Until February 2022, Retell was a UK-based company that specialised in providing call recording and call management solutions to businesses across various industries. The company was founded in 1985 and, in its early years, focused on developing call recording solutions for small businesses.
The company’s founders recognised the need for individuals and businesses to monitor and record their phone calls to improve customer service, train staff, and resolve disputes. They developed a range of small, single-line call recording products that were affordable and easy to use. In the early days’ calls were recorded onto a specially designed cassette recorder that tapped into a telephone line using a connector clipped onto or plugged into the curly cord part of a telephone.
Whilst Retell’s cassette recorders are no more, the Retell 156 connector, which works with dictation devices and the Retell 157 connector, which works with a laptop or PC, has been revived by Vidicode UK and are available online from various office product and telecoms suppliers.
As the requirement for call recording grew, the company expanded its operations to include multi-line business and call centre recording solutions establishing a trading relationship with Vidicode. Retell branded Vidicode’s range of higher capacity single desk recorders and multi-line analogue, ISDN2 and ISDN 30 recording systems. Retell also developed call recording software for single desks to work with the already established 157 connectors.
In 2004 Retell continued to innovate and improve its products by manufacturing its own brand Sense Call Recording System, for analogue, ISDN and eventually SIP lines. These solutions recorded calls at the line level, making it easier for businesses to adopt call recording technology without replacing their entire telephone system infrastructure.
The success of the Sense recorder also made it attractive to telephone system manufacturers. It was adopted by OEM partners who integrated it within their PABXs as a value-add proposition for their customers.
The Sense system was further developed through a partnership with software supplier Kelmar which enabled Retell to offer extension side information, call performance, tracking of call volumes, graphical statistics and reporting. Thus, Sense Call Analyser was born, helping businesses and call centres benefit from call management and call recording.
Retell served a diverse range of clients in its heyday, including small businesses, large enterprises, government agencies, and non-profit organisations. To this day, Retell’s products are used to improve customer service, comply with regulatory requirements, and optimise call centre performance.
In February 2022, Retell ceased trading, but former Retell Commercial Director Everton Stuart, who had left in 2015 to set up call recording company Vidicode UK purchased Retell’s IP, website and goodwill and re-employed former colleagues Gemma Page, Tracy and Derek Smith to cover admin, customer services and technical support.
The dedicated Vidicode UK team supports former Retell IT and telecoms partners with an installed base of Sense customers. Vidicode UK has also invested in improving the Retell Sense system with a new enhanced web-based Graphic User Interface (GUI).
Our Clients
Vidicode UK also offers unique call recording software and solutions, including low-cost extension side 3CX recording and secure Microsoft Teams recording through its flagship Apresa call recording platform. Aimed at companies bound by strong compliance regulations, Apresa is a multi-faceted solution with free screen recording and pause recording for FCA, PCI and GDPR.