Setting up and using audio intercom

Admins or phone users can enable or disable audio intercom for phone users. Audio intercom allows hands-free communication with another phone user (desktop app or desk phone). A phone user with audio intercom executive privileges can call another phone user, then the receiving user will automatically answer the call.

For example, a typical use case can be in a large workplace where not every employee has access to the desktop app or desk phone. Employees can call the extension with audio intercom to quickly announce something to an area, like picking up a parked call or informing others that there's a visitor to the office.

This article covers:

How to set up audio intercom
How to assign the intercom line key
How to make an audio intercom call
Scenarios when an audio intercom is not automatically answered

Prerequisites for setting up and using audio intercom

The extension with the ability to send audio intercom must have these prerequisites:

Zoom Phone license
Zoom desktop client for Windows, macOS, or Linux, version 5.9.3 or higher
Audio intercom policy setting enabled by an admin

The receiving extension must be a phone user or common area phone with these prerequisites:

Zoom Phone license
One of the following
- Zoom desktop client for Windows, macOS, or Linux, version 5.9.3 or higher
- Provisioned desk phone that supports audio intercom
Audio intercom policy setting enabled by an admin

Note: The sender (phone user) and receiver (phone user or common area phone) need to have audio intercom enabled by an admin.

How to set up audio intercom

After the audio intercom policy setting is enabled, admins or phone users can set up audio intercom by assigning another phone user or common area phone to send/receive audio intercom calls with. After adding a user to the intercom feature, an email notification will be sent to them indicating they have this capability.

Account (using account management)

Note: The Audio Intercom policy will be enabled by default at the account level for all new accounts created.

Sign in to the Zoom web portal as an admin with the privilege to edit account settings.
In the navigation menu, click Account Management then Account Settings.
Click the Zoom Phone tab.
Under General, click the Audio Intercom toggle to enable or disable it.
If a verification dialog displays, click Enable or Disable to verify the change.
(Optional) To prevent all users in your account from changing this setting, click the lock icon , and then click Lock to confirm the setting.

Extension (phone user)

Sign in to the Zoom web portal as an admin with the privilege to edit account settings.
In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Users & Rooms.
Click the Users tab.
Click a phone user's display name, then click the User Settings tab.
In the Intercom section, click Set or Add.
Under Assign intercom to, click the dropdown menu and select a User or Common Area Phone, then specify the phone user or common area phone you want to assign, then click Save.
The assignee (phone user or common area phone) will appear in the Intercom section. The Intercom section of the assignee (phone or common area phone) will be updated with the assigner's display name and extension.
Under Select a default device to receive intercom calls, click the dropdown menu and select the device to route intercom calls to:
- Zoom Applications / Zoom Desktop Application: Route all received intercom calls to your Zoom desktop client.
- (desk phone display name): Route all received intercom calls to an assigned desk phone.
Click Save.

User

Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
In the navigation menu, click Phone, then click the Settings tab.
In the Intercom section, click Set or Add.
Select User or Common Area Phone, then specify the phone user or common area phone you want to assign, then click Save.
The assignee (phone user or common area phone) will appear in the Audio Intercom section. The Audio Intercom section of the assignee (phone or common area phone) will be updated with the assigner's display name and extension.
Under Select a default device to receive intercom calls, click the dropdown menu and select the device to route intercom calls to:
- Zoom Applications / Zoom Desktop Application: Route all received intercom calls to your Zoom desktop client.
- (desk phone display name): Route all received intercom calls to an assigned desk phone.
Click Save.

How to assign the intercom line key

Notes:

This setup is mandatory for the intercom to work properly and needs to be applied regardless of the device type (client, mobile, desk phone).
The intercom line key is required to be set up for both the caller and receiver.

If you have a provisioned desk phone that supports multiple line keys, you can assign the Intercom key to easily make an intercom call to a phone user or common area phone you're assigned with. The desk phone will automatically receive the audio intercom line key after being set up in the web portal as mentioned in the previous section.

Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
Click Phone.
Click the Settings tab.
In the Keys & Positions section, click View or Edit.
Click Manage Keys.
Click Set Key in one of the available line keys, or edit an existing line key.
Specify these settings in the columns:
- Key Type: Select Intercom.
- Key Assignment: Select a phone user or common area phone to assign the key to.
- Alias (Optional): Enter an alias that is displayed on the phone.
Click Save.

Learn more about keys and positions settings.

How to make an audio intercom call

Sign in to the Zoom desktop client.
Click Phone.
Use of these methods to easily make call to a phone user or common area phone you've set up audio intercom with:
- Click the Lines tab and locate the phone user under the MONITORING or SHARED section. Hover over the user, then click the intercom icon .
  Note: Phone users you can make intercom calls to will appear under MONITORING if you are not part of any call monitoring groups.
- Type a name or number above the dial pad to search through your contacts. Hover over the phone user or common area phone, then click the intercom icon .

The following will happen after making the intercom call:

- The receiving phone user or common area phone will automatically answer the call.
- If a phone user is receiving your call, it will only route to the desktop client or a desk phone as the phone user specified in their intercom settings.
- Both parties will hear a beep sound to indicate it's an intercom call.

Scenarios when an audio intercom is not automatically answered

This table lists scenarios and the corresponding result when an audio intercom call is not auto answered:

Status of phone user receiving the intercom call	Result
The phone user is busy on a call.	You will be prompted to confirm the call. If confirmed, you will be adding to the call. The phone user that received the intercom call can merge the call to a 3-way call.
The phone user is monitoring a call.	The phone user receiving the intercom call will not automatically answer. Instead, they will receive a call notification with an option to end the current call and accept the inbound intercom call.
The phone user is in a meeting.	The phone user receiving the intercom call will not automatically answer. Instead, they will receive a call notification with an option to end the meeting and accept the inbound intercom call.
The phone user's presence is set to Do Not Disturb or it's outside their business hours.	The call will be routed based on their call handling settings.
The phone user is in an emergency call.	The intercom call will be dismissed automatically.