Making & Receiving Calls

Master the fundamentals of making and receiving calls using Zoom Phone across desktop, mobile, and desk phone platforms.

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⏱️ Estimated Time: 10-15 minutes

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👤 Who's This For

End users ready to start using Zoom Phone for business communication

💼 Use Case

You've completed setup and need to make your first call, answer incoming calls, and understand basic calling features across all your devices.

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✅ Prerequisites

• Zoom Phone account activated and configured

• Zoom desktop client or mobile app installed and signed in

• Audio devices configured (headset, speakers, microphone)

• Valid phone numbers or contacts to call

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Making Your First Call

Zoom Phone offers multiple ways to initiate calls, giving you flexibility based on your workflow.

Using the Dial Pad (Desktop)

1

Access the Phone Tab

• Sign in to the Zoom desktop client

• Click Phone in the left navigation

2

Dial the Number

• Use your on-screen number pad OR type directly on your keyboard

• Enter the full phone number including area code

• For international calls, include country code (e.g., +44 for UK)

• Click the blue phone icon to place the call

3

Select Caller ID (optional)

• Before dialing, click the Caller ID dropdown

• Choose which of your assigned numbers displays to the recipient

• Useful if you have multiple direct numbers or extensions

Pro Tip: Zoom Phone automatically converts vanity numbers (1-800-FLOWERS) to digits when you dial.

Calling from Contacts

The fastest way to call colleagues and frequently-dialed numbers.

1

Search Contacts

• In the Phone tab, start typing a name or number in the search box above the dial pad

• Zoom searches your internal directory, external contacts, and synced contacts

• Click the search result to call

2

Handle Multiple Numbers

• If a contact has multiple phone numbers, click the right arrow icon

• View all available numbers with their labels (Mobile, Office, Home)

• Select the specific number to call

3

Use Starred Contacts

• Click the Starred tab above the dial pad

• View your favorite contacts for quick access

• Hover over a contact and click the phone icon to call

Calling Synced Contacts

If you've synced Google, Office 365, or Exchange contacts, access them through the Contacts directory.

1

Navigate to Contacts

• Click Contacts in the Zoom desktop client navigation

• In the My Groups section, click Cloud Contacts

2

Select and Call

• Browse or search for the contact

• Click Call or hover over their name and click the phone icon

• If they have multiple numbers, select which one to dial

Note: Synced contacts are only available in the desktop app, not on mobile or desk phones.

Copy-Paste Numbers

The quickest method when you have a number in an email or document.

1

Copy the Number

• Highlight and copy the phone number from any application

2

Paste and Dial

• Click in the dial pad text field

• Paste the number (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V)

• Click the phone icon to call

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🎮 Click-Through Demo

▶️ Watch: Making Calls - Multiple Methods See different ways to place calls including dial pad, contact search, and call history.

Watch demonstrations of dialing from the number pad, searching contacts, and using starred favorites.

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Receiving Calls

When someone calls your Zoom Phone number, you'll get a notification with caller information and response options.

Understanding Call Notifications

Zoom Phone displays different notification styles based on your current status:

When Not on a Call:

• Notification appears with caller name/number

• Ringtone plays on all configured devices

• You have several response options

When Already on a Call:

• Notification appears without interrupting current call

• Different options for handling both calls

• Choose to hold, end, or ignore

Answering Calls

When a call comes in, you'll see these options:

1

Accept

• Click Accept to answer the call

• Call connects immediately on your current device

• Your in-call status syncs to desk phones

2

Decline

• Click Decline to refuse the call

• Caller is routed to voicemail (or disconnected based on your settings)

• Check your settings under "When not answered, calls will be"

3

Decline with Text (mobile)

• Select a pre-written text message

• Message is sent to caller while routing to voicemail

• Useful for letting callers know you'll call back

4

Close (×)

• Click the X to dismiss the notification

• Call continues ringing on your other devices

• Useful if you want to answer on desk phone instead

5

Silence

• Stops ringtone on all devices without sending to voicemail

• Call continues to ring silently

• Gives you time to decide whether to answer

🎮 Click-Through Demo

▶️ Watch: Answering and Declining Calls See how to answer calls, decline to voicemail, and send a decline message via text.

Handling Calls When Already on a Call

If you receive a call while already talking to someone, you'll see these options:

1

Hold & Accept

• Places current call on hold

• Answers the incoming call

• Switch between calls or merge into a three-way call using in-call controls

2

Send to Voicemail

• Continues your current call

• Routes incoming call to voicemail

• No interruption to your active conversation

3

End & Accept

• Ends your current call

• Immediately answers the incoming call

• Use when you need to prioritize the new caller

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🎮 Click-Through Demo

▶️ Watch: Receiving and Managing Incoming Calls See call notification options and how to handle multiple simultaneous calls..

