Enable policy-based recording

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Genesys Cloud enables comprehensive policy-based call recording through trunk-side and station-side mechanisms, allowing administrators to automatically record all calls with flexible management options. Trunk-side recording captures external inbound and outbound calls with optional consultation, hold, and transfer recording features, while station-side recording captures the agent's perspective including internal agent-to-agent communications. Both mechanisms can be enabled individually or together for complete call capture. Configuration requires compatible audio formats (PCMU, PCMA, L16, Opus, G726-32, GSML16, and Truespeech for trunk-side) and dual-channel recording to capture each call participant separately in distinct audio streams—a critical requirement for transcription with BYOC Premises telephony connections. The system offers customizable recording parameters including volume leveling, selectable audio codecs, and adjustable periodic beep tone alerts with configurable duration, frequency, and volume to notify participants of active recording. Recording configuration is managed through the Telephony > Phone Management interface, where administrators can set recording policies on individual phones or apply settings across multiple users through base settings inheritance. Compliance features include mandatory customer consent requirements before recording begins and the ability to suppress recording for specific call portions such as IVR or queue-wait segments. Recording retention is managed through flexible recording policies, and the Telephony > Plugin > All permissions are required to configure these settings. By default, policy-based recording remains disabled until explicitly enabled by administrators, ensuring organizations maintain control over their recording practices. Trunk-side recording is configured by selecting an external trunk through the Telephony menu and enabling the Record calls on this trunk option under Media settings. Optional recording features—including consultation recording, hold recording, and external bridged transfer recording—are disabled by default but can be individually enabled. Volume leveling, audio codec selection, and dual-channel recording are configurable options with customizable beep tone settings for periodic alerts. Station-side recording captures the agent's perspective and internal calls that do not traverse external trunks, configured at the individual user phone level or applied across multiple users through base settings inheritance. Genesys Cloud provides station-side recording configuration options for both WebRTC and physical phones, supporting multiple audio codecs. The Dual Channel feature enables separate recording of both call participants when using compatible audio formats, storing each side in separate audio streams that allow independent volume adjustment during playback. Configuration is accessible through Menu > Digital and Telephony > Telephony > Phone Management, with options to configure recording for individual users via the Phones tab or multiple users through Base Settings. For WebRTC phones, settings are accessed through the Media section, while for physical phones, single-user configuration uses the Line Keys tab and multi-user configuration uses the Base Line Appearance tab. All changes require saving through either the Save Phone or Save Base Settings option.

PrerequisitesClick to expand

By default, policy-based recording is not enabled, which means that calls are not recorded. In Genesys Cloud, you can capture policy-based recordings in two ways:

Enable trunk-side recording
Enable station-side recording

For a comparison between these two recording mechanisms, see Call recording in Genesys Cloud overview. You can enable one or both recording types. After you enable recording, Genesys Cloud records all calls automatically. Use recording policies to prevent recording retention and to configure when to save or delete recordings.

Enable trunk-side recording

To record voice calls for inbound and outbound, enable and configure recording on the trunk that hosts the calls. You can only enable trunk-side recording at the trunk level. For more information, see External trunk settings.

After you enable recording, make sure that you configure the following settings.

Select an audio formatClick to expand

Enable dual channelClick to expand

To record both sides of a call as separate channels, you must enable dual channel recording. However, this setting is only available if you select one of the following audio formats:

PCMU (G.711 u-law)
PCMA (G.711 A-law)
L16 (Uncompressed Linear 16-bit PCM)
Opus

When you enable the Dual Channel setting, the Genesys Cloud records both sides of the conversation separately and saves each channel of the recording in a separate stream. The system uses audio channel 0 to save the external participant recording and audio channel 1 to save the internal participant recording.

Then on playback, you can adjust the volume on each channel independently so you can listen to just one side of the conversation or the other or both. For more information, see Work with an interaction overview.

Configure complianceClick to expand

Before you enable trunk-side recording, configure compliance settings.

Use the Require user consent before recording setting to enable or disable the requirement that a customer must give consent before a recording can begin. By default, the Require user consent before recording setting is unavailable, which means that Genesys Cloud records all calls. When you select the Require user consent before recording check box, Genesys Cloud only records calls if the customer gives recording consent. For more information, see Enable Participant Recording action.

