Before release 6.4.1, the gateway can collect a sequence of digits that is ended with a pond # key. The pond key is usually necessary if you do not know the length of the digits, such as a password field. But for digits that length is know, such as an account number or social security number, it is much easier for a caller just to enter the digits without the pond key.
To specify that in your VXML file, use the following:
<dtmf>$digit:3</dtmf>
If you use IVR Studio, specify the length in the element property page: