in the future. Dubber’s SaaS model keeps costs down to a low monthly payment, rather than requiring CapEx that can be difficult when obtaining budget allowances.

Detailed audit trails

Access to calls is restricted by permissions structures to prevent unauthorised access or sharing of calls or data, and all activity is tracked and timestamped in order to create comprehensive audit trails. A full audit is collected for any transaction within the Dubber platform. All activity, such as users listening to, sharing, and deleting recordings, is monitored and logged within the platform. This logging provides both real-time monitoring of the platform and its status.

Offer your customers cost-effective storage from Dubber

Join Dubber and offer your customers long-term, secure cloud storage for their recorded calls. With no restrictions of storage space, no requirements of on-premise equipment, and instant access to all recorded calls, Dubber’s solution is second to none. What this offers is the opportunity to safely store huge amounts of valuable data, worth much more than marginal savings on a call recording package that might allow only 90 days of storage.

Get in touch to find out more about the benefits of long-term storage with Dubber.

How much personal data did you share today? Within a digital society, where web browsers sometimes know more about us than our friends, security is more important than ever. For businesses who process personal data from their consumers, ensuring they protect this information is vital.

The consequences of poor security

Security breaches are big news: the headlines that result from data hacks can be disastrous for an organisation’s reputation. Consumer relationships with brands are built on trust and customers need to feel that their data is safe, otherwise they are likely to look for alternatives.

In order to help protect consumer data, the EU have enacted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to set a standard for businesses to adhere to when dealing with the management and storage of customer data. Failure to comply with the data protection requirements of this regulation can result in fines of up to €20m or 4% of annual turnover for the prior year, whichever is higher. Read our post on how the GDPR will affect call recording for more information.

In order to comply with the GDPR, and to ensure that their customers feel that their data is secure, businesses need to examine their data storage. In the past many organisations saw on-site storage as the best option, but the rise of the cloud has shown the benefits of digital transformation and the advantages of cloud storage over on-premise solutions.

What are the risks of storing calls on-premise?

Recorded calls downloaded to local storage are much more vulnerable to theft, damage, or tampering. Having only one on-premise server means fire or power shortages could destroy all recordings. With local storage there is no audit trail. Users can listen, share, or delete recordings with no record of their actions.

With a cloud storage solution from Dubber, not only are calls more secure but there are many other advantages over on-site solutions. The cloud allows users to have convenient access to information held within phone calls — anytime, anywhere. This access is managed through strict security permissions that are allocated by designated admin users, and a full audit trail can be traced. Colleagues can collaborate from across locations, and workers are no longer tied to their desks.

Dubber’s security

Recorded calls are not only a valuable source of insight, for some businesses they make the difference between compliance and non compliance. That’s why at Dubber we have put security at the forefront of every stage of the recording process.

Simple and secure access: we ensure that users can easily and securely log in to view calls, but only with strong passwords. With strict teams and permissions settings, calls cannot be accessed by unauthorised personnel.

Single sign-on: the Dubber portal can now be accessed with single sign-on, allowing users to authenticate themselves using third-party credentials.

Sophisticated security and encryption: recorded calls are encrypted using AES-256 at every stage of the recording process.

Industry-leading security standards: Dubber is ISO 27001 compliant. Download our ISO certificate here.

ISO 27001 is an international standard for information security, which provides a framework for the information security management system (ISMS) within an organisation. Like Dubber, ISO 27001 is all about constant improvement, and encourages a system that works to constantly optimise itself.

In order to gain certification, we developed and implemented a rigorous security management programme, including an ISMS. This management system went through a rigorous auditing process that thoroughly examined our approach to information security and the controls we have put in place. We were able to achieve this by establishing an ISMS leadership team, comprising of senior management, and an InfoSec lead to champion and to manage this within Dubber. We engaged InfoSec consultant QMIS in the early stages of the initiative and we leveraged the ISMS.online tool to enable us to centrally manage our ISMS, and to make ongoing governance easier for us in the long term. In order to receive our certificate, we worked with these cloud security specialists and were put through a rigorous auditing process that thoroughly examined the information security management and controls we have put in place.

“Our ISO 27001 certification is an important indication of our dedication to protecting the information handled by Dubber. Our approach to compliance and security has always been proactive and rooted in continuous improvement, and this certification shows our dedication and long-term commitment to data protection.”

