webex contact center · published

Webex Contact Center workforce optimization and recording

Verified 2026-09-24 · 52 sources · tier 2–5

Webex Contact Center provides integrated call recording, retention controls, and workforce optimization capabilities spanning workforce management and quality management 381011. These capabilities include schedule-driven and flow-based recording controls, administrative retention rules, and optional artificial intelligence features for automated evaluations 45305.

Recording Configuration and Hierarchy

Call recording schedules are configured in Control Hub under Services > Contact Center > Customer experience > Call recording schedule 42. A recording schedule sets a percentage of calls to record for the selected queue, using predictive modeling to choose calls rather than recording an exact count 44. A schedule can be restricted to specific sites, teams, and agents, applying to calls routed through its queue that match its duration, percentage, and filter criteria 41.

In the recording hierarchy, recording schedule settings override queue-level settings, and queue-level settings override tenant-level settings 45. However, flow-level caller consent interacts with this structure 30. The Recording Control flow activity is designed for use alongside a Menu activity to capture caller consent 30. If the captured consent in the flow is Yes, the call is recorded regardless of tenant, queue, or schedule configuration 13. If the caller declines consent, the call is not recorded even if tenant, queue, or schedule settings would otherwise record it 12.

When no Recording Control activity is configured in the flow:

The call is recorded if recording is set to Yes at any 1 of the tenant, queue, or schedule levels 22.
The call is not recorded if recording is set to No across all of the tenant, queue, and recording schedule levels 21.

Settings such as Continue On Transfer, Pause Resume Enabled, and Pause Duration continue to follow the tenant, queue, and schedule hierarchy when the Recording Control activity is used 23. A recording schedule also includes a "Stop recording on transferred calls" toggle that ends recording when an agent transfers the call 46.

Pause, Resume, and Security Controls

When Enable Pause/Resume is active in a recording schedule, an administrator sets the duration in seconds that a recording remains paused 43. When an agent pauses recording in Agent Desktop, it resumes automatically after this duration, though the agent can also resume it manually 14. In Agent Desktop, Pause Recording and Resume Recording do not function during conference or consult calls 25. WarmTransfer's reading of the sources is that a PCI-style pause workflow has a gap, because sensitive data handled while a call is in conference or consult cannot be paused out using Agent Desktop 17.

Recording pause can also be automated programmatically 6. A Cisco technote demonstrates calling POST /v1/tasks/{interactionId}/record/pause through an authenticated endpoint via an HTTP Request activity in the event flow after an agent answers 6. This API approach requires a tenant configured to record calls and an integration created in Control Hub with read-write permissions 7.

While a recording is paused, metadata such as call duration, dialed number, and routing path continues to be recorded 24. For data protection, Webex Contact Center masks sensitive data solely in the user interface and does not encrypt it in the backend, meaning network and console logs still contain PII 20. Furthermore, sensitive-data masking applies to Agent Desktop but not to Supervisor Desktop, and attachments sent to agents may still contain PII 19.

Retention and Purge Policies

Webex Contact Center applies 1 unified retention setting to both voice recordings and transcripts 38. The retention policy is configured in Control Hub under Management > Organization settings > Settings > Retention policies > Contact Center retention policy > Update the policy 32. Administrators can select a Default option of 1095 days or define a Custom retention period 33. The allowed retention range spans a minimum of 7 days to a maximum of 3600 days 37. For a new organization, the default retention period is 1095 days 35.

Cisco warns that setting a retention period of 180 days or less may impact the performance and availability of certain AI-driven features 48. Storage usage for recordings is billed separately under the terms of the organization's contract 49.

Changes to retention policies take effect during the next purge cycle 26. When purging occurs, the system deletes the oldest recordings first 27. Purged recordings are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered 29. Webex Contact Center does not guarantee that a recording is purged on its exact scheduled deletion date, as purges can be delayed 28. WarmTransfer's reading of the sources is that compliance programs cannot rely solely on the purge policy as proof of deletion on a specific date, because purge timing is not guaranteed and purged records leave nothing to audit 18.