Use the Recording Beep Tone setting to configure an audible beep tone to play in the background of a voice call while the system records the call. A beep tone allows participants to know that a conversation is being recorded, which can be required for regulatory compliance.

Configure trunk-side recordingClick to expand

Click Menu > Digital, Telephony > Telephony > Trunks.
Click the External Trunks tab.
From the list, select the trunk you want to configure.
Click Media.
Under Recording, select Record calls on this trunk.
If you must have user consent, select Require user consent before recording.
Under Optional Recording, follow these steps:
Note: By default, the Consults, Holds, and External bridged transfers recording features are unavailable.

- To allow recording of a consultation between two parties, for example an agent and a supervisor, select the Consults check box.
- To allow recording when the call is on hold, select the Holds check box.
- To allow the recording to continue on an external transfer, select the External bridged transfers check box.

Under Recording Audio, select Level the volume on both sides of the conversation, if you want to keep the volume consistent on both sides.
Under Audio Format, select the audio codec that you want to use for the recordings.
If you choose an audio codec that allows it and want to record both sides of the conversation separately, select Dual Channel.
Under Recording Beep Tone, select Play periodically while recording if you must alert users that they are being recorded.
Choose the number of tones that you want to play: Single or Dual.
Click Customize Tones if you want to configure the way that the tones play. The Customize Tones dialog opens.
- To specify how long in milliseconds the beep tone plays, use the Duration slider.
- To specify the rate in hertz at which the beep tone occurs, use the Frequency slider.
- To specify the beep tone volume in decibels, use the Volume slider.
To specify how often in seconds that the beep tone plays, use the Play Beep Tone Every slider.
Click Save External Trunk.

For more information on how policy-based recording functions in Architect, see Enable Participant Recording action.

Enable station-side recording

You can enable station-side recordings to capture the agent’s perspective in a call, including the recording of internal calls, such as agent-to-agent calls, that do not traverse through an external trunk. Configure the station-side recording settings at each user’s phone level. To apply the same recording settings to a group of users, enable recording at the base settings level and then configure the phones for these users to inherit settings from the base setting. For more information, see Phone configuration overview.

Whether at the individual user’s phone, or toward multiple users via the phone’s base settings, make sure that you configure the following settings.

Select an audio formatClick to expand

Enable dual channelClick to expand

If you want to record both sides of a call as separate channels, you must enable the Dual channel setting. However, the Dual channel setting is only available if you select one of the following audio formats:

PCMU (G.711 u-law)
PCMA (G.711 A-law)
L16 (Uncompressed Linear 16-bit PCM)
Opus

Configure station-side recording for a WebRTC phoneClick to expand

Click Menu > Digital, Telephony > Telephony > Phone Management.
To configure for recording of one user, stay in the Phones tab. To configure for recording of multiple users, click the Base Settings tab.
From the list, select the phone or base setting you want to configure.
Click Media.
Under Recording, select Record calls on this phone.
Under Recording Audio, select Level the volume on both sides of the conversation, if you want to keep the volume consistent on both sides.
Under Audio Format, select the audio codec that you want to use for the recordings.
If you choose an audio codec that allows it and want to record both sides of the conversation separately, select Dual Channel.
Click Save Phone or Save Base Settings.

Configure station-side recording for a physical phoneClick to expand

Click Menu > Digital, Telephony > Telephony > Phone Management.
Choose how you want to configure station-side recording:
- Single user:
  - To configure recording for one user, stay in the Phones tab.
  - From the list, select the phone.
  - Click the Line Keys tab.
- Multiple users:
  - To configure recording for multiple users, click the Base Settings tab.
  - From the list, select the base setting.
  - Click the Base Line Appearance tab.
Click Media.
Under Recording, select Record calls on this phone.
Under Recording Audio, select Level the volume on both sides of the conversation, if you want to keep the volume consistent on both sides.
Under Audio Format, select the audio codec that you want to use for the recordings.
If you choose an audio codec that allows it and want to record both sides of the conversation separately, select Dual Channel.
Click Save Phone or Save Base Settings.

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