What is the Capture Action?

The Capture action is used to collect DTMF (Dual Tone Multi Frequency) input from callers during a phone interaction.

DTMF refers to the keypad tones generated when a caller presses numbers such as:

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 * #

The Capture action listens for those keypad presses and stores them into a variable for further processing within the script.

Common Use Cases

Collect Account Number

Capture Customer ID

Capture PIN Number

Request Callback Option

Menu Selection (Press 1 for Sales)

OTP Verification

NICE CXone Capture Action

Supported Script Types

How Capture Works

High-Level Flow

Capture Architecture

Input Properties

1. Caption

Purpose

Provides a friendly name for the action.

Example

Capture Customer ID Capture PIN Capture Callback Request

Studio View

[CAPTURE] Customer ID

2. Variable

Purpose

Stores the caller’s keypad entry.

Example

Variable = CustomerID

Caller enters:

12345

Stored value:

CustomerID = 12345

Diagram

Caller Input │ ▼ 12345 │ ▼ CustomerID Variable │ ▼ CustomerID=12345

3. MaxDigits

Purpose

Defines the maximum digits allowed.

Example 1

Request:

Enter your 4 digit PIN

Configuration:

MaxDigits = 4

Input:

1234

Capture stops immediately after digit 4.

Example 2

Prompt:

Enter 4 digit PIN followed by #

Configuration:

MaxDigits = 5

Input:

1234#

Count:

1 2 3 4

Total = 5 characters

Visual Example

Input Stream

1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → #

MaxDigits = 5

Reached Limit │ ▼ MaxDigits Branch

4. Terminator

Purpose

Specifies which key indicates completion of input.

Usually:

Example

Prompt:

Enter account number followed by #

Configuration:

Terminator = #

Input:

987654#

Output

Variable = 987654#

Excluding Terminator

Configuration:

Terminator = #-

Input:

987654#

Stored Value:

987654

The # is removed before storage.

Diagram

987654# │ ▼ Terminator Found │ ▼ Store Value │ ▼ 987654

5. Timeout

Purpose

Determines how long the system waits for the first keypress.

Range:

0 - 60 seconds

Example

Timeout = 10

Caller does not press anything.

0 sec 1 sec 2 sec … 10 sec

Result

Timeout Branch

Diagram

Capture Started │ ▼ Waiting… │ ▼ 10 Seconds Expired │ ▼ Timeout Branch

6. InterDigitTimeout

Purpose

Determines how long to wait between digits.

Example

Prompt:

Enter 5 digit account number

Caller enters:

1 2

Stops typing.

Configuration:

InterDigitTimeout = 5

After 5 seconds:

InterDigitTimeout Branch

Diagram

Digit 1 │ Digit 2 │ Waiting… │ 5 Seconds │ ▼ InterDigitTimeout

Result Branches

The Capture action supports several exit paths.

Default Branch

Executed when no other branch condition is met.

Capture │ ▼ Default

Terminator Branch

Executed when caller presses the configured terminator.

12345# │ ▼ Terminator Branch

MaxDigits Branch

Executed when maximum digits are reached.

MaxDigits = 4

1234 │ ▼ MaxDigits Branch

Timeout Branch

Executed when caller provides no input.

No Response │ ▼ Timeout Branch

InterDigitTimeout Branch

Executed when caller pauses too long between digits. 1 → 2 → Pause │ ▼ InterDigitTimeout Branch

Important Tip: DTMF Buffer

Sometimes callers press digits before the Capture action starts.

Example:

Prompt: Press 1 for callback

Caller immediately presses:

1

before Capture becomes active.

Studio temporarily stores the digit.

This storage area is called the: DTMF Buffer

Buffer Flow

Caller Presses 1 │ ▼ DTMF Buffer │ ▼ Capture Starts │ ▼ Digit Retrieved

How to Clear the Buffer

Use another Capture action with:

Timeout = 0

before the actual Capture.

Example

Capture (Timeout=0) │ Clears Buffer │ ▼ Capture Customer Input

Real-Time Callback Example

Business Requirement

While waiting in queue:

Press 1 for Callback Press 2 to Continue Waiting

Call Flow Diagram

Complete Script Example

Best Practices

Use Terminators for Long Inputs

Good:

Account Number#

Instead of:

Waiting for MaxDigits

Set Appropriate Timeouts

Input Type	Recommended Timeout
Menu Selection	5 sec
PIN	10 sec
Account Number	15 sec
Customer ID	10 sec

Validate User Input

Always validate captured values using:

IF CASE SWITCH

logic before proceeding.

Conclusion

The Capture action is a core IVR component used to collect DTMF keypad input from callers. It stores the entered digits in a variable and routes the interaction through different branches such as:

• Default
• Terminator
• MaxDigits
• Timeout
• InterDigitTimeout

It is commonly used for account verification, PIN entry, callback requests, menu navigation, and customer identification in NICE CXone Studio call flows. - NICE CX Training | VoipTrainers.