WFO Offerings and AI Quality Management

Webex WFO separates quality management and workforce management into tiered feature sets 10151116:

Offering Tier	Included Features	Excluded Features (Full Tier Only)
Basic QM	Call recording, screen recording, evaluation form creation/editing, multi-channel evaluations 109	Live Screen Monitoring, Evaluation Calibration, Evaluation Appeal, QM Workflows, Interaction Export 15
Basic WFM	Forecasting across voice, digital, and back-office channels, multi-skill scheduling, intraday management, real-time adherence, shift bidding 11	Vacation Planner, Overtime manager, open API integrations, self-scheduling, payroll integrations 16

Webex AI Quality Management is available as a paid add-on, sold under SKU A-FLEX-AI-QM or bundled with AI Assistant under SKU A-FLEX-AI-QMMB 5. The add-on includes interaction recording and real-time transcription, both of which are operational prerequisites 4. Capabilities include AI-scored evaluations on customizable forms, sentiment analysis, AI coaching insights, and an Agent Performance dashboard 1. As of its 2026-07-24 update, the documentation states that AI Quality Management supports English only, with non-English support coming later 3.

AI Quality Management features are enabled in Control Hub under Services > Contact Center > AI Features within the Desktop Experience section 2. Auto CSAT is configured per agent and requires call recording for post-call processing 8. Sentiment analysis is enabled per queue, classifies results as positive, neutral, or negative, and requires real-time transcription on those queues 47. Enabling real-time transcription requires a Start Media Stream activity in the routing flow 40. Transcripts appear automatically when using the Global Desktop Layout, but custom layouts require RT_TRANSCRIPT visibility defined within their layout JSON 39.

Applicability

Applies to: Cisco Webex Contact Center, Cisco Webex WFO, and Cisco Webex Contact Center - Webex AI Quality Management. Deployments: multi-tenant. Sources checked 2026-09-24. The Control Hub Contact Center retention policy feature was noted by Cisco as being rolled out progressively as of 2026-04-30 and might not yet be available to all customers 36.

What remains uncertain

Whether existing organizations that never configured retention default to indefinite storage or to 1095 days is not covered by the sources below.
Per-recording legal holds or purge exemptions are not covered by the sources below.
Reconciling the rule that recording is active if set to Yes at any level with the schedule-overrides-queue-and-tenant precedence rule is not covered by the sources below.
Bulk export of recordings via the Webex Contact Center Captures API before purge is not covered by the sources below.
Webex Contact Center PCI DSS attestation scope and service-provider responsibility matrices are not covered by the sources below.
The specific call-recording consent statutes (one-party versus all-party jurisdictions) driving Recording Control flow design are not covered by the sources below.
The geographic storage locations for Webex Contact Center recordings and transcripts by region are not covered by the sources below.
Non-English language support for Webex AI Quality Management beyond the statement that it will come later is not covered by the sources below.

