✔️Call Routing Overview

Understand Zoom Phone's call routing options and choose the right solution for directing incoming calls to users, departments, and teams.

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⏱️ Estimated Time: 5 minutes to understand concepts

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👤 Who's This For

Zoom Phone administrators planning call flow and routing strategies for their organization.

💼 Use Case

Use this guide to understand the available call routing methods before setting up auto receptionists, call queues, or other routing solutions. Essential for planning your phone system architecture.

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✔️ Prerequisites

• Admin access to Zoom web portal

• Understanding of your organization's call flow needs

• Knowledge of departments or teams requiring dedicated routing

• Phone numbers and extensions assigned

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Call Routing Methods

Zoom Phone offers several ways to route incoming calls:

Auto Receptionists

Automated attendants that greet callers and route them based on menu selections (press 1 for sales, 2 for support, etc.).

Best for:

• Main company numbers with multiple departments

• After-hours routing with customized messages

• Multi-level phone trees (IVR systems)

• Organizations needing professional greetings without live operators

Key Features:

• Custom audio greetings

• Multi-level menu options

• Business hours-based routing

• Dial-by-name directory

→ Learn how to set up Auto Receptionists

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Call Queues

Distribute incoming calls to groups of users (agents) based on configurable rules, with hold music and position announcements.

Best for:

• Support teams handling high call volumes

• Sales departments with multiple representatives

• Help desks requiring call distribution

• Teams needing performance metrics and reporting

Key Features:

• Multiple distribution methods (simultaneous, sequential, round-robin)

• Queue position announcements

• Estimated wait time notifications

• Real-time and historical analytics

• Member presence awareness

→ Learn how to set up Call Queues

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Shared Line Groups

Allow multiple users to answer calls from the same phone number, with all members seeing incoming calls.

Best for:

• Reception desks with multiple staff

• Small teams sharing responsibility for a line

• Executive/assistant call delegation

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Direct User Routing

Route calls directly to individual users with personalized voicemail and call forwarding.

Best for:

• Direct dial extensions

• Personal phone numbers for executives or employees

• Simple one-to-one call routing

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Supporting Call Routing Features

Business Hours and Holidays

Control when different routing rules apply by setting business hours, closed hours, and holiday schedules.

Why it matters:

• Route calls differently during business hours vs. after hours

• Play special messages on holidays

• Automatically adjust routing based on time and date

• Handle force major events (weather emergencies, etc.)

→ Learn how to configure Business Hours and Overflow

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Voicemail and Audio Greetings

Create professional audio prompts and greetings for voicemail, hold music, and call handling scenarios.

Why it matters:

• Maintain brand consistency across all touchpoints

• Provide clear instructions to callers

• Reduce caller confusion with professional prompts

• Centrally manage audio assets for reuse

→ Learn how to manage Voicemail and Greetings

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Comparing Routing Methods

Feature	Auto Receptionist	Call Queue	Shared Line Group	Direct User
Menu Options	Yes (IVR)	No	No	No
Call Distribution	Menu-based	Rule-based	All ring	Single user
Hold Queue	No	Yes	No	No
Analytics	Basic	Advanced	Basic	Basic
Business Hours	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Best Use	Main number	Support teams	Shared coverage	Individual lines

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Planning Your Call Routing Strategy

Start with Your Main Number: Most organizations use an auto receptionist for their main phone number, then route to call queues or users based on department.

Layer Your Routing: Combine methods for sophisticated routing. Example: Main number → Auto receptionist → Call queue for support → Individual users

Configure Business Hours First: Set up business hours, closed hours, and holidays before building routing rules. This ensures calls route appropriately based on when they arrive.

Prepare Audio Assets: Create voicemail greetings, hold music, and IVR prompts in the Asset Library before configuring routing. Having audio ready streamlines setup.

Plan for Overflow: Define what happens when queues are full, users are busy, or calls aren't answered. Options include voicemail, alternate routing, or callback.

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Common Routing Scenarios

Scenario 1: Small Business Main number → Auto receptionist with menu → Route to individual users or departments

• Custom greeting during business hours

• After-hours message with emergency contact option

Scenario 2: Call Center Main number → Auto receptionist (language selection) → Call queues by department → Overflow to voicemail

• Queue position announcements

• Different routing on holidays

Scenario 3: Multi-Location Main number → Auto receptionist (location selection) → Site-specific auto receptionist → Local call queues

• Site-specific business hours

• Location-based holiday schedules

Scenario 4: 24/7 Support Main number → Call queue (business hours) → Auto receptionist with message (after hours) → Emergency on-call (holidays)

• Always-on queue with limited staff after hours

• Special holiday routing to on-call team

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🎯 What's Next

✨ Ready to set up call routing! Now that you understand the options:

Recommended Setup Order:

1. Configure Business Hours and Holidays - Set up time-based routing rules

2. Create Voicemail and Audio Greetings - Build your audio asset library

3. Set up Auto Receptionists - Configure main number and department routing

4. Create Call Queues - Set up team-based call distribution

Choose the routing method that matches your needs and follow the detailed setup guides.

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