Record calls with the right consent notice

Overview#

TradesWork can record calls to and from your company numbers. Recording is off until an owner or admin turns it on, and every recorded call starts with an announcement so callers know. Recordings are kept in private storage, can be transcribed, and only roles allowed to hear them can play them. Recorded calls are what Call Scorecards grade.

Before you start#

• Role. Only owners and admins can change recording settings (Settings › Phones › Phone Numbers, Call Recording & Texting). Owners, admins and dispatchers can play recordings and read transcripts. CSRs see that a call was recorded but can't play it. Viewers see the call log only.

• Phones must be connected. Recording settings do nothing until your account has phones switched on.

• Private recording storage. If it isn't set up on the server, the phone settings page says "Private recording storage isn't set up on this server, so recordings stay with the phone provider and can't be played here yet."

• Transcripts need speech-to-text connected and AI turned on for your company (Settings › AI › AI Assistants & Data Preferences). Without them, office calls are recorded but not transcribed.

• Know your state's law. Some states require every person on the call to consent. TradesWork lists the states commonly treated as all-party consent (CA, CT, DE, FL, IL, MD, MA, MI, MT, NV, NH, OR, PA, VT, WA) as guidance. This isn't legal advice.

Steps#

Turn recording on#

1. Go to Settings › Phones › Phone Numbers, Call Recording & Texting.

2. Scroll to Recording and consent.

3. In Recording, choose one:

   • Don't record calls (the default).

   • Record, with a short notice (one-party consent states). Default announcement: "This call may be recorded for quality and training."

   • Record, with an explicit announcement to everyone (all-party consent states). Default announcement: "This call is being recorded for quality and training. If you do not want to be recorded, please hang up and text us instead."

4. Optionally write your own wording in Announcement (optional). Leave it blank to use the default for the mode you chose.

5. Click Save phone settings.

What callers and customers hear#

1. Inbound calls to your office: the announcement plays to the caller before the call rings through and before recording starts.

2. Click-to-call: when the customer picks up, they hear the announcement before the conversation and the recording start.

3. Voicemail: the caller hears your voicemail greeting and leaves a message, which is recorded.

4. AI receptionist calls: the receptionist's default greeting tells callers the call is transcribed so the team can follow up. See AI receptionist and text agent.

Play a recording#

1. Go to Calls › Calls and click the Recorded filter.

2. Click Details on a call.

3. Use the audio player. Under it you see Announced: with the exact notice the caller heard.

4. Read the transcript below the player, if there is one.

5. Each time someone plays a recording, TradesWork records who did it in the audit log.

Settings that change this#

• Settings › Phones › Phone Numbers, Call Recording & Texting: Recording and consent, Voicemail greeting (optional).

• Settings › Phones › Escalations & Tasks: the AI receptionist greeting under Opening messages.

• Settings › Phones › Call Scorecards: whether recorded calls are graded, and in-home sales recording for technicians (customers agree on screen first).

• Settings › AI › AI Assistants & Data Preferences: AI must be on for transcripts.

Tips#

• If you serve customers in any all-party consent state, use the all-party mode for every call. It's simpler than guessing where a caller is.

• Keep a custom announcement short. Long notices make callers hang up.

• Use recordings for coaching with Call Scorecards rather than listening to calls at random.

Troubleshooting#

• No calls show under Recorded. Cause: recording is off, phones aren't connected, or private storage isn't set up. Fix: check Recording and consent and the Connection card on the phone settings page.

• "Recorded. Your role can't play recordings." Cause: your role isn't allowed to hear recordings (CSR). Fix: ask a dispatcher, owner or admin.

• A recording has no transcript. Cause: speech-to-text isn't connected, AI is off for your company, or the recording was empty. Fix: an owner checks Settings › AI › AI Assistants & Data Preferences.

• Calls aren't being graded. Cause: only calls recorded with your consent notice are graded. Fix: turn recording on, then turn on grading in Settings › Phones › Call Scorecards.

FAQ#

Where are recordings stored? In private storage for your company. TradesWork copies each recording from the phone provider, then deletes the provider's copy.

Can I record some calls and not others? No. The recording setting applies to all calls on your company numbers.

Are phone numbers in transcripts hidden? In Call Scorecards, phone numbers and emails are removed from transcripts. The transcript under a call in the call log shows what was transcribed.

Do technicians' in-home conversations get recorded? Only if an owner turns on Allow in-home recording in Settings › Phones › Call Scorecards, and only after the customer agrees on screen in the field app. That audio is transcribed and never stored.

Coming from ServiceTitan#

• Same idea: ServiceTitan records calls on its phone system with a recording notice. TradesWork does the same on your TradesWork numbers.

• Different: you choose a one-party or all-party announcement in one setting, playback is limited by role, and each play is logged.

• Moving over: recordings stored in ServiceTitan don't come across. Download any you must keep before you leave.