Sources

1
Webex AI Quality Management provides AI-scored automated evaluations on customizable forms, transcript-based sentiment analysis, AI coaching insights and an Agent Performance dashboard.
Get Started with AI Quality Management in Webex Contact Center · Get Started with AI Quality Management in Webex Contact Center - core features · Checked 2026-09-24
2
AI Quality Management features are enabled in Control Hub under Services > Contact Center > AI Features, in the Desktop Experience section.
Enable AI Quality Management Features in Control Hub for Webex Contact Center · Enable AI Quality Management Features in Control Hub for Webex Contact Center - procedure · Checked 2026-09-24
3
As of its 2026-07-24 update, the Webex AI Quality Management article says the feature supports English only and that non-English support will come later.
Get Started with AI Quality Management in Webex Contact Center · Get Started with AI Quality Management in Webex Contact Center - language support · Checked 2026-09-24
4
Webex AI Quality Management requires real-time transcription and interaction recording, and both are included in the AI Quality Management SKU.
Get Started with AI Quality Management in Webex Contact Center · Get Started with AI Quality Management in Webex Contact Center - prerequisites · Checked 2026-09-24
5
Webex AI Quality Management is a paid add-on for Webex Contact Center, sold as SKU A-FLEX-AI-QM or as A-FLEX-AI-QMMB bundled with AI Assistant.
Get Started with AI Quality Management in Webex Contact Center · Get Started with AI Quality Management in Webex Contact Center - licensing · Checked 2026-09-24
6
A Cisco technote shows how to pause a recording from the flow after the agent answers: an HTTP Request activity in the event flow calls POST /v1/tasks/{interactionId}/record/pause through an authenticated endpoint.
Configure Stop Call Recording in the Flow after an Agent Answers the Call · Technote 222682 - Configure section, HTTP Request settings · Checked 2026-09-24
7
The technote's API-based pause approach requires a Webex Contact Center integration created in Control Hub with read-write permissions, and a tenant already set to record calls.
Configure Stop Call Recording in the Flow after an Agent Answers the Call · Technote 222682 - Configure section, steps 1 and 2 · Checked 2026-09-24
8
Auto CSAT is enabled per agent, and call recording must be enabled so that post-call processing can take place.
Enable AI Quality Management Features in Control Hub for Webex Contact Center · Enable AI Quality Management Features in Control Hub for Webex Contact Center - Auto CSAT · Checked 2026-09-24
9
Basic QM on Webex WFO lets users create and edit evaluation forms and evaluate contacts on both voice and digital channels.
Basic WFM and QM Offerings on Webex WFO (Webex Contact Center) · Basic WFM and QM Offerings on Webex WFO - Basic QM feature list · Checked 2026-09-24
10
The Basic QM offering on Webex WFO includes call recording and screen recording.
Basic WFM and QM Offerings on Webex WFO (Webex Contact Center) · Basic WFM and QM Offerings on Webex WFO - Basic QM feature list · Checked 2026-09-24
11
Basic WFM on Webex WFO includes forecasting across voice, digital and back-office channels, multi-skill scheduling, intraday management, real-time adherence management and shift bidding.
Basic WFM and QM Offerings on Webex WFO (Webex Contact Center) · Basic WFM and QM Offerings on Webex WFO - Basic WFM feature list · Checked 2026-09-24
12
If the caller declines recording consent in the flow, the call is not recorded, even when tenant, queue or schedule configuration would record it.
Understand Routing and Queueing in Webex Contact Center · Understand Routing and Queueing in Webex Contact Center - Recording Control activity precedence · Checked 2026-09-24
13
If the caller's consent captured in the flow is Yes, the call is recorded whatever the tenant, queue or recording schedule configuration says.
Understand Routing and Queueing in Webex Contact Center · Understand Routing and Queueing in Webex Contact Center - Recording Control activity precedence · Checked 2026-09-24
14
When an agent pauses a recording in Agent Desktop, it resumes automatically after a pause duration set by the administrator, and the agent can also resume it manually.
Manage your calls in Agent Desktop · Manage your calls in Agent Desktop - Pause and resume call recording · Checked 2026-09-24
15
Live Screen Monitoring, Evaluation Calibration, Evaluation Appeal, QM Workflows and Interaction Export are Full QM features and are not in Basic QM on Webex WFO.
Basic WFM and QM Offerings on Webex WFO (Webex Contact Center) · Basic WFM and QM Offerings on Webex WFO - Full QM additional features · Checked 2026-09-24
16
Vacation Planner, Overtime manager, open API integrations, self-scheduling and payroll integrations are Full WFM features and are not in Basic WFM on Webex WFO.
Basic WFM and QM Offerings on Webex WFO (Webex Contact Center) · Basic WFM and QM Offerings on Webex WFO - Full WFM additional features · Checked 2026-09-24
17
A PCI-style pause workflow on Webex Contact Center has a gap: sensitive data taken while a call is in conference or consult cannot be paused out from Agent Desktop.inferred
Manage your calls in Agent Desktop · Manage your calls in Agent Desktop - Pause and resume call recording note · Checked 2026-09-24
18
