Automatic call recording

Overview: if you have purchased the optional "Cloud call recording" feature then this article will help you get up and running quickly. Voice recording, once enabled by us at "site" level, give each user the ability to choose when and when to record. Each user can play back their recordings and even download them to store beyond the inclusive 180 days storage term. This article covers the following:

• How to login and configure the call recording options
• How to play back and download recordings
• How to pause (and resume) a recording whilst the other person remains on the call
• Legal information

All recordings and settings can be accessed form the same portal; see this article for portal login - https://internetservices.freshdesk.com/en/support/solutions/articles/5000817971-cloud-voice-mobile-app-web-portal

Once a user is logged into the portal they can click the "Features" tab and select "Configure" on the "Voice recording" section of the features list:

The Voice Recording section will display the current options, and a list of recent recordings. We recommend the option "Always with Pause/Resume" as this conveniently records all inbound and outbound calls, with the option to exclude sensitive information such as credit card details. Click the "Details" button to access the individual recordings for playback or download:

Details of the individual call recordings: click the play icon, or click the "Call Handler ID" for more options, such as download.

....details of the specific call: click the cloud icon to download the recording

(By default recording are stored for 180 days, so downloading a specific call allows certain recordings to be retained for longer. If you need automatic storage for longer, consider adding the "7 year legal hold" feature which automatically retains all recordings for 7 years)

How to "Pause & Resume"

If you selected our recommended setting of "Always with Pause/Resume" then you can pause a recording, for example if the other person is about to discuss confidential information that should not be stored. Here's the basic procedure:

• During the call, place the call on hold (press the "Hold" button or icon on your phone)
• Dial *48(then press the usual "Dial"/"New call"/"Call" button)
  • A message will advise that your call recording is now paused
• Release the call from hold (press the "Hold" button or icon on your phone once more)
• Continue your conversation
• When ready to resume, follow a similar process as above, but dial code *49
  • A message will advise that your call recording is now resumed

As an example, the "hold" key on a Yealink T46S model looks like this:

In addition to the physical handset, if a user is currently logged into the portal they can click Pause/Resume directly in the dashboard under "Calls in Progress":

How to use "On Demand"

If you selected the setting "On Demand with User Initiated Start" then calls are not automatically recorded. You can choose to begin recording at any point during a call. Here's the basic procedure:

• During the call, place the call on hold (press the "Hold" button or icon on your phone)
• Dial *44(then press the usual "Dial"/"New call"/"Call" button)
  • A message will advise that call recording is now active for the remainder of the call

Recording retention and storage capacity

Included in the cost of the monthly call recording license (per user) is 1 GB of storage and 180 days (6 months) retention. This can be upgraded to 7 years retention, charged at a monthly price per GB for the additional storage. The benefit of this is that all recordings can be searched online and notes added too. However, some users choose to download the recordings every month and archive the files on their own storage such as OneDrive. The file format already contains date, time, calling "from" and "to" numbers:

YYYYMMDDhhmmss From         To

20201124164249-442920123123-02077456456-9066232-199066759.mp3

Please do contact us if you have specific questions regarding retention and storage.

Legal considerations

The following is based on Ofcom information and should be used as guidance only. Businesses considering interception, recording or monitoring of telephone calls or e-mails are advised to seek their own independent legal advice and should not seek to rely on the general information provided below. The regulations governing the recording of calls in the UK are covered by different pieces of UK legislation. The main regulatory sources to consider are:

• Investigatory Powers Act 2016http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2016/25/contents 
• Telecommunications (Lawful Business Practice) (Interception of Communications) Regulations 2000 (“LBP Regulations”) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2000/2699/contents/made
• General Data Protection Regulations "GDPR"
• Telecommunications (Data Protection and Privacy) Regulations 1999http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1999/19992093.htm
• Human Rights Act 1998http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/19980042.htm

In addition to the above legislation some sectors have additional industry specific regulations that they need to operate within. The following list is not exhaustive:

• Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) is a European Union legislative framework for governing the financial sector within Europe that came into force 3rd January 2018. The directive governs investment services provided by investment firms and banks as well as financial trading within stock exchanges and other trading vehicles. The regulations place increased responsibility on firms to record and securely store communications with their clients. Interactions with clients must be recorded and stored using the following guidelines:
  • Conversations must be recorded when either instructions are confirmed with clients, or when advice is given to clients.
  • The conversation must be recorded regardless of the medium used, i.e. whether it was a telephone or mobile phone call, an email instruction, some other electronic form of communication, or a verbal, face-to-face instruction.
  • Records must be kept for a minimum of five years.
• Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). In the UK there are regulations from the FCA. The intention with MiFID II was to align these across Europe but in light of Brexit, FCA is included: https://www.fca.org.uk/firms/recording-telephone-conversations-electronic-communications
• Payment Card Initiative Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). All firms who handle, transmit, store, or process information concerning credit or debit payment cards, or their related card data, are required to be compliant with PCI (Payment Card Initiative). This is a global standard.
• Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS) Code of Practice. The ICSTIS is responsible for regulating premium rate services in the UK, which include content, promotion and overall operation.
• Direct Marketing Association (DMA). The DMA in the UK set out guidelines for members to ensure good practice for customer contact campaigns.

Do I need consent from my callers to record calls?
No, provided the recording is to meet one of the following Lawful Business Practice conditions and you are not intending to make the recording available to a third party. If a company does not meet these cases, they should obtain consent.

• Participants have given consent to be recorded for one or more specific purposes;
• Recording is necessary to fulfil a contract to which the participant in the call is a party;
• Recording is necessary for fulfilling a legal obligation to which the recorder is subject;
• Recording is necessary to protect the vital interests of one or more participants;
• Recording is in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the recorder;
• Or, recording is in the legitimate interests of the recorder, unless those interests are overridden by the interests of the participants in the call which require protection of personal data

How do I advise callers that they may be recorded (if not covered by the above list)?
The particular means by which you choose to do this are not specified. However consent should be opt-in if
the above cases are not met. Consents must be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous; tacit consent is not enough.

Do I need to notify my employees that calls are recorded?
Yes, a company is obliged to inform employees their calls may be recorded. This is usually in the form of a paragraph in their employment contract.

[End of article]

Admin tip: search site level (all employees)

To search for call recordings for all employees, click the site tab and search/select a site, then click dashboard.

If you're logged in as a "user", log out and log back in as an "admin". Click the "Sites" tab along the top, select your site, then scroll to the bottom of the page under "Services" to find the "Call recording" link; once logged in you will have access to all recordings for all users:

Searching

    For a quick search, such as all calls to/from a number use the top search bar.

    For more specific search click filter, and choose filters such as: (1) custom date range + (2) To Number or From number

Be aware than numbers can sometimes show the country code such as 441234567890 instead of 01234567890.

Once a recording has been located in can be played and/downloaded.

Auto-archiving app

Admin users can download and install a Windows app (from the recording dashboard: Modules > Archive Scheduler). Once installed, a schedule can be created to auto download the call recordings.