Interview Sessions#
A session represents a single interview interaction between a participant and your AI interviewer. Sessions capture everything from the conversation transcript to audio recordings and behavioral analytics.
Session Lifecycle#
Every session progresses through a defined set of states:
Created#
The session has been initialized but the participant hasn't started speaking yet. This happens the moment a participant opens an invite link.
What's captured:
- Session ID and metadata
- Participant info (from invite)
- Browser and device information
- Consent status (if required)
In Progress#
The participant is actively engaged in the interview. Audio is being captured and transcribed in real time.
What's captured:
- Live audio stream
- Real-time transcript
- Question progression
- Response timestamps
Paused#
The interview has been temporarily halted — either by the participant (e.g., stepped away) or by a campaign administrator via the dashboard.
What's preserved:
- All data captured so far
- Current position in the script
- Pause reason and timestamp
Paused sessions automatically expire after 24 hours. If the participant doesn't resume, the session transitions to Abandoned.
Completed#
The participant finished all questions and the interview ended normally.
What's available:
- Full transcript
- Audio recording
- Automatic insights and sentiment analysis
- Completion metadata (duration, question count)
Abandoned#
The participant left without completing the interview. This happens when:
- The browser tab is closed mid-interview
- Network connection is lost and not restored
- A paused session times out after 24 hours
What's available:
- Partial transcript (up to the point of abandonment)
- Partial audio recording
- Abandonment metadata (last question reached, time spent)
Abandoned vs. Incomplete
Abandoned sessions still contain valuable partial data. Don't discard them — partial responses can still provide useful insights, especially for early questions.
Session Data#
Metadata#
Every session stores structured metadata:
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
id* | string | Unique session identifier (e.g., ses_a1b2c3d4) |
campaignId* | string | The campaign this session belongs to |
inviteId* | string | The invite that initiated this session |
status* | enum | Current session state: created, in_progress, paused, completed, abandoned |
startedAt | datetime | When the participant began the interview |
completedAt | datetime | When the interview ended (completed or abandoned) |
duration | number | Total active interview time in seconds (excludes pauses) |
questionsAnswered | number | Number of questions the participant responded to |
totalQuestions | number | Total questions in the script |
language | string | Detected language of the participant (ISO 639-1 code) |
device | object | Browser, OS, and device information |
consent | object | Consent status and timestamp |
Content#
Session content includes:
- Transcript: Full text of the conversation, with speaker labels and timestamps
- Audio: Recording of the participant's voice responses (WAV or MP3)
- AI Audio: Recording of the AI interviewer's questions (if voice mode was used)
- Notes: Any annotations added by your team during review
Analytics#
Automatically generated per session:
- Sentiment scores: Per-answer and overall sentiment (positive, neutral, negative)
- Key themes: Extracted topics and recurring themes
- Response quality: Length, relevance, and engagement metrics
- Completion metrics: Time per question, pause frequency, drop-off point
Data Retention#
Default Retention Periods#
| Data Type | Free Plan | Starter | Professional | Enterprise | |-----------|----------|---------|-------------|------------| | Transcripts | 30 days | 90 days | 1 year | Custom | | Audio | 7 days | 30 days | 90 days | Custom | | Analytics | 30 days | 1 year | Unlimited | Unlimited | | Metadata | 1 year | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
GDPR Compliance#
InterviewRelay provides tools for GDPR and data privacy compliance:
- Right to Access: Export all data for a specific participant via the API or dashboard
- Right to Deletion: Permanently delete all session data for a participant
- Consent Management: Record and verify participant consent before interview starts
- Data Portability: Export data in standard formats (JSON, CSV)
Data Deletion is Permanent
When you delete session data for GDPR compliance, it cannot be recovered. Audio files, transcripts, and analytics are permanently removed from all systems including backups within 30 days.
To delete participant data:
- Go to Settings → Privacy
- Click Data Deletion Request
- Enter the participant's email address
- Confirm deletion scope (specific session or all sessions)
- Click Delete Permanently
You can also use the API:
curl -X DELETE https://api.interviewrelay.com/v1/sessions/{sessionId}/data \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "X-Confirm-Delete: true"
Viewing Sessions#
Session Detail Page#
Access a session's full details from the campaign dashboard:
- Navigate to Campaigns → [Your Campaign]
- Click the Sessions tab
- Click on any session to open the detail view
The detail page includes:
- Overview panel: Status, duration, completion percentage, participant info
- Transcript viewer: Full conversation with timestamps, speaker labels, and search
- Audio player: Listen to the recording with synchronized transcript highlighting
- Insights panel: Sentiment analysis, key themes, and extracted quotes
- Timeline: Visual representation of the interview flow
Real-Time Monitoring#
For active (In Progress) sessions, you can monitor live:
- Go to Campaigns → [Your Campaign] → Live
- See all active sessions with live status
- Click any session to watch the transcript update in real time
- View participant's current question and time elapsed
Live monitoring has a 2-3 second delay to allow for transcription processing. This is normal and does not affect the participant's experience.
