Free Call Accounting Software - is it worth it?

We wouldn't recommend investing a lot of time looking for free call accounting software. There are many eye catching headlines promoting free software, but scratch the surface and there's always a catch or a cost.The offer of free software is invariably deceptive, it's usually bait to draw attention to products that involve a hidden cost.

While genuine free call accounting software maybe as easy to find as a free lunch, there are plenty of inexpensive options. An investment of $500 to $750 will buy a solution that is adequate for use with a small business phone system.

The key word is "adequate." Small business phone systems have evolved more in the last five years than in the previous hundred years.

One consequence of this is that basic call accounting options may not integrate with VoIP phone systems. They may do an adequate job of accounting for voice calls over an analogue TDM PBX, but require replacement or an upgrade when the phone system system is replaced.

Basic call accounting systems are usually limited in one or more ways:

Over and above features and functionality there's the issue of support. It encompasses not just the availability of assistance over the phone, but also bug fixes, patches and new software releases. Until the late 1990's telephone systems had not fundamentally changed in decades. As a consequence, call software could be installed and largely forgotten about. That's no longer the case as traditional TDM PBXs are rapidly being phased out and replaced by small business VoIP solutions.

When checking out free call accounting software always ask about support. If a product does not need support it's either bug free, which is a wild claim, or there is no longer a product development road map, which means "don't expect any updates."

See also: Telephone Call Accounting and Telecom Expense Management

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