What is call recording?

Call recording is exactly what it sounds like — your phone system captures and stores a copy of telephone conversations, both inbound and outbound. The recordings are stored securely and can be accessed when needed.

In a managed hosted PBX, call recording is a configurable feature — you can record all calls, calls on specific extensions or queues, or outbound calls only. The configuration is handled by your provider.

Why do businesses record calls?

Call recording serves several legitimate purposes for Australian businesses:

  • Training and quality assurance — reviewing calls helps managers coach staff and maintain service standards
  • Dispute resolution — a recording of a conversation can resolve disagreements about what was said or agreed
  • Compliance — some industries (financial services, legal, healthcare) have regulatory requirements to record certain types of communication
  • Memory aid — complex instructions, order details or client requirements captured during a call can be referenced later

How does it work technically?

In a hosted PBX, the recording happens at the platform level — your phone system intercepts and captures the audio from both parties in the call as it passes through the PBX. The recording is then encoded as an audio file and stored on secure cloud storage.

With CallPath, recordings are stored on Australian infrastructure. They're accessible to authorised users on request. The retention period and access controls are configured as part of the managed service.

Recording can be applied selectively:

  • All inbound calls to a specific number
  • All calls handled by a specific extension or agent
  • All calls passing through a particular call queue
  • All outbound calls from the system

Australian law on call recording is primarily governed by the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (Cth) and state-based listening device laws. The rules vary by state, but the general principle that applies to most business call recording is that at least one party to the conversation must be aware the call is being recorded.

In practice, most businesses handle this by including a disclosure in their IVR or hold messaging — something like "calls may be recorded for quality and training purposes." This approach is standard practice and provides a clear, audible notification to callers before they speak with staff.

Note: this article provides general information only and is not legal advice. The laws around call recording can be complex and vary by state and industry. We recommend seeking advice from a qualified Australian lawyer if you have specific compliance requirements.

Privacy considerations

If your business is subject to the Australian Privacy Act (which applies to most businesses with a turnover above $3 million, and some smaller businesses), call recordings that contain personal information are subject to the Australian Privacy Principles. This means you need to handle recordings appropriately — store them securely, limit access, and have a policy for how long they're retained.

CallPath stores recordings on secure Australian infrastructure. If you have specific privacy or compliance requirements around call recording, discuss these with us during the setup phase and we'll configure the system accordingly.

Setting up call recording with CallPath

Call recording is included in CallPath as a standard feature. Setting it up — deciding which calls to record, configuring any disclosure messages in your IVR, and establishing access arrangements — is handled by our team as part of the managed service.

You don't need to understand the technical configuration. You tell us what you need: which calls should be recorded, who should have access to recordings, and whether you want a disclosure message played. We handle the rest.