Saving consent records in the Consent Vault
What the Consent Vault saves, how each record is sealed, and how to import past consent or upload a call recording.
7 min read
Before you start
- The DNC Audit Pack or Compliance Suite in your CRM plan, or the DNC Audit Pack on a direct account
- Edit access to DialClear to import files or upload recordings
Tip
Map a consent date column when you import. A row with no date is dated the moment you import it.
The Consent Vault keeps records of consent and seals each one the moment it is saved. Later you can show that a record has not been changed since that day.
Important
The vault proves a record is unaltered since it was saved. It does not decide whether the consent was valid in the first place. Whether the wording, the timing and the way you collected it meet the law is a question for your own attorney.
What gets saved
Each record holds the phone number, the email, or both, the date consent was captured, where it came from, and the consent wording when there is any. Records arrive in five ways.
| Source on the page | How it gets there |
|---|---|
| CRM form | Automatic. DialClear checks your CRM forms for new submissions about once an hour and saves every one. |
| CRM survey | Automatic, on the same schedule as forms. |
| CSV import | You upload a file of past consent on the Consent Vault page. |
| Recording | You upload an audio file of someone agreeing on a call. |
| API | Direct accounts with an API key can send consent records from their own systems. |
DialClear saves every form and survey submission it finds, whether or not that form asked for consent. A record from a form means someone submitted it. It does not mean that person agreed to calls or texts.
DialClear also saves a copy of the consent language it finds on the form, such as a checkbox label or a disclaimer. That copy shows in the Wording column. If the form has no consent language DialClear can recognize, the column stays empty.
Note
The first automatic check also brings in older form and survey submissions your CRM still holds. There is nothing to set up. For those older submissions, the wording is what the form said when DialClear read it, which may differ from what the person saw if the form changed since.
How records are sealed
When a record is saved, DialClear creates a fingerprint of it, a long code built from everything in the record plus the fingerprint of the record saved before it. That links every record in your vault into one chain. A CRM account has one chain, and every member adds to it.
If anyone later changed a record, removed one, or slipped one in out of order, the fingerprints would stop matching and the chain would show where it broke. The page shows the first characters of each fingerprint in the Record hash column. There is no way to edit or delete a record from the page.
Find a record
Open Consent Vault from the left menu. The table lists your newest records first, 25 to a page.
Note
The vault belongs to the CRM account. Everyone on the account sees the same records, whether they came from your CRM forms and surveys or a team member imported or uploaded them. If you use DialClear with no CRM account, you see the records you added yourself. Records sent with an API key stay with the person who owns the key, and only that person sees them. If you subscribe to the DNC Audit Pack on your direct account, but your CRM account's plan does not include it, you see your own records there instead of the account's, and new records you add stay your own.
Step 1. Search by phone or email
Type into Phone to match the end of a number, so you can enter all ten digits or just the last few. Type a full address into the Email box to match it exactly.
Step 2. Narrow by date
Pick dates in From and To to see records captured between those days. Both dates are included.
Import past consent from a CSV
Use this for opt ins you collected before DialClear, or from a tool DialClear does not read.
Step 1. Upload the file
Drop your CSV into Import historical consent, or click to browse. Leave First row is a header checked if your first row holds column names.
Step 2. Match the columns
DialClear guesses which column holds what. Check each one and change it if needed. The choices are Phone number, Email, Consent date and Consent wording. You need at least a phone or an email column.
Step 3. Import
Choose the Import button, which shows how many rows will go in. When it finishes, you see how many records were imported, how many duplicates were skipped, and how many rows had no phone or email.
Warning
If a row has no consent date, or a date DialClear cannot read, the record is dated the moment you import it. That date then becomes part of the sealed record. Fix dates in the file before you import.
A row counts as a duplicate when a CSV record with the same phone, email and date is already in your vault. Rows with a readable date are skipped if you import the same file twice. Rows with no date, or a date DialClear cannot read, get a new date each time, so they are added again on every import.
Upload a verbal consent recording
Step 1. Add the audio file
Drop the file into Verbal consent recording. Any audio file up to 25MB works.
Step 2. Fill in the details
Enter the Phone number the recording covers, or an email if you have no phone. Pick the Consent date. If you leave it empty, the upload time is used. Add a short note of what the person agreed to if it helps.
Step 3. Seal it
Choose Seal recording into vault. A message confirms the recording was sealed and shows the start of the file's fingerprint. That fingerprint is saved in the record, so you can later show the audio you hold is the same file you uploaded.
Tip
Keep your original audio file. The Consent Vault page lists the record but does not play the recording back.
Frequently asked questions
Does a record in the vault mean I have valid consent?
No. The vault shows what was saved and that it has not changed since. Whether that consent covers the calls or texts you make is a legal question for your attorney.
Why is the Wording column empty for some records?
DialClear only fills it when it finds consent language on the form or survey, or when you mapped a wording column or typed a note. Forms with no checkbox or disclaimer text leave it empty.
Can I delete a record I imported by mistake?
Not from the page. Records cannot be edited or removed, because that is what keeps the chain trustworthy. If an import went wrong, import a corrected file. Corrected rows are added as new records, and the originals stay in the vault.
Why can I search records but not import them?
Importing files and uploading recordings need edit access to DialClear. A person who manages your account can turn that on under Team access on Settings.
No form submissions are showing up
Automatic capture checks about once an hour, so a brand new submission can take that long to appear. If you belong to more than one CRM account, check that you are looking at the account the form belongs to. DialClear reads the phone and email from the form fields, so a submission with neither will not appear by phone or email search.