— James Slaney, Dubber Head of Product

The key principles

The three tenets of an ISO 27001 compliant ISMS are:

• Confidentiality: ensuring access to information is restricted to certain authorised individuals
• Integrity: ensuring that information processing methods are consistently accurate and thorough
• Availability: making access to information and assets available to authorised individuals

How we protect data

Here are some of the ways we at Dubber are continually working to protect the data we process both on our platform and throughout our organisation:

• Establishing, maintaining, monitoring, reviewing, auditing and continually improving our ISMS
• Establishing, reviewing and communicating our information security objectives and performance measures
• Committing to satisfy business, legal, and regulatory and contractual security obligations
• Committing to continual improvement of our ISMS by seeking feedback from clients, staff, and through internal and external audits
• Ensuring that the ISMS is communicated with every member of the Dubber team

To learn more about Dubber security, you can download our white paper, or get in touch with one of our team.

The deadline for compliance with MiFID II regulations is upon us and the time to adapt to the new rules is now. This extension of MiFID legislation requires any company or employee to record all calls, across mobile and fixed lines, that include financial advice that could lead to a trade. More regulation shouldn’t mean doom and gloom: smart organisations will see these changes as an opportunity to set themselves apart from their competitors with an honest and trustworthy approach to trading and financial advice.

Compliance is an opportunity, not a burden

With technological advances, businesses have the opportunity to make huge improvements in the way they work and the enforcement of MiFID II regulations are the perfect cue to start. By utilising cloud technology to meet the requirements of the new legislation, financial organisations can turn these regulations to their advantage to create value for their business: at an affordable cost, and with no disruption to their existing processes.

Looking beyond the necessary steps required for MiFID II compliance, financial organisations can actually improve their offering and beat the competition by taking advantage of new opportunities. The benefits of a proactive approach to compliance include:

• Improvements in business and customer service practices
• Setting a higher bar for competitors puts businesses ahead of the game
• Gaining a reputation for best-in-class practice
• An opportunity for new technologies to harness the true value of recorded data
• Risk identification and management

Intelligent call recording goes beyond compliance

By deploying call recording for compliance, organisations can also take advantage of the added benefits that can be accessed. Dubber’s call recording is available with the added intelligence of Zoe: a sophisticated suite of speech analytics tools that can help businesses unlock the data held within their voice calls.

Identifying issues and opportunities

Speech intelligence can be instantly added to Dubber’s cloud call recording, allowing organisations to turn MiFID II compliance to their advantage. Zoe can help businesses to analyse their working practices — identifying issues that can be addressed as well as opportunities for development.

Risk management

With Zoe’s Smart Search functionality, recorded calls company-wide can be searched instantly, no matter the size of the organisation. Keywords associated with financial risk can be identified, highlighting conversations that might contain issues. This kind of monitoring promotes a reassuring environment for the consumer.

A competitive advantage

The aim of the MiFID II legislation is for consumers to regain trust in the financial industry, and financial organisations should jump at the chance to showcase how their company goes above and beyond their competitors. By setting a higher bar for financial practice, organisations can get ahead of the game.

A proactive approach to MiFID II regulations

Compliance with regulations shouldn’t be a reactionary game, with organisations playing catch up to attain the minimum requirements to meet regulations. Those who will lead the market will be those who proactively consider how to provide best-in-class practices that offer a better experience for their customers. With MiFID II following so closely behind the original MIFID legislation, MiFID III can’t be too far behind. By taking a proactive approach to customer service and business development, organisations can use technology to their advantage to stay ahead of the game.

The time to adapt to the new MiFID II rules is now. Together with unified telecom services provider Simetric, Dubber has the solution to help financial services organisations comply with the expanded regulations of MiFID II.

Delivered through a SIM card, this advanced communications solution gives users the ability to capture all of their mobile conversations as well as their fixed line calls – a key component of MiFID II compliance. The regulations require all conversations that result or might result in transactions to be recorded, and includes equipment provided to, or authorised for the use of, employees and contractors of the firm – mobile phones being a key example of this clause. This new service will allow users to have a single number across their mobile and fixed line platforms, with Dubber communication capture available across all of their devices.

As MiFID II regulations have extended their coverage to include independent financial advisors, a call-recording solution that can be implemented quickly and easily through a SIM card is an ideal solution. Dubber + Simetric’s call recording solution is cloud-based, enabling users to deploy the service rapidly.

An extra feature of this advanced communications solution is Zoe, Dubber’s powerful speech intelligence suite, which enables users to search through their calls and analyse the voice data that has been captured. Calls related to trades can be quickly located — a crucial component of MiFID II compliance — using a variety of search criteria, but the power of Zoe doesn’t stop there. Zoe’s capabilities are developing every day, and new functionality will allow users to gain valuable insights in a variety of ways from their conversations.

