Voicemail, recording and messages · For 3CTel customers
How do I pause recording when a caller gives card details?
When a caller is about to give card details, press the pause-recording key on your desk phone or the pause button in the app. The recording stops, a marker is added, and the rest of the call is not captured until you press resume. Card industry guidance generally expects that card security codes are not stored in recordings, so pausing is the usual practice for phone payments.
Step by step.
Tell the caller
"I am going to pause our recording while you give me your card details." It reassures the caller and reminds you to press the key.
Pause
Press the labelled feature key on the desk phone, tap Pause recording in the desktop or mobile app, or dial the pause feature code if your system uses one.
Take the details
Enter the card information into your payment system as usual. Nothing said during this time is recorded.
Resume
Press the same key or Resume recording once the payment is confirmed. The recording continues in the same file with a marker showing the gap.
Check the log
Supervisors can see pause and resume events in the call record, which helps with reviews and audits.
Why pause rather than stop
Pausing keeps the before and after parts of the call in one recording, with a visible gap where the payment happened. Stopping the recording entirely would lose the confirmation and any agreement made after the payment. Pause also leaves an event in the log, which is easier to show an auditor than a missing recording.
Card industry guidance generally expects that a card's security code is never stored after authorization, including in audio. Businesses that take payments by phone usually rely on pause and resume together with a written procedure for staff. This is general practice, not a compliance statement.
Making it reliable
- Label the desk-phone key clearly, for example "Rec pause", so new staff find it.
- Put the pause step in the payment script so it is not forgotten under pressure.
- Consider routing payment calls to a small group whose phones have the key programmed, rather than every phone.
- For higher volumes, some businesses move card capture out of the call entirely by sending a payment link by SMS while the caller stays on the line.
In the admin portal, open Users → Recording to enable pause and resume for a user or group. A 3CTel specialist can make this change for you and can program the desk-phone key.
Related questions.
Can pause be automatic?
Automatic pause tied to a payment application is possible through an API or an automation platform and is scoped during planning; availability is confirmed before activation. Most small and mid-sized businesses use the manual key, which is simple and auditable.
What if an agent forgets to pause?
A supervisor with recording access can trim or delete the affected recording and note the reason in the log. Reviewing recordings periodically and keeping the pause step in the script reduces how often this happens.
Does pausing affect the caller?
No. The caller hears nothing different: no tone, no announcement and no change in audio. The call continues normally while you take the details; only the recording stops and starts, and the pause is noted in the call record.
Last updated: