What Is Pause and Resume in Call Centers?
“Pause and Resume” (also called “stop/start”) is a mechanism that allows contact center agents to temporarily stop call recordings when a customer shares sensitive payment card information, then resume once the details have been provided. Its goal is to avoid capturing card numbers and CVV codes in recordings and align with PCI DSS requirements.
TL;DR:
- Traditional pause and resume methods can create security blind spots.
- These systems may fail to fully protect sensitive customer payment data.
- PCI DSS compliance requires more robust, end-to-end data protection.
- Sycurio offers secure alternatives that eliminate manual gaps.
- Call centers must rethink outdated pause and resume tactics.
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The Security Risks of Traditional Pause and Resume
While it may seem like a quick fix, pause and resume introduces significant vulnerabilities:
- Partial scope only: It only stops call recording—it doesn’t protect agents’ desktops, networks, VoIP systems, or screen captures, all of which remain exposed to cardholder data.
- Agents can still hear and misuse data: Even if recordings are paused, agents and potentially malicious actors can listen, write down, or store card details manually.
- Human error and system failure: Manual processes can result in forgotten pauses, leading to breaches. Automated systems can incorrectly resume too soon or too late.
- Compliance blind spots: Skipping recording segments complicates audits, undermines dispute resolution, and may violate regulations that require full call archiving.
Is Pause and Resume Enough for PCI Compliance?
No. Pause and resume is insufficient for full PCI DSS compliance:
- PCI DSS v4.0.1 rejects unreliable methods: New standards require data to be excluded from scope automatically and predictably. Manual pause/resume fails this requirement.
- Only recording is excluded: Agents, their systems, networks, and telephony still fall within the cardholder data environment (CDE), expanding PCI compliance scope.
- Incomplete security posture: It forces organizations into complex PCI SAQ-D audits and full-scope reviews, with no assurance that data hasn’t been mishandled.
Best Practices to Improve Data Protection
To move beyond pause and resume and strengthen security, contact centers should adopt:
- DTMF masking or suppression: Prevents card data from entering systems or agents by routing keypad tones straight to payment processors.
- Secure IVR payments: Automated systems let customers enter card details via IVR, bypassing agents entirely.
- End-to-end encryption: Encrypted call recordings safeguard data in transit and storage.
- Strict policies and training: Clear rules on recording, access control, and PCI scope combined with rigorous staff education and auditing.
How Sycurio Offers Secure, Seamless Alternatives
Sycurio eliminates the drawbacks of pause and resume by using DTMF masking technology:
- Customers input payment data via telephone keypad (or speech recognition); raw tones are masked from agents and recordings, replaced by flat tones.
- No manual steps required—compliance is built-in and automated, dramatically reducing PCI scope to SAQ-A levels.
- Agents and call recordings maintain full context and continuity—no missing segments and improved CX.
- Reduced compliance cost, faster handling, fewer breaches, and better performance metrics like lower AHT and higher FTR and CSAT.
Conclusion: Go Beyond Pause and Resume
Pause and resume data security may appear simple, but it's a superficial fix prone to errors and insufficient under modern PCI standards. True protection comes from automating data capture exclusion capabilities—like DTMF masking—which secure voice and recordings, ease compliance burdens, and enhance customer experience. Don’t let outdated methods jeopardize trust and security. Future-proof your contact center with automated, agent-bypassing solutions.
FAQs:
What is the pause and resume method in call centers?
It’s a manual or automated process where agents temporarily stop recording calls during payment data entry to avoid storing sensitive cardholder details.
Is pause and resume PCI compliant?
No—PCI DSS v4 condemns it as unreliable. Although it may prevent recording of data, it leaves agents, systems, networks, and telephony exposed, so it doesn’t meet compliance requirements.
What are the security risks of pause and resume?
Risks include unprotected call segments, agent eavesdropping, human error, audit failures, network vulnerabilities, and potential data breaches from incomplete coverage.
How can contact centers improve payment data security?
By implementing DTMF masking, encrypted IVR capture, secure payment links, and adopting agent-exclusion technologies alongside strict security policies and training.
What solutions are better than pause and resume?
Agent-excluding solutions like DTMF masking/DTMF suppression, secure IVR, and token-based payment capture—such as Sycurio—ensure sensitive data never enters the contact center environment.