Call Recording

Calls between the A and B-parties (or the A and C-parties if Mid Call Divert is used, or the A, B and C-parties if Mid Call Conference is used) can be recorded and the resultant mp3/wma/wav file can be sent to a pre-defined email address, FTP server, or both. It is also possible to record each call leg (i.e. A and B) into their own separate files. This option is not available for the C-party. The options are:

1. Record All Parties (default)

2. Record A-party Only

3. Record B-party Only

4. Record A and B-parties into separate files

5. Record A and B-parties into separate files, and also into a Combined File.

6. Stop On C-party Answer

When using a mode other than “Record All Parties” or “Stop on C Party Answer” it is not possible to configure Mid Call Divert, Mid Call Conference or Start/Stop Call Recording.

"Stop on C Party Answer" terminates the call recording between the A and B-parties as soon as the C Party answers the phone. The call recording will be processed at that point - i.e. it doesn't wait for the end of the call between the A and B-parties before the call recording is processed. If a Mid Call Divert (or Mid Call Conference) to the C-party goes unanswered (i.e. it's not answered, busy, NU, etc.), then A and B recording will continue and not be terminated.

Call recordings are emailed from the platform as soon as the call recording is complete - however, delays are possible due to slow internet connections or other factors outside the platform's control.

For details of how long Call Recording files are stored for, please refer to the Data Retention Policy.

Notes on Separate and Combined Call Recordings

This applies to options 2, 3, 4 and 5 listed above:

Sidetone ("cross-talk”)

It is possible for one party’s audio to ‘bleed’ into the call recording of another party - even if the option to only record one party has been selected.

The reason for this is due to ‘Sidetone’, a recognised and intentional feature used predominantly in analogue handsets, therefore it is not something that can be removed.

Sidetone is less likely to be present when using IP or Mobile phones.

Example:

The use of sidetone means that when listening to some of the single party files, both parties may be audible. As an example, if Mrs. Smith rings into her bank using an analogue phone on her landline and the agent in the call centre is using an IP phone, then both parties will be heard in the A-party file, but Mrs. Smith’s voice will be the loudest. In the B-party file only the Agents voice will be heard.

More detail on sidetone can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidetone

Combined File

Where low-volume sidetone from each call leg (see above) would be present in the opposite recording, the resulting combined recording could contain an echo effect. This is due to the B-party recording starting a fraction of a second after the A-party recording.

An adjustment equal to this delay between A and B is applied to the B-party recording in order to cancel out this effect.

However, it cannot be guaranteed that the echo will be removed from all call recordings, as there is no control over the types of handsets that will be used when making calls.

Muting

If enabled, call recordings can be ‘muted’ if the B-party presses 00 on their telephone keypad when sensitive information is about to be given by the A-party. Any key press un-mutes the recording. The resultant call recording will contain silence equal to the period of time muting was in force. The called party will hear a short audio cue each time muting is enabled or disabled.

On Demand using Key 7 to Start/Stop

If enabled, call recordings can be switched on and off (started/stopped) by the called party using key 7 on their telephone keypad. By default, call recording is OFF at the beginning of a call until the called party presses 7 which switches the call recording ON. All subsequent key 7 presses will toggle the call recording status between OFF and ON. The resultant call recording will only contain audio when the recording status is ‘started’, unlike muting which contains periods of silence. The agent will hear a single audio tone confirming that recording has been switched ON and a double audio tone will confirm when recording has been switched OFF.

Call Recording File Sizes

If call recording files are being emailed, please consider the length of the call recording and subsequent file size. If a recording of a lengthy file is not received, it may be that the receiving mail server does not accept files over a certain size limit. Below is a guideline of possible files sizes - note that this is indicative only and actual size will depend on environmental factors:

Call Recording Approximate Sizes

Type of Call	File Format	Approx. size per min
Call Recording	MP3	235kb
Call Recording	WAV	235kb
Call Recording	WMA	100kb
Conference Call Recording	MP3	235kb
Conference Call Recording	WAV	235kb
Conference Call Recording	WMA	100kb