At a time when organisations must be seen to be taking compliance seriously, implementing a comprehensive solution that records communications across devices is an ideal way to ensure your firm is ready for MiFID II. Not only will the worry of compliance be lifted, but consolidating your conversations and using one number for all communications will streamline your workflow.

Used as a new way to deliver unified communications functionality through web and mobile applications, WebRTC has quickly grown in popularity in recent years and is utilised by social platforms such as Facebook and Slack. WebRTC began as a free project that aimed to provide high quality real-time communications (RTC) capabilities between peer-to-peer connections, built into web browsers and mobile applications using simple application programming interfaces (APIs) and a common set of protocols. The growth of the global WebRTC market is expected to be over 40% between 2016 to 2023 (see chart below).

Source: Credence Research

This initiative enables audio, video conferencing, file transfer, instant messaging and also screen sharing without the plugins such as Adobe Flash that have always been required in the past. WebRTC can be seen all over the internet, such as on websites that allow consumers to access contact centre agents through their browser. Live customer assistance can be provided through a chat service or through a WebRTC call that can be placed directly through the browser. It is also what powers calls through instant messaging services such as Slack and enables the voice and video chat that is built in to Facebook’s Messenger.

Previously, this type of plugin-free RTC technology has only been available to large enterprises, as licensing fees for the audio and video technologies required were prohibitively expensive. WebRTC is the first of its kind; allowing a powerful RTC standard to be available to the public as open source. It has the potential to create a new wave of applications and change the way we communicate.

WebRTC runs on JavaScript, which can be easily incorporated into any web application to enable the functionality through a JavaScript API. The services that WebRTC provides can also work simultaneously so that, for example, files can be shared during a teleconference.

Intentionally developed to not provide any preference of protocol, WebRTC is compatible with a variety of existing communications infrastructure such as session initiation protocol (SIP), which is widely used for voice and videoconferencing over IP networks. This means that, just like other VoIP calls, WebRTC calls can be recorded by Dubber’s communication capture software.

What are the advantages of WebRTC?

WebRTC has many advantages, including significantly better video quality than Flash, session connection speeds that are up to 6x faster, and reduced audio and video latency that enables conversations to feel more natural.

Many web services already have RTC capabilities, but only through plugins. WebRTC doesn’t require any plugins and therefore has none of the download, installation, or update processes, or troubleshooting that usually accompany RTC services.

The simple APIs and protocols of WebRTC have the potential to democratise communication across a range of applications from telephony to gaming.

Customer service is an important area of investment for businesses wishing to differentiate themselves from their competitors. With customer contact largely occurring over the phone, the voice data from conversations with customers has become a valuable business asset. Accessing this data to enhance the customer experience can bring numerous benefits. With legacy call recording solutions this data is more difficult to access, however, call recording services built on a cloud infrastructure have the storage and processing capabilities required to truly harness the voice data collected from customer calls. Accompanied by a speech intelligence solution that can analyse the data, a cloud call recording service can allow an organisation to truly listen to its customers. The global speech analytics market has been growing steadily over the past few years and is set to continue, read on to find out how new technology can improve customer service in contact centres.

Quality assurance

Using speech intelligence software such as Zoe from Dubber, contact centre supervisors can monitor their contact centre agents to ensure they are performing to the best of their abilities. Script adherence is important when staff are given directives to do with how to handle certain situations, or when there is a sales campaign in progress. A feature like Keywords can identify those contact centre agents who adhere to scripts, and show calls that do not contain certain words or phrases.

Zoe’s Sentiment feature analyses the emotions of callers using speech characteristics such as tone, volume, and speed of speech and assigns a positive or negative score to a conversation. This allows businesses to identify negative calls that might be from frustrated callers – an automated process could even be enabled to alert management to follow up on negative calls. Trends in negative calls could be identified to show opportunities for development. As Zoe operates in the cloud, and utilises the processing power of AWS, detailed reports can be created using data from all calls rather than a small sample

Dispute resolution and detail confirmation

Recorded calls can provide definitive proof of what was said in a conversation. While this can be useful for everyday business – replaying calls taken on the go to confirm important details back in the office, or replaying orders to ensure accurate fulfillment – recorded calls are also a vital tool in dispute resolution. Zoe’s Smart search feature can easily scan call archives using a variety of criteria from date of call to a specific word or phrase spoken. This quick search means that disputes are settled as soon as possible.

Staff training

Playing real calls is the most effective training method for new staff. The ability to play an example of an actual phone call gives a realistic insight into the conversations a new contact centre employee can expect in their role. Examples of how to deal with angry callers can be played, with proven methods demonstrated.

