Secure Call Flows
| Section |
Description |
| Feature Area |
Architect / Flows |
| Flow Type |
Secure Call Flow |
| Navigation |
Admin → Architect → Flows → Secure Call |
| Primary Function |
Temporarily mask audio and prevent recording/agent access to sensitive customer data (PCI payments, PII collection) |
| Compliance |
PCI DSS compliant |
Secure call flows protect sensitive customer data by masking audio paths and preventing system recording during specific portions of an interaction. The most common use case is collecting credit card or bank account information for payment processing without exposing that data to agents or recording systems.
Study Notes
| Topic |
Explanation |
| Secure Flow |
A flow type in Architect that masks audio and data captured during an interaction to meet PCI/PII compliance requirements |
| Secure IVR |
Bundles multiple tools — secure flows, secure variables, and secure actions — into a complete PCI-safe data collection approach |
| Secure Action |
Any action in Architect marked as "secure" — triggers the flow to operate in secure mode |
| Secure Variable |
A variable whose content is flagged as secure — also triggers secure mode when consumed |
| Key Icon |
Visual indicator in Architect showing that an action or action beneath it is either secure or consuming secure data |
| PCI DSS |
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard — secure call flows help organizations comply with this standard for phone-based payments |
| Protocol Capture risk |
Enabling trunk diagnostics/protocol capture logs all data, including data entered in secure flows — sensitive data is not encrypted. Avoid enabling when using secure flows |
| PCI DSS setting |
If enabled in org settings, Genesys Cloud automatically disables Media Capture and Protocol Capture settings |
Two Secure Flow Scenarios
| Scenario |
Description |
| Agent-referred secure session |
Agent is on an active call with the customer → agent initiates the transfer to a secure flow → flow collects sensitive data → flow returns caller to the agent via Return to Agent action |
| IVR-only secure session |
No live agent involved — caller interacts entirely with the automated flow — sensitive data collected and processed — flow ends with Disconnect action |
Key Actions in Secure Flows
| Action |
Purpose |
| Transfer to Secure Flow |
Used in an Inbound, Outbound, or In-Queue flow to transfer the caller into a secure flow |
| Return to Agent |
Terminating action in a secure flow — reconnects caller to the agent after the secure session ends; passes stored variable values (e.g., confirmation number) back to agent's script |
| Disconnect |
Terminating action for IVR-only secure sessions with no agent |
| Extract Secure Data |
Retrieves secure variable values within a secure flow |
| Call Secure Data |
Used to pass secure data between flow components |
The Transfer to Secure Flow action is available in Inbound, Outbound, and In-Queue flows.
For transfer actions within a secure flow: Genesys Cloud uses blind transfers (not consult). The defined failure path is overridden and the call is disconnected if the transfer fails.
Return to Agent Action — Key Details
| Attribute |
Detail |
| Type |
Terminating action — ends the secure flow |
| Where used |
Secure flows (agent-referred scenario) |
| What it does |
Reconnects caller to the original agent; sends stored variable values to agent's script |
| If agent left before caller returns |
Call is disconnected |
| Cannot transfer to new destination |
Return to Agent does not support transferring to a different agent or number |
| Monitoring restriction |
If a supervisor is actively monitoring the interaction, the agent cannot initiate the Transfer to Secure Flow; monitoring must be ended first |
Analytics Impact
Secure flows affect the following agent metrics:
| Metric Affected |
Description |
| Time in IVR |
Time spent in the secure flow counts against IVR time |
| Average Time in IVR |
Affected by secure flow duration |
| Agent Handle Time |
Impacted because the agent is technically handling the interaction during the secure session |
| Average Agent Handle Time |
Affected |
| Agent Talk Time |
Affected |
Bot Integration with Secure Flows
If a bot session is initiated from a secure call flow, the bot inherits the secure characteristics of the secure call flow. This prevents logging and recording of data at the bot level, maintaining PCI/PII compliance.
Note: Dialog Engine Bot Flows are PCI DSS compliant and can be used in secure call flows. Digital Bot Flows are not PCI DSS compliant and must not be used in secure call flows.
Protocol Capture Warning (Exam Critical)
| Situation |
Risk |
| Protocol captures enabled for trunk diagnostics |
System does not encrypt data — all data including secure flow inputs is logged |
| PCI DSS setting enabled in org |
Genesys Cloud automatically disables Media Capture and Protocol Capture settings |
| Best practice |
Never enable protocol captures while using secure call flows in production |
Permissions
| Permission |
Purpose |
Architect > Flow > Add |
Create secure flows |
Architect > Flow > Edit |
Edit secure flows |
Architect > Flow > View |
View secure flows |
Architect > Flow > Delete |
Delete secure flows |
Workflow — Agent-Referred Secure Session
Agent on call with customer
↓
Agent initiates transfer (Transfer to Secure Flow action in inbound/in-queue flow)
Note: If supervisor is monitoring, transfer cannot be initiated until monitoring ends
↓
Secure Flow begins — audio masked — recording paused
Agent can no longer hear customer input
↓
Customer enters sensitive data (e.g., credit card number) via DTMF
↓
Secure Flow processes payment or stores confirmation number in secure variable
↓
Return to Agent action executes
Confirmation number passed to agent's script
↓
Customer reconnected to agent
Workflow — IVR-Only Secure Session
Customer calls in — routed directly to Secure Flow
↓
No agent involved
↓
Secure Flow processes sensitive data (e.g., account number, payment)
↓
Disconnect action terminates interaction
Key Takeaways
| Topic |
Summary |
| Purpose |
Mask audio and prevent recording during sensitive data collection |
| PCI DSS compliant |
Yes — designed for PCI compliance |
| Triggering condition |
Any secure action or secure variable consumed in a flow activates secure mode |
| Two scenarios |
Agent-referred (returns to agent after) · IVR-only (ends with Disconnect) |
| Transfer to Secure Flow |
Available in Inbound, Outbound, and In-Queue flows |
| Return to Agent |
Terminating action — passes data back to agent; call disconnects if agent left |
| Protocol Capture risk |
Never enable protocol capture when using secure flows; PCI DSS setting disables it automatically |
| Bot support |
Dialog Engine Bot Flows only (PCI-compliant); Digital Bot Flows must NOT be used |
| Analytics impact |
Secure flow time counts against IVR metrics and agent handle time |
| Key icon |
Visual indicator in Architect showing secure action/variable in use |