Managing Sessions#
Pause & Resume#
Campaign administrators can pause an active session:
- Open the live session view
- Click Pause Session
- The participant sees a "Interview paused" message
- To resume, click Resume Session
Use cases for pausing:
- Technical issues detected
- Participant requested a break via chat
- Need to adjust script mid-interview
Manual Intervention#
In rare cases, you may need to intervene:
- End Session: Immediately stop the interview and mark as completed
- Add Note: Attach internal notes to the session for review context
- Flag Session: Mark for special review (e.g., suspected quality issue)
- Reassign: Move the session to a different campaign (before completion only)
Session Filters#
Filter sessions in the campaign dashboard:
| Filter | Options | |--------|---------| | Status | Created, In Progress, Paused, Completed, Abandoned | | Date Range | Custom start and end dates | | Duration | Min and max duration | | Completion | Percentage range (0-100%) | | Language | Detected participant language | | Sentiment | Positive, Neutral, Negative | | Flagged | Show only flagged sessions |
Exporting Data#
Individual Session Export#
Export a single session's data:
- Open the session detail page
- Click Export
- Choose format:
- PDF: Formatted transcript with metadata and insights
- JSON: Structured data for programmatic use
- CSV: Tabular format for spreadsheets
- Audio: Download the audio recording (WAV or MP3)
Bulk Export#
Export multiple sessions at once:
- Go to Campaigns → [Your Campaign] → Sessions
- Filter and select sessions
- Click Export Selected
- Choose format and options
- Download will be prepared and emailed to you
For large exports (100+ sessions), the system generates a ZIP archive and sends a download link to your email.
API Export#
Use the API for automated exports:
curl https://api.interviewrelay.com/v1/campaigns/{campaignId}/sessions \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-G \
-d "status=completed" \
-d "format=json" \
-d "include=transcript,analytics"
See the API Reference for full export options.
Session Analytics#
Individual Session Metrics#
Each completed session includes:
- Duration: Total active interview time
- Response Rate: Questions answered / total questions
- Average Response Length: Mean word count per answer
- Sentiment Distribution: Breakdown of positive, neutral, negative responses
- Engagement Score: Composite metric based on response quality, length, and sentiment
Aggregate Analytics#
View analytics across all sessions in a campaign:
- Completion Funnel: Drop-off at each question
- Average Duration: Mean interview time with distribution
- Sentiment Trends: How sentiment changes across questions
- Top Themes: Most frequently mentioned topics
- Response Patterns: Common answer clusters per question
Access aggregate analytics from Campaigns → [Your Campaign] → Analytics.
Custom Reports#
Build custom reports by combining filters and metrics:
- Go to Analytics → Custom Reports
- Select campaigns and date range
- Choose metrics to include
- Add grouping (by campaign, question, date, segment)
- Generate and download
Audio & Video#
Audio Recording#
Sessions capture participant audio by default (with consent):
- Format: WAV (lossless) or MP3 (compressed)
- Quality: 16kHz mono (optimized for speech)
- Storage: Encrypted at rest, access-controlled
Playback#
Play audio from the session detail page:
- Synchronized transcript highlighting
- Adjustable playback speed (0.5x - 2x)
- Skip to specific answers
- Download for offline listening
Audio Processing#
Automatic audio processing includes:
- Noise reduction: Background noise removal
- Speaker diarization: Separation of AI and participant speech
- Silence detection: Identification of long pauses
- Volume normalization: Consistent audio levels
Privacy & Security#
Encryption#
All session data is encrypted:
- In transit: TLS 1.3 for all connections
- At rest: AES-256 encryption for stored data
- Audio: Encrypted storage with access-controlled decryption
Access Control#
Control who can access session data:
- Owner: Full access to all session data
- Admin: View and export all sessions
- Analyst: View transcripts and analytics (no audio)
- Viewer: Read-only access to insights and summaries
Configure roles in Settings → Team → Roles.
Audit Log#
All session access is logged:
- Who accessed the session
- What data was viewed or exported
- When the access occurred
- From what IP address
View audit logs in Settings → Security → Audit Log.
Troubleshooting#
Session Stuck in "Created"#
Causes:
- Participant's browser blocked microphone access
- Consent dialog was not accepted
- JavaScript SDK failed to initialize
Solution:
- Check browser console logs (if available)
- Ensure participant granted microphone permission
- Verify the invite link is correct and not expired
Session Stuck in "In Progress"#
Causes:
- Network disconnect not detected
- Browser crashed without sending disconnect event
- Heartbeat timeout not yet reached
Solution:
- Wait for the heartbeat timeout (default: 5 minutes)
- Manually end the session from the dashboard
- The session will auto-transition to Abandoned after timeout
Audio Not Available#
Causes:
- Participant denied microphone access
- Browser doesn't support audio recording API
- Audio processing is still in progress
Solution:
- Check the session's device metadata for browser compatibility
- Wait up to 10 minutes for audio processing to complete
- If audio was never captured, transcript-only mode was used
Missing Transcript#
Causes:
- Transcription service delay
- Very short session (under 10 seconds)
- Audio quality too low for transcription
Solution:
- Wait up to 15 minutes for transcription processing
- Check if audio is available and listen manually
- For short sessions, there may not be enough content to transcribe
For additional help with session issues, contact support at support@interviewrelay.com or check the API Reference for programmatic session management.