How to transcribe all your business phone calls
3CX v20 can automatically transcribe recorded telephone calls using the OpenAI API. Once configured, a call is recorded by 3CX, sent to the selected transcription service and returned as text for authorised users to review. This removes the need to replay an entire conversation to find a name, date, decision or action.
“All calls” means every relevant call covered by your recording and transcription settings. Calls that are not recorded cannot be transcribed, and a business should not assume that recording every personal or sensitive call is lawful or proportionate.
What you need before you start
- A supported 3CX v20 installation and the appropriate licence. 3CX currently documents OpenAI call transcription as an Enterprise/AI feature; Update 8 also introduced new ENT+ and onboard transcription options, so check the edition and build before deployment.
- An OpenAI API project with billing enabled. API usage is separate from a ChatGPT subscription.
- Call recording enabled for the users, queues and ring groups that need transcription.
- A documented purpose, lawful basis, privacy notice and retention policy for the recordings and transcripts.
How to configure 3CX v20 with OpenAI
- Create a dedicated OpenAI API project, enable billing and set a monthly budget and notification threshold. Generate a new secret API key and store it securely.
- In the 3CX Admin Console, go to Integrations → Transcription, select OpenAI, paste the secret key, choose the speech language and save.
- Go to Departments → Options and enable transcription. Users, queues and ring groups can inherit the department setting, with overrides available where a narrower scope is required.
- Under each relevant user's Options, set call recording to external calls or all calls as required. Confirm that queues and ring groups follow the intended policy.
- Make test calls in both directions. Check speaker names, numbers, permissions and transcript quality before applying the setting more widely.
Transcripts can be viewed in 3CX reports and supported 3CX apps. They can also support summaries, call journalling and quality reviews, depending on the features configured. Treat the text as an aid rather than a perfect record: accents, poor audio, specialist terms and people speaking over one another can produce errors.
Is recording and transcribing calls legal in the UK?
It can be lawful, but installing the technology does not make every use lawful. Call recordings and transcripts normally contain personal data, so the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 apply. The Investigatory Powers (Interception by Businesses etc. for Monitoring and Record-keeping Purposes) Regulations 2018 may also be relevant when a business records communications carried over a system it controls.
A business needs a clear purpose and an appropriate lawful basis. Examples can include keeping evidence of a transaction, meeting a regulatory obligation, or necessary and proportionate training and quality control. Consent is not the only possible basis and is often unsuitable for employee monitoring because it may not be freely given.
The ICO says recording the content of every call is not usually proportionate in all cases. A blanket policy therefore needs particularly careful justification. Limit transcription to the departments and call types that genuinely need it, and avoid routinely recording private calls.
A practical UK compliance checklist
- Document the purpose, lawful basis and why recording is necessary and proportionate.
- Complete a data protection impact assessment before systematic or high-risk monitoring.
- Tell staff clearly through policies and training. Tell callers that the call is being recorded and why; an opening recorded message is good practice.
- Publish privacy information covering retention, access rights, data sharing and the use of 3CX and OpenAI.
- Set a defined retention period and restrict recordings and transcripts to authorised roles.
- Review processor contracts, sub-processors and any international transfers before sending call audio to a cloud service.
- Plan for subject access requests, deletion requests where applicable and the correction of inaccurate text.
Protect the API key and the transcripts
Use a dedicated OpenAI project for 3CX, apply budget alerts, review usage and rotate the key if it may have been exposed. Never put the key in a website, mobile app, email or source-code repository. Access to 3CX recordings, reports and exports should follow least-privilege principles.
OpenAI states that API data is not used to train its models by default unless the customer opts in. That does not replace your own due diligence: confirm the complete 3CX and OpenAI data flow, endpoint retention, contractual terms and storage locations for the exact configuration you deploy.
For a broader view of the platform, read how 3CX makes AI useful in a business phone system.
This article provides general information, not legal advice. Organisations in regulated or sensitive sectors should obtain advice for their specific use case.