Recorded calls can also be helpful for existing contact centre staff. An employee’s own conversations can be replayed to show how a call could be handled differently, while successful calls can be shared with a team for motivation. A culture of self-evaluation can also be nurtured by encouraging employees to replay their own calls and reflect on how they dealt with these customers and issues. Dubber’s web portal allows contact centre agents to access their own calls, and team permissions can be set-up so that supervisors can listen to their team’s calls.

Rewarding excellent staff

Zoe can be a great tool for identifying high-performing staff. With Sentiment’s call scoring, contact centre employees who consistently turn negative calls into positive interactions can be easily identified and rewarded for their great work. First call resolution can be tracked and those contact centre agents that achieve high levels can also be acknowledged.

Not all calls are best handled by the person who answers them and knowing when to transfer is a highly valuable skill. Calls transferred to management can be assessed and staff rewarded when appropriate. This variety of measures can indicate those employees who would make good candidates for promotion.

CRM integration and customer insight

Dubber’s partnerships with service providers such as Mondago allow for easy integration with features that can make life easier for contact centre agents. Mondago are leaders in computer telephony and CRM integration and can help organisations build informed profiles of their customers using data from their calls. Features such as screen population, which displays customer information to contact centre agents, can reduce call time as callers no longer need to state all of their details each time they call.

Dubber’s open API allows easy integration with CRM systems. Customer calls can be stored alongside their order history and personal information for detailed customer profiles that facilitate quick and easy customer service.

Deploying a cloud call recording solution, alongside speech intelligence, can not only improve customer service, but provide insight into the working practices of a business and identify areas of potential growth and development. Contact us to find out how to make the most of your phone calls.

Virtual reality (VR) allows you to be transported to real or imagined locations instantly and can connect you to people all over the world. VR users hit 50 million in 2016 and the number of active users of VR is forecast to reach 171 million by 2018. The graph below shows how revenue has grown and is predicted to grow over the next few years. 360-degree video is already available on platforms such as YouTube and Facebook and continued investment from these companies and others including Google and Microsoft mean that VR technology is becoming more affordable every day.

Source: Superdata

The technology is set to transform a number of industries and affect on the way we work and interact with the world and each other. Developments in VR mean that live events such as concerts or sports games can be experienced from your sofa. A global audience can be reached from one venue with the help of a few cameras and some technology. Users can access live streams through VR headsets but also through their browser or mobile app.

A seamless experience

To create a 360-degree video, visual data from multiple cameras must be pieced together to create one video. Post-production of VR content begins with stitching and blending to create one seamless sphere of visual content. VR has continued to improve since its conception and now features immersive effects such as audio that matches the user’s visual experience so accurately that when a user looks away from something, the audio diminishes. Recording using binaural sound is key to this feeling of ‘presence’. For a successful VR experience, and a feeling of true presence, the stitching technology used to create the 360-degree environment must be of a high enough quality to produce a seamless experience.

The future of VR

Tech leaders are predicting that VR will compete with television in the future and are investing in livestreaming services that aim to distribute 360-degree VR content to users around the globe. Just as the internet has changed the way we consume media such as news articles, VR is expected to do the same to television. This entertainment value could be seen as a key area of investment for telcos looking to create a new revenue source after the decline in growth from voice, texts and, most recently, data.

Industry specialists such as CNET founder Halsey Minor believe that VR will be the next stage of growth for the content industry, while Goldman Sachs have stated that VR and AR have the potential to become the next big computing platform. Goldman Sachs have outlined their predictions for VR and AR use in 2025, which can be seen in the graph below. The World Economic Forum sees AR and VR as technologies that can transform daily life with their time and cost saving benefits. This growing industry should be capitalised on by any telco wishing to stay relevant in the future.

Goldman Sachs predictions for VR and AR use in 2025

An example of a telco that is investing in VR is SK Telecom, which is commercialising its 360-degree VR live broadcasting capabilities and planning to open its application programming interface (API) so that individuals and small content developers can create their own 360-degree live VR experiences.

At this stage, the development of VR is very experimental as challenges are identified and overcome. Poor internet speeds can impact the VR experience through heavily compressed images and the strain that VR will put on networks is an area of concern. Network capacity needs to be an area of investment, particularly at the user end of the journey, as VR requires around five times more bandwidth than HDTV as well as the low latency that is essential for a fully immersive experience. If users do not have the correct requirements, content will need to buffer and be stored locally  – creating delays and limiting the interaction capabilities of the VR experience.

The next steps for VR will take the experience mobile. Immersive live VR broadcasting will work in tandem and become more widespread with the development of 5G due to the large bandwidth and low latency that are required for streaming. Network providers will play a key role in the realisation of VR, ensuring high quality connections to allow for a seamless immersive experience.