A compliance programme cannot use the Webex Contact Center purge policy alone as evidence that a given recording was deleted on a given date, because purge timing is not guaranteed and purged data leaves nothing to audit.inferred
Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center · Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center - purge behaviour and timing note · Checked 2026-09-24
19
Webex Contact Center sensitive-data masking applies to Agent Desktop but not to Supervisor Desktop, and attachments sent to agents may still contain PII.
Set up security for Webex Contact Center · Set up security for Webex Contact Center - sensitive data masking limitations · Checked 2026-09-24
20
Webex Contact Center masks sensitive data only in the user interface and does not encrypt it in the backend, so network and console logs still contain PII.
Set up security for Webex Contact Center · Set up security for Webex Contact Center - sensitive data masking · Checked 2026-09-24
21
If no Recording Control activity is configured in the flow and recording is set to No at all of the tenant, queue and recording schedule levels, the call is not recorded.
Understand Routing and Queueing in Webex Contact Center · Understand Routing and Queueing in Webex Contact Center - Recording Control activity precedence · Checked 2026-09-24
22
If no Recording Control activity is configured in the flow and recording is set to Yes at any one of the tenant, queue or recording schedule levels, the call is recorded.
Understand Routing and Queueing in Webex Contact Center · Understand Routing and Queueing in Webex Contact Center - Recording Control activity precedence · Checked 2026-09-24
23
The Continue On Transfer, Pause Resume Enabled and Pause Duration recording settings still follow the tenant, queue and recording schedule hierarchy when the Recording Control activity is used.
Understand Routing and Queueing in Webex Contact Center · Understand Routing and Queueing in Webex Contact Center - Recording Control activity notes · Checked 2026-09-24
24
While a call recording is paused, Webex Contact Center still records metadata such as call duration, dialed number and routing path.
Set up security for Webex Contact Center · Set up security for Webex Contact Center - Handle call recordings · Checked 2026-09-24
25
In Agent Desktop, Pause Recording and Resume Recording do not work during conference or consult calls.
Manage your calls in Agent Desktop · Manage your calls in Agent Desktop - Pause and resume call recording note · Checked 2026-09-24
26
A change to the Webex Contact Center retention policy takes effect in the next purge cycle.
Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center · Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center - important considerations · Checked 2026-09-24
27
When Webex Contact Center purges recordings under the retention policy, it deletes the oldest recordings first.
Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center · Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center - purge behaviour · Checked 2026-09-24
28
Webex Contact Center does not guarantee that a recording is purged on its exact scheduled deletion day; purges can be delayed.
Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center · Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center - purge timing note · Checked 2026-09-24
29
Recordings purged from Webex Contact Center are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.
Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center · Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center - purge behaviour · Checked 2026-09-24
30
The Recording Control flow activity is designed to be used with a Menu activity to capture the caller's consent to recording.
Understand Routing and Queueing in Webex Contact Center · Understand Routing and Queueing in Webex Contact Center - Recording Control activity · Checked 2026-09-24
31
A third-party wiki says that organizations which did not configure the recording retention policy by 1 January 2026 had a default retention of 1,095 days applied from that date.field report
Webex Contact Center: Retention and Purge Policy for Call Recordings and Transcripts - Public Wiki · page body - paragraph on configuring the Recording Retention Policy by January 1 2026 · Checked 2026-09-24
32
The Webex Contact Center retention policy is set in Control Hub under Management > Organization settings > Settings > Retention policies, then Contact Center retention policy > Update the policy.
Manage retention policies in Control Hub · Manage retention policies in Control Hub - Contact Center retention policy procedure · Checked 2026-09-24
33
The Control Hub Contact Center retention policy offers a Default option of 1095 days or a Custom retention period.
Manage retention policies in Control Hub · Manage retention policies in Control Hub - Contact Center retention policy · Checked 2026-09-24
34
For an existing Webex Contact Center organization, recording retention is indefinite until an administrator configures a specific retention period.disputed
Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center · Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center - default retention · Checked 2026-09-24
35
For a new Webex Contact Center organization, the default recording retention period is 1095 days.
Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center · Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center - default retention · Checked 2026-09-24
36
