Record Call on a DID: recording inbound by number

Sometimes you want to record every call that comes in on one particular number without touching every campaign or queue. VICIdial lets you do that right on the DID (direct inward dialing) (Direct Inward Dialing number, the inbound number your carrier delivers). The setting is called Record Call, and it lives on the Modify DID screen.

The three Record Call options

Open the DID, find Record Call, and pick one of these. The default is N.

• Y records the entire call, from the moment it hits the number through to hangup, including any time spent in an IVR (interactive voice response) or on hold.
• Y_QUEUESTOP records the call up until it is hung up or it enters an Ingroup queue, then stops. This is handy when the queue itself, or the campaign behind it, already handles recording from that point on.
• N does not record at all. This is the starting value on every new DID.

DID recording versus queue recording

There are two places recording can be switched on for inbound traffic: at the DID, and at the inbound group. Recording at the DID is useful when you want capture to start before the caller ever reaches an Agent (a logged-in user who handles calls), for example during the menu choices or while they wait. Recording at the queue is fine when you only care about the agent conversation. Y_QUEUESTOP is the bridge between the two: the DID captures the front of the call, and the queue takes over once the caller is in line.

Why would the front of the call matter? In a press-one IVR (interactive voice response) flow, the caller might say something useful, agree to terms, or punch in an account number before an agent picks up. If your reason for recording is compliance or quality review, capturing that opening leg can be exactly what you need. If you only review agent performance, queue-level recording keeps the files smaller and the storage lower.

One practical note on consent: recording rules vary by region, and whether you need to announce the recording or get the caller's agreement depends on where you and your callers are. The DID setting controls the mechanics, not the legality, so check your obligations before you turn it on broadly.

How each setting decides what gets recorded

flowchart TD
  A[Inbound call on DID] --> B{Record Call value}
  B -->|N| C[No recording]
  B -->|Y| D[Record entire call]
  B -->|Y_QUEUESTOP| E[Record until queue entry]
  E --> F[Stop at in-group queue]
  D --> G[Through to hangup]

Finding the recordings later

Once recording is on and the call is logged with a Disposition (the outcome code the agent or system sets), the per-DID listing shows each inbound call with its date, time, status, phone number, wait time, and a link to listen or download the audio when a recording exists.

For the broader view of how inbound traffic routes and queues, see our VICIdial inbound call handling guide. If you would rather set recording on the queue side, our note on the in-group recording override covers that path.

Recordings stay on your own box, which keeps storage and compliance under your control. Spin one up with our managed VICIdial hosting, live in under 40 seconds.