Zoom Phone
Beginning in April 2025, ITS will begin replacing the desktop Cisco phone system with the Zoom Phone app, as part of an enhancement to our Zoom Workspace license.
Zoom Phone is part of the shift to streamline and improve technology at Brandeis by enabling faculty and staff to place and accept calls from their Brandeis extension, no matter where they're located. You can use Zoom Phone on any Wi-Fi-enabled device with your Brandeis username and password.
Zoom Phone Features
Take your Brandeis extension with you anywhere. Zoom Phone is integrated into the existing Zoom Workplace app available on all Brandeis devices. Users will also be able to download the Zoom app on their personal devices and log in with their Brandeis username and password to access Zoom Meeting and Zoom Phone (please note: you are not required to keep the Zoom app on your personal devices).
With Zoom Phone you can:
- Place and answer calls from any location or device
- Seamlessly switch between telephone calls and Zoom video meetings
- Set up call forwarding to another Brandeis extension for out-of-office times
- Extensive customization for voicemail, call routing, and more
During the transition to Zoom Phone, you may not be able to search for all extensions by department or employee name in the Zoom app. We recommend you either use the full Brandeis number 781-736-xxxx or 6-xxxx until campus has full transitioned to Zoom Phone. This is a temporary issue and will be corrected as we continue to move people from Cisco phones to Zoom Phone.
Zoom Phone Quick Start Guide Zoom Phone Settings
Preparing for Zoom Phone
New User Checklist
Using Zoom Phone
Zoom Phone Training
Frequently Asked Questions
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Zoom phone offers many great features that will make it easier to communicate as well as improve processes for managing phone lines across the university, while reducing the need to traditional hardware-based telephones. Brandeis users who have an existing extension will now use the Zoom Phone feature within the Zoom Workplace app in place of a physical phone.
ITS will be rolling out Zoom Phone in waves. The first groups will switch over to Zoom Phone in late April 2025. As more departments have their WiFi and internet access upgraded within their buildings, ITS will increase the number of departments moving to Zoom Phone. We anticipate having all departments moved to Zoom Phone by August 2025.
Zoom Phone is part of the Zoom Workplace app. There will be a tab in the Zoom Workplace app (labeled Phone) where you will be able to access the Zoom Phone features. From that tab, you can place calls and view/listen to your voicemail. Calls can be placed by typing in a user's name rather than remembering their extension or by entering a number using the keypad. A widget will appear on your screen when a call comes in, making it easy to answer incoming calls.
Learn how to place calls using Zoom Phone.
Zoom Phone offers many advantages to traditional phones and there is a good chance that users will prefer it after trying it. Therefore, users are required to try Zoom Phone for at least 30 days, unless you have an approved accommodation from Human Resources.
Yes. Zoom Phone users can still call out to desk phone users by entering their colleague's name into the Zoom Phone search. Desk phone users can continue to enter 5 digit extensions and it will reach Zoom Phone users without issue.
Yes - we will continue to have physical phones in some public spaces.
Your Cisco phone can be brought in to ITS to be recycled, or you can discard it yourself if you have an appropriate disposal method.
You can continue to call 911 or Public Safety (ext. 65000) from your Zoom Phone app. When users call 911 or Public Safety from Zoom Phone, Zoom recognizes their IP address if they are on campus. If you are off-campus, working remotely, you will be prompted with a message to enter your current address for Emergency 911; this will save in Zoom so you should only need to enter it once for each location you work from.
If you call 911 from your non-Brandeis owned physical device (such as your mobile phone, iPad, laptop, etc), the call will be routed to your local 911 service rather than the Public Safety office at Brandeis.
Zoom products support common screen readers such as NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, and Android Talkback. Additionally, visual interfaces are designed with adequate color contrast, size, and usage of color to ensure clarity for users with various vision needs. Zoom Workplace software also supports keyboard accessibility.
Learn more about Zoom's accessibility features.
Use of VPN is not required to use Zoom Phone; you can use Zoom from any location with a standard internet connection.
- Zoom Phone allows users to be connected to more than one number, so users can be connected to their own extension as well as a shared line that rings to multiple users. A few different options exist for setting up shared lines.
- Call Delegation: Call delegation (also known as shared line appearance) is a self-service option that provides an easy way for phone users to assign others to handle calls on their behalf. For example, an executive can assign calling privileges to their assistant, allowing the assistant can make and receive calls on the executive’s behalf. Learn more about call delegation.
- Auto-receptionist: Auto receptionists answer calls with a personalized recording and routes calls to a phone user, call queue, common area phone, or voicemail. Learn more about auto receptionist features.
- Shared Line Group: A shared line group allows Zoom Phone admins to share a phone number and extension with a group of phone users or common area phones. All members of the shared line group have access to the group's direct phone number and voicemail. You can apply custom business, closed, and holiday hours to shared line groups and set routing rules. Learn more about shared line groups.
- Call Queue: Call queues allow account owners and admins to route incoming calls to a group of users. For example, you can route calls to your office's billing, sales, or customer service departments. Each call queue has a maximum of 50 members. Learn more about call queues.
- To understand which call routing method is most appropriate, view Zoom’s comparison chart of call routing methods.
Yes - settings are available within each user's account to set their hours of availability. You can also designate which devices (if you have Zoom Phone on more than one device) will ring during specific blocks of time - ensuring that the devices you choose will ring during the hours you have designated as "available."
Yes - in addition to your main extension, it is possible to have additional numbers route to your account. Any number can be dynamically shared with additional users, making it easy for groups to share a number that can be answered by multiple users.
Keep in mind that Zoom Phone uses the same audio/microphone features as Zoom Meetings. You can use whatever audio device you're currently using for Zoom Meetings with Zoom Phone. If you need a headset, Logitech H111 USB headsets are available through ITS.
You may see additional tabs on your Zoom Workplace app when you update to the latest version. As users get more comfortable with Zoom Phone, we will begin exploring the features offered on these additional tabs. We will keep the Brandeis community informed about new features offered by Zoom and how they best fit into your communication and collaboration toolsets offered by Brandeis.
You are not required to keep the Zoom app on your personal devices.
Yes, Zoom phone calls can be recorded similarly to how Zoom Meetings are recorded. A record button will be displayed in the app, and an audible message will sound when recording is started, so recording cannot occur without the other user's knowledge.
Yes, Zoom AI features are available for Zoom Phone meetings too. All Zoom AI settings are defaulted to OFF for all users, but are able to be turned on manually within the users Zoom account settings.