Configuring Screen Recording Policies for Dual-Monitor Setups

How-To-Articles
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Configuring Screen Recording Policies for Dual-Monitor Setups

Executive Summary & Architectural Context

In modern contact centers, almost all agents operate with dual (or triple) monitor setups. They run the CRM on Monitor 1, the Genesys Cloud web interface on Monitor 2, and internal knowledge bases on Monitor 3.

When Quality Management (QM) requires Screen Recording, the native assumption is that the system will record everything the agent sees. However, recording multiple 1080p or 4K monitors simultaneously generates massive .webm video files, exponentially inflating AWS S3 storage costs. Furthermore, if an agent has their personal email or banking open on Monitor 2, recording it violates strict data privacy laws (GDPR, CCPA).

This masterclass details how to architect precise Screen Recording policies in Genesys Cloud, specifically targeting the exact screens or application windows required for QM, while actively excluding peripheral monitors to minimize compliance risks and storage costs.

Prerequisites, Roles & Licensing

  • Licensing: Genesys Cloud CX 3 (or CX 2 with WEM Quality Add-on).
  • Roles & Permissions: Quality > Policy > Edit, Recording > Screen > Edit.
  • Platform Dependencies:
    • The Genesys Cloud Desktop App or the Genesys Cloud Screen Recording Client must be installed on the agent’s local machine (Web browser execution cannot record the entire OS desktop).

The Implementation Deep-Dive

1. Defining the Recording Scope (Policy Layer)

Before capturing pixels, define the business logic for when to record.

  1. Navigate to Admin > Quality > Policies.
  2. Create a new policy: Screen_Recording_Sales.
  3. Conditions: Set the policy to trigger on specific queues (e.g., Sales_Queue).
  4. Actions: Select Record Screen.
  5. Note: You cannot define multi-monitor selection directly inside the general Policy rules. The policy simply tells the desktop client to “Start Recording”. The local client dictates what is recorded.

2. Configuring Screen Recording Desktop Profiles

The intelligence of multi-monitor recording is governed by the Screen Recording Profile pushed to the agent’s desktop client.

  1. Navigate to Admin > Quality > Screen Recording Profiles.
  2. Create a new profile or edit the default.
  3. Monitor Selection Logic:
    • Record All Monitors: (Anti-pattern). This creates massive files and captures irrelevant/private data.
    • Record Primary Monitor: Captures only the monitor designated as “Main Display” in Windows/macOS.
    • Record Monitor by ID: Explicitly target Monitor 1 or Monitor 2.
  4. The Best Practice: Application Window Recording
    • Instead of recording a physical monitor, instruct the client to record the specific application.
    • Use Application Recording. Define the executable name (e.g., chrome.exe or Salesforce.exe).
    • Logic: No matter which monitor the agent drags the CRM window to, the Genesys Cloud client will exclusively record that specific window and black out the rest of the OS, guaranteeing absolute privacy for the agent’s background activities.

3. Tuning Recording Resolution and Framerate

Dual-monitor recordings consume vast bandwidth and storage. You must throttle the capture rate.

  1. Inside the Screen Recording Profile, adjust the Frames Per Second (FPS).
  2. Standard video is 24 FPS or 30 FPS. Screen recording of a CRM does not require high framerates.
  3. Set the FPS to 3 or 5 FPS. This is perfectly sufficient for a QA analyst to see where an agent clicked, while reducing the video file size by over 80%.
  4. Adjust the Bitrate to the lowest acceptable threshold for reading text on the specific monitor resolution.

Validation, Edge Cases & Troubleshooting

Edge Case 1: The “Black Screen” Playback Error

When a QA analyst attempts to review a multi-monitor recording, they sometimes see a completely black screen or a frozen frame.

  • The Cause (Hardware Acceleration): If the agent is using a hardware-accelerated browser (like Google Chrome with WebGL enabled) or a Citrix/VDI environment, the OS draws the application directly to the GPU, bypassing the standard Windows desktop capture APIs.
  • Solution: The IT team must deploy a Group Policy Object (GPO) to disable “Hardware Acceleration” inside the agent’s Google Chrome or Edge browser. This forces the browser to render via software, allowing the Genesys Cloud desktop client to physically capture the pixels.

Edge Case 2: Network Bandwidth Saturation

If 500 agents all finish a 30-minute call at exactly 12:00 PM, 500 desktop clients will simultaneously attempt to upload 50MB video files to the Genesys Cloud AWS S3 bucket. This will instantly saturate a corporate 1Gbps fiber pipe, crashing the network.

  • Troubleshooting: Do not allow synchronous uploads.
  • Solution: In the Screen Recording Profile, locate the Upload Throttling or Batching settings. Configure the client to drip-feed the upload, or schedule uploads for non-peak hours (e.g., 2:00 AM) by defining an allowed upload window. Ensure the local machine has sufficient disk space to cache the files during the workday.

Official References