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How to Create an Audio Only Group Chat or Interview

Use this article to configure a Live Group Chat activity in Recollective that operates in audio-only mode with participant video disabled.

Who can configure a live group chat or live video interview activity?

Analysts and Moderators will have the ability to create and configure a Live Group Chat or Live Video Interview Activity.

Create a Live Group Chat Activity

  1. Navigate to the Activities tab.

  2. Click Add Activity.

  3. Select Live Group Chat as the activity type.

  4. On the Activity Setup page, specify the Start Date and Start Time when the live group chat will occur.

  5. Enter the Duration in minutes (e.g., 60 minutes or 120 minutes).

  6. Confirm the displayed time zone located directly below the date field.

Live Group Chat activity setup page with a focus on the Group Chat Start Date (September 23, 2026) , Start Time (7:00 pm) and Duration (60 minutes).

Configure Audio-Only Settings

Recollective does not have a standalone "Audio Activity" type. To build an audio-only session, you must configure a Live Group Chat activity, select Video Chat and disable participant cameras.

  1. Under Chat Mode, enable Video Chat. This allows participants to turn on their microphones and cameras

  2. Scroll down to the Activity Behavior section

  3. Select Start with participant cameras disabled

  4. Select Do not allow participants to enable their camera

Note: Because this session utilizes Recollective's live audio/video infrastructure, it will consume Live Video Minutes.

Live Group Chat setup page with Video Chat highlighted

Activity Behavior section with Start with participant cameras disabled and Do not allow participants to enable their cameras settings checked/enabled

Configure Activity Visibility and Description

Participant Visibility

Scroll back up to the Activity Access section, and choose whether the activity is visible to:

  • All participants

  • Only select participants

  • Only select segments

Note: Participants are eligible for selection under the "Only select participants" menu if they have joined the study, received an invitation, or have a scheduled invitation.

Client Visibility

Choose whether the activity is visible to:

  1. All clients

  2. Only select clients

  3. Hidden from clients

Activity Description

Provide an activity description to explain the purpose of the session. This description appears on the Activity page.

Configure Notifications and Points

Notifications

Navigate to the Notifications tab (or click More options... at the bottom of the page) to set automated reminders for Live Group Chat activities:

  • Meeting starting soon ( 1 to 2 hours before start)

  • Meeting started (actual start time)

  • Meeting rescheduled

  • Meeting canceled

Live Group Chat notifications displayed with the Notifications tab highlighted in activity setup

Point Customization

If point tracking is enabled for your study:

  1. Go to the Points tab on the Activity Setup page

  2. Select Customize points awarded for activity completion to override the default point allocation set in Study Settings > Points.

Once finished configuring the activity settings click Save.

Add Prepared Content and Manage Backroom Access

Prepared Content

After saving the Live Group Chat Activity, you can optionally create Prepared Content Items (such as typed messages or live polls) to broadcast to the chat during the live session. Prepared Content Items can be created on the Activity page of the selected Activity.

Prepared Content tab and Add Item button displayed to Admins

Backroom Access and Client Interaction

Clients can join the backroom only if the Collaborate in backroom permission is enabled in Study Admin > Study Settings > Permissions.

To allow clients to participate directly in the chat with study participants, enable the Interact with participants permission found in the same menu.

Configure Participant and Client Privacy Settings

To make a Live Group Chat activity completely anonymous, adjust the study privacy settings governing how participants and clients view identities.

Participant Anonymity Setup

To keep participant identities anonymous to one another:

  1. Navigate to Study Administration > Study Settings > Privacy

  2. Select Unique ID only (Participant 1234)

  3. Disable Directory

  4. Disable Profile pages

  5. Disable Profile photos

Study Privacy settings with Participant Names set to Unique ID only and Participants Can View settings all disabled

Client Privacy Setup

To control how clients see participants:

  1. Navigate to Study Administration > Study Settings > Privacy

  2. Select Unique ID only (Participant 1234).

  3. Disable Directory, Profile pages, and Profile photos.

  4. Configure any necessary Additional Fields to control specific participant profile data visible to clients.

Study Privacy settings with the Clients section displayed. Participants will appear to Clients as Unique ID only and access to the Directory, Profile pages and Profile photos are disabled

Once the activity is saved, participants can view the Activity card on their Activities page and use the Add to Calendar option to add the session to:

  • Google Calendar

  • Yahoo Calendar

  • Live Calendar

  • iCal (ICS)

Note: You can also configure audio-only interviews within our Live Video Interviews activity. During activity setup, you'll want to ensure that you enable Start with participant cameras disabled under the Activity Behavior section and further enable Do not allow participants to enable their camera.

Still Have Questions?

If you still have questions or need assistance with Recollective network configuration, contact support at helpdesk.recollective.com.

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