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Making Calls from Mobile

The mobile app provides the same calling features optimized for your smartphone.

Mobile Dialing

1

Open Zoom Mobile App

• Launch the Zoom app on iOS or Android

• Tap Phone in the bottom navigation

2

Place Your Call

• Tap the dial pad icon

• Enter the number or search contacts

• Tap the green call button

3

Access Contacts

• Tap Contacts to view your directory

• Search or browse for the person to call

• Tap their name, then tap the phone icon

Mobile Call Notifications

When receiving calls on mobile:

• Lock screen notification appears

• Accept or decline directly from lock screen

• Same options as desktop (Accept, Decline, Decline with Text)

• Integrates with iOS/Android call interface if CallKit is enabled

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Using Click-to-Dial

Call numbers directly from other applications without copying/pasting.

Enabling Click-to-Dial

For Desktop:

• Numbers in web browsers, Outlook, and other apps become clickable

• Click any phone number to dial instantly in Zoom Phone

• Configuration is done through Zoom desktop settings

How It Works:

• Hover over a phone number in any application

• Number becomes highlighted/clickable

• Click to launch dial in Zoom Phone

• Confirm and the call connects

Setup Required: Admins may need to enable this feature. Check your Phone settings in the web portal.

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Calling Between Extensions

Internal calls to colleagues in your organization are fast and easy.

1

Dial the Extension

• In the dial pad, enter just the extension number (e.g., 1234)

• No need for full phone number for internal calls

• Click to dial

2

Search Internal Directory

• Type a colleague's name in the search box

• Internal contacts appear at the top of results

• Click to call their extension

3

View Extension on Hover

• Hover over names in your Contacts directory

• Extension number displays alongside name

• Memorize frequently-called extensions for speed

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Understanding Call Status

Your Zoom status affects call behavior.

Do Not Disturb Mode

How to Enable:

• Click your profile picture (top right)

• Select Do Not Disturb

• Choose duration (20 minutes to 24 hours)

What Happens:

• Incoming calls don't ring on any device

• All calls route directly to voicemail

• Your status shows you're unavailable

• Perfect for focused work time or meetings

When It Ends:

• Automatically disables after selected duration

• Manually disable by clicking your profile picture again

• Calls resume ringing normally

Other Status Indicators

While other Zoom Phone users can't see your status, these icons help you:

• Available (green): Ready to receive calls

• In a meeting: Calls may be silenced based on settings

• Away: Set automatically after inactivity

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💡 Calling Best Practices

See Details

Test Before Important Calls Make a test call to a colleague to verify your audio setup before client calls. Better to catch issues with a friendly voice.

Use Starred Contacts for VIPs Star your most frequent contacts for one-click calling. Saves time and reduces dialing errors.

Set Up Do Not Disturb for Focus Time Block out 2-3 hours of deep work by enabling Do Not Disturb. Calls go to voicemail and you check them on your schedule.

Answer on the Right Device If you want to answer on your desk phone, close (X) the desktop notification. The call keeps ringing on your desk phone.

Change Caller ID for External Calls When calling customers or vendors, select your main business line as caller ID instead of your personal extension.

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🚀 Quick Wins

See Details

Keyboard Number Pad Dialing Just start typing numbers on your keyboard when in the Phone tab—no need to click the dial pad. Significantly faster.

Double-Click to Redial In your call history, double-click any number to instantly redial. No searching or typing needed.

Use Ctrl+F to Find Contacts When in the Phone tab, press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on Mac) to quickly search contacts without clicking the search box.

Set Custom Ringtones Assign different ringtones to your extension vs. direct number so you know which line is ringing without looking.

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⚠️ Common Issues

See More

"Call notification didn't appear" → Check if you're in Do Not Disturb mode. Also verify that desktop notifications are enabled in your OS settings.

"I can't hear the caller" → Check your audio device selection in Settings > Audio. Make sure the correct speaker is selected and volume is up.

"Contact search isn't finding people" → Internal contacts should appear automatically. For external contacts, verify you've synced Google/Office 365 contacts in settings.

"Caller ID shows wrong number" → Change your default outbound caller ID in the web portal (Phone > Settings > Outbound Caller ID), or select it from the dropdown before each call.

"Number pad isn't working" → Click inside the dial pad text field first, or just start typing on your keyboard. The number pad accepts both input methods.

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🎯 What's Next

✨ You're Making Calls! You now have:

• Multiple methods for initiating calls

• Confidence in answering and declining calls

• Understanding of call notifications and options

• Ability to manage simultaneous calls

• Skills to use Zoom Phone across devices

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