As of the article's 2026-04-30 update, Cisco said the Control Hub Contact Center retention policy feature was being rolled out progressively and might not yet be available to all customers.
Manage retention policies in Control Hub · Manage retention policies in Control Hub - rollout note · Checked 2026-09-24
37
The Webex Contact Center recording retention period can be set from a minimum of 7 days to a maximum of 3600 days.
Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center · Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center - retention period settings · Checked 2026-09-24
38
Webex Contact Center applies one unified retention setting to both voice recordings and transcripts.
Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center · Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center - Unified Retention Setting · Checked 2026-09-24
39
Real-time transcription appears automatically with the Global Desktop Layout, but a custom desktop layout must be given RT_TRANSCRIPT visibility in its JSON.
Enable AI Quality Management Features in Control Hub for Webex Contact Center · Enable AI Quality Management Features in Control Hub for Webex Contact Center - desktop layout note · Checked 2026-09-24
40
Real-time transcription is enabled per queue and needs a Start Media Stream activity in the flow.
Enable AI Quality Management Features in Control Hub for Webex Contact Center · Enable AI Quality Management Features in Control Hub for Webex Contact Center - Real-time Transcriptions · Checked 2026-09-24
41
A recording schedule can be limited to chosen sites, teams and agents, and it applies to calls routed through its queue that also match its duration, percentage and filter criteria.
Manage call recording schedules · Manage call recording schedules - filter criteria · Checked 2026-09-24
42
Webex Contact Center call recording schedules are configured in Control Hub under Services > Contact Center > Customer experience > Call recording schedule.
Manage call recording schedules · Manage call recording schedules - procedure · Checked 2026-09-24
43
When Enable Pause/Resume is turned on in a recording schedule, the administrator enters the number of seconds a recording stays paused.
Manage call recording schedules · Manage call recording schedules - Enable Pause/Resume · Checked 2026-09-24
44
A recording schedule sets a percentage of calls to record for the selected queue, and the system uses predictive modeling to choose which calls to record rather than recording an exact number.
Manage call recording schedules · Manage call recording schedules - overview and percentage setting · Checked 2026-09-24
45
For call recording, recording schedule settings override queue-level settings, and queue-level settings override tenant-level settings.
Manage call recording schedules · Manage call recording schedules - settings hierarchy · Checked 2026-09-24
46
A recording schedule has a 'Stop recording on transferred calls' toggle that ends the recording when the agent transfers the call.
Manage call recording schedules · Manage call recording schedules - Stop recording on transferred calls · Checked 2026-09-24
47
Sentiment analysis is enabled per queue, requires real-time transcription on those queues, and classifies results as positive, neutral or negative.
Enable AI Quality Management Features in Control Hub for Webex Contact Center · Enable AI Quality Management Features in Control Hub for Webex Contact Center - Sentiment Analysis · Checked 2026-09-24
48
Cisco warns that a retention period of 180 days or less may affect the performance and availability of some AI-driven Webex Contact Center features.
Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center · Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center - important considerations · Checked 2026-09-24
49
Webex Contact Center bills recording storage usage separately, according to the terms of the organization's contract.
Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center · Manage Retention and Purge Recordings and Transcripts in Webex Contact Center - important considerations · Checked 2026-09-24
50
For Webex Contact Center, Calabrio ONE-initiated automatic pause and resume is not available because the RTP stream it needs does not pass through Calabrio ONE.
Webex WFO Pause and Resume - WFO Help Center · Webex WFO Pause and Resume - Cisco Webex Contact Center section, limitation note · Checked 2026-09-24
51
For Webex Contact Center recordings, Webex WFO documents two pause and resume options: manual pause from the agent desktop, and automated pause driven by Cisco APIs.
Webex WFO Pause and Resume - WFO Help Center · Webex WFO Pause and Resume - Cisco Webex Contact Center section · Checked 2026-09-24
52
Webex WFO syncs redacted audio from Webex Contact Center into Calabrio ONE, which redacts the matching screen recording automatically using the audio redaction timing.
Webex WFO Pause and Resume - WFO Help Center · Webex WFO Pause and Resume - Cisco Webex Contact Center section · Checked 2026-09-24

Documents

tier 2 current vendor documentation

Cite this page

APA

WarmTransfer. (2026, September 24). Webex Contact Center workforce optimization and recording. WarmTransfer. https://warmtransfer.net/knowledge/webex-cc-wfo

BibTeX

@misc{warmtransfer-webex-cc-wfo,
  title  = {Webex Contact Center workforce optimization and recording},
  author = {{WarmTransfer}},
  year   = {2026},
  url    = {https://warmtransfer.net/knowledge/webex-cc-wfo},
  note   = {Verified 2026-09-24}
}