How to Record Voicemail in an IVR Workflow

By Sparkforge Support Team ·Last reviewed May 3, 2026

The Record Voicemail (IVR) action captures an audio message from a caller. Stop conditions include silence, a designated keypress, or a maximum length. Recordings appear in the contact's conversation thread.

What this action does

The Record Voicemail (IVR) action captures audio from a caller during a workflow. Stop the recording on silence, on a specific keypress, or when it hits a max length. Finished recordings show up in the contact's conversation history.

How to configure

Action Name — Label the step (for example, Record Customer Voicemail).
Play Beep — Toggle on to signal the caller that recording has started.
Stop Recording After (Seconds of Silence) — Auto-stop after this many quiet seconds.
Stop Recording on Keypress — Pick a key (1-9, #, *) that lets the caller end the recording.
Max Recording Length — Hard cap in seconds.
Add Voice Instructions — Optional pre-recorded prompt or TTS that plays before the beep.

Field reference

Field	Description	Required
Action Name	Internal label for the step.	Yes
Play Beep	Plays a beep when recording starts.	No
Stop Recording After	Seconds of silence before auto-stop.	Yes
Stop Recording on Keypress	Key the caller presses to end recording.	No
Max Recording Length	Hard cap on recording duration in seconds.	Yes
Add Voice Instructions	Pre-recorded message or TTS prompt.	No

Example

Capture a voicemail when a caller skips the menu:

Action Name: Record Customer Voicemail
Play Beep: on
Stop Recording After: 5 seconds of silence
Stop Recording on Keypress: #
Max Recording Length: 360 seconds (6 minutes)
Voice Instructions: "Please record your message after the beep."

Notes

Silence cutoffs free up the line if the caller wanders off mid-message.
A keypress stop is the cleanest way to let callers signal they're done.
Set max length deliberately — long recordings consume storage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do recorded voicemails appear?

Recordings attach to the caller's contact record and show up in the conversation thread alongside other channels.

What keys can the caller press to stop recording?

Any digit 1 through 9, plus # or *. Pick a key that won't conflict with other IVR menus the caller may have used.

What's a sensible max recording length?

Most voicemails fit comfortably in 2 to 5 minutes. Set the cap based on your storage budget and the kind of message you expect.

Can I add instructions before the beep?

Yes. Toggle on Add Voice Instructions and either type a TTS message or upload an audio file.