Recording format (WAV/MP3)

The recording format is simply the file type your saved calls are stored in. The two you will see most often are WAV and MP3. WAV (Waveform Audio File Format) keeps the audio uncompressed, so it is the highest quality but also the largest in size. MP3 compresses the audio, making files much smaller while sounding nearly the same to the human ear. Each Call recording is written out in whichever format you pick, and that one setting quietly shapes both your audio quality and your storage bill.

The practical choice comes down to space versus fidelity. A WAV recording of an hour of calls can take several times the disk of the same calls stored as MP3. For most call centers, where recordings are used for coaching and as evidence in a dispute, MP3 is plenty — the small quality drop simply does not matter for ordinary speech, and the storage savings are real and ongoing. Reserve WAV for the rarer cases where you genuinely need pristine, untouched audio.

Format works hand in hand with your Recording retention policy: file size multiplied by how long you keep recordings equals your storage cost. Picking MP3 together with a sensible retention window keeps that cost predictable instead of letting it creep up month after month. If you use Stereo recording to put the agent on one channel and the caller on another, expect files to be larger than single-channel recordings of the same length, which is worth factoring in when you estimate disk needs.

Do not confuse the recording format with the Codec used during the live call. The codec compresses audio while it travels over the network in real time; the recording format is how the finished file is stored on disk after the call is over. They are separate decisions, though both affect the final quality you hear on playback. Whether you capture every call or rely on On-demand recording for the moments that matter, the format setting decides how each of those files actually lands on disk.