Call recordings — find, play, download

Every recorded call is saved as an audio file on your own server. This guide shows where those files live, three ways to find the exact call you are looking for, and how to play it back or download it — no technical knowledge needed.

Where your recordings live

Recordings are written to disk on your own VICIfast server — the same box that runs your dialer. A few minutes after each call ends, the box compresses the audio to MP3 automatically. Nothing is uploaded to us when you listen: pressing Play streams the file live from your box, through VICIfast, to your browser. We never keep a playable copy. (One exception: the optional backup add-ons copy recordings into your backup — see Retention below.)

That has one big consequence: if the file is gone from your box, nobody can play it. Keep an eye on disk space — click the HEALTHY badge near the top of your server page to open Server Health, which shows how much room recordings and the disk have left.

Turn recording on (per campaign)

Recording is a per-campaign setting. Campaigns you create in VICIfast record all calls by default. To check or change it:

1. Click Servers in the left sidebar, then click your server’s name.
2. Click the Campaigns tab.
3. Click the pencil icon on the campaign’s row to open its settings.
4. In the left-hand list, click Trunk / Routing.
5. Find the Recording dropdown. Choose All calls, All calls (forced), Agent-triggered only, or Disabled, then save.

Pick All calls for normal use. Agent-triggered only means the agent decides per call from their own screen.

Way 1 — Recording search (find any call)

This is the fastest way to find one specific recording across all agents and campaigns.

1. Click Servers in the left sidebar, then click your server’s name.
2. Click the Reports tab.
3. Under Tools, click Recording search. A panel slides in from the right.
4. Pick a date range at the top — Today, Yesterday, This week, Last 30 days, or type your own dates.
5. Narrow down with the filters: Agent (the exact username, like 1001), Phone (at least 7 digits), Campaign, In-group, Disposition, Term reason, or Min length (s) to skip hang-ups.
6. Click Search.
7. Click the blue Play button on the row you want.

Each row shows the start time, length, agent, phone number, lead, campaign, and disposition. Click a lead’s name to see everything that ever happened with that person.

Way 2 — one agent’s recordings

Use this when you are reviewing a specific person, for example a weekly QA pass.

1. Click Servers in the left sidebar, then click your server’s name.
2. Click the Users tab.
3. Click the agent’s name in the list. Their personal report slides in.
4. In the left-hand list, click Recordings.
5. Pick a date range at the top (Last 30 days works well for reviews).
6. Click Play on any row.

Way 3 — from Call logs

Already looking at a call in Reports ▸ Call logs? Rows that have a recording show the same blue Play button right there. Rows without one simply have no button — that call was not recorded.

The player

The player opens in a large window with a live waveform. You can:

• Play and Pause, or press the restart arrow to go back to the beginning.
• Drag the slider to jump to any moment — handy for skipping hold music.
• Change the speed from 0.5× to 2×. QA at 1.5× saves real time.
• Click Download to save the original MP3 to your computer.

Playback uses a private link that expires after about 5 minutes. If a very long recording stops loading, just close the player and press Play again — you get a fresh link.

Export a big list

Need a spreadsheet of recordings instead of listening one by one? In Recording search, click Run as background export (top right). We email you a CSV with every match — up to 250,000 rows — and it also appears under Reports ▸ Exports for 7 days. The CSV lists each recording’s details (time, agent, phone, filename); it does not contain the audio itself.

Retention — how long recordings stay

There is no automatic time-based deletion. MP3 recordings stay on your server until the disk fills or someone deletes them — for many teams that means years of history. The only automatic cleanup is the raw, uncompressed originals, which the box removes about a day after each call (the MP3 copy is what you always see and hear).

Two honest limits to plan around: there is no Delete button for recordings in the VICIfast dashboard today (ask support if you need old recordings purged), and disk space is finite — Server Health shows both disk and recordings usage. If you need guaranteed off-box retention, the backup add-ons (Daily backups, or External backups to your own S3) include recordings in every backup.

Good to know

• A greyed-out Play button means the audio file is gone from the server’s disk, even though the call row still exists. Hover it and you’ll see "Recording file rotated off disk — playback unavailable".
• Phone search needs at least 7 digits — shorter searches are blocked to keep your dialer fast.
• The search panel loads the first 2,000 matches. If you see a "narrow filters" hint, tighten the date range or filters, or use Run as background export for the full set.
• Playback links are private and expire after about 5 minutes — you can’t bookmark or share them. Press Play again for a fresh one.
• The violet Analyse button next to Play is a paid AI add-on that transcribes and summarizes the call. Playback and download are always free.
• Recordings count against your server’s disk. Check Server Health (click the HEALTHY badge on your server page) before long archiving decisions.
• The screenshots here use fictional 555 numbers from our demo server. On your real server, only record calls you have the legal right to record — consent rules differ by country and state.