Recordings

Recordings in Issabel PBX refer to the system's ability to capture and store audio of calls for various purposes, such as quality assurance, compliance, training, or dispute resolution. This feature is a vital component of many PBX systems, and Issabel provides robust tools for managing call recordings efficiently.
Call recording in Issabel Contact Center can be easily configured in the Issabel PBX administration panel. Issabel Contact Center will take as reference the recording configurations that are in Issabel PBX in both Extensions and Service Queues.

Key recording features in Issabel PBX

1. Automatic Call recording:

• Enables recording of calls automatically for selected extensions, queues, or routes.

2. On-Demand recording:

• Allows users to manually start and stop recordings during a call using feature codes or system settings.

3. Granular Control:

• Recordings can be configured for specific:
  
  • Extensions
  • Queues
  • Inbound and outbound routes.

4. Recording Formats:

• Common audio file formats include .wav, .mp3, .gsm, among others for compatibility and efficient storage.

5. Storage and Retrieval:

• Recordings are stored on the server and can be accessed via the Issabel web interface under the Call Recordings module.
• Recordings can be filtered by date, time, extension, or call direction (inbound or outbound).

Recordings by Extension

To enable recording by extension, it is necessary to access the extension configuration in Issabel PBX and configure the recording options:

• Inbound External Calls: Recording of inbound calls from external sources.
• Outbound External Calls: Recording of outbound calls to external sources.
• Inbound Internal Calls: Recording of calls received from other extensions on the system.
• Outbound Internal Calls: Recording of calls made to other extensions on the system.
• In the four parameters above the options are:
  
  • Always: to enable recording for the current extension regardless of the recording configuration of its parents (queues or routes).
  • Don´t Care: to inherit the recording options from the route or queue to which the current extension belongs.
  • Never: to disable recording for the current extension regardless of the recording configuration of its parents (queues or routes).
• On demand recording: Enable or disable the ability to do on demand (one-touch) recording. The overall calling policy rules still apply and if calls are already being recorded they can not be paused.
• Record Priority Policy: Call recording policy priority relative to other extensions when there is a conflict between an extension wanting recording and the other not wanting it. The higher of the two determines the policy, on a tie the global policy (caller or callee) determines the policy.

Queue recordings

To enable recording by service queue, it is necessary to enter the configuration of a queue in Issabel PBX and configure its recording options:

• Call Recording: Incoming calls to agents can be recorded. (saved to /var/spool/asterisk/monitor). The option "No" disables recoding for the current queue. The other options are the formats in which the audio recordings will be stored (wav49, wav, gsm).
• Recording mode: Defines the moment when the call will start the recording. Choose to Include Hold Time so it starts recording as soon as the call enters the queue, or to defer recording until After Answered and the call is bridged with a queue member.

Routes recordings

To enable recording by route, it is necessary to enter the configuration of an inbound or outbound route in Issabel PBX and configure its recording options:

• Call Recording: Controls or overrides the call recording behavior for calls coming into this DID. It has the following options:
  
  • Allow: This option will honor the normal downstream call recording settings.
  • Record on Answer: This option is set to start recording when the call would otherwise be recorded ignoring any settings that say otherwise.
  • Record Immediately: This option is set to start recording right away capturing ringing, announcements, MoH, etc. Never will disallow recording regardless of downstream settings.
  • Never: Completely disable recording of all calls that pass through the current route.

Recording review

To review the Issabel Contact Center recordings, it is necessary to enter the Issabel PBX Web administration and under the PBX menu select the Call Recordings option. By applying the necessary filters it is possible to obtain the recordings that the system has made according to the configurations made. From this option you can listen to the recordings or download them to a local hard drive.

Best practices for using recordings

1. Legal Compliance:

• Ensure that call recording complies with local laws and regulations, which often require notifying participants of the recording.

2. Privacy Protection:

• Implement access control to restrict who can listen to or download recordings.

3. Storage Optimization:

• Use compressed audio formats like .gsm to save disk space.
• Archive older recordings to external storage solutions.

4. Security:

• Encrypt recordings to prevent unauthorized access.
• Regularly update Issabel PBX to patch vulnerabilities.

The recordings feature in Issabel PBX is a powerful tool for monitoring and managing communications within an organization. With flexible configuration options, secure storage, and easy access, recordings can significantly enhance productivity, compliance, and customer service when used appropriately.

If there is any incorrect or incomplete information, or additional information needs to be generated, please write to isscc@issabel.com