Managing common area phones

Common area phones are unassigned desk phones that can be used by anyone. Account owners and admins can add any supported device to the web portal and provision it as a common area phone. You can also enable hot desking for a common area phone, allowing phone users to sign in or out of the common area phone.

Here are a few scenarios where common area phones can be used:

• If your office has a shared desk that doesn't belong to a specific employee, you can set up a common area phone and enable hot desking so that any employee can use it.
• If your office reception area is unattended, visitors can use a common area phone to contact an employee.
• If your warehouse or office requires a pager or intercom, you can set it up as a common area phone so that any phone user can use it.
• If you have an employee who oversees common area phones, you can add the phones as delegates. This will allow the common area phone to make and receive call on behalf of the phone user.
• If you have Android or iOS smart devices, you can use those devices as Zoom mobile common areas.

This article covers:

• Limitations of common area phones
• How to add a common area desk phone
  • Search inactive Zoom Phone packages for common areas
• How to convert an unassigned desk phone to a common area phone
• How to convert a common area phone to an unassigned desk phone
• How to add a common area phone to a call queue
• How to add a common area phone to an auto receptionist
• How to add a common area phone to an IVR

Prerequisites for managing common area phones

• Pro, Business, Education, or Enterprise account
• Account owner or admin privileges
• Common area license to add a common area and use minimal features
• Zoom Phone Pro or higher license to use auto receptionist, call queue, voicemail, and IVR
• Certified device

Note: Before adding a common area phone to the Zoom web portal, see an overview of the provisioning process.

Limitations of common area phones

Common area phones don't support the following features:

• Ad-hoc or automatic recordings
  Note: Common area phones can be configured for ACR or ad hoc recording if assigned a Zoom Phone Pro, Metered, Unlimited, or Pro plan.
• Call monitoring
• Custom hold music (common area phones use the default hold music)
• Custom blocked list (common area phones use the account-level blocked list)

If you require one of these features, consider using this workaround:

• Add a phone user and assign the desk phone to that user. You can still enable hot desking to allow other phone users to sign in to the device.

How to add a common area desk phone

Follow these steps if want to add a desk phone that can be used by anyone. You can also batch add several common area phones at once.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management, then Users & Rooms.
3. Click the Common Area Phones tab.
4. Click Add and enter the following information:
   • Site (only visible if you have multiple sites): Select the site you want the common area phone to belong to.
   • Display Name: Enter a display name to identify the common area phone.
   • Description (Optional): Enter a description to help identify the common area phone.
   • Extension Number: Enter an extension number to assign.
   • Emergency Address (only visible if you don't have multiple sites): Select an emergency address to assign to the common phone. If you selected a site for the common area phone, the site's emergency address will be applied to the phone.
   • Package: Assign an outbound calling package.
   • Country/Region: Select the country of the phone's emergency address. The country determines the reserved extension numbers that you can't use for the phone.
   • Time Zone: Select a timezone to set the time displayed on the common area phone.
   • MAC Address: Enter the 12-digit MAC address of the desk phone.
   • Device Type: Select the brand and model number using the drop-down menus.
   • Provision Template (Optional) - only visible if the specified device supports provision templates: Select a provision template to apply custom settings to the phone.
5. Click Save. 
6. Complete the provisioning process.
7. (Optional) Follow the steps to assign a direct number to the common area phone.

After adding a common area phone, you can change its settings.

Search inactive Zoom Phone packages for common areas

If your Zoom Phone packages become inactive, you can easily identify them to remove the common area from your account or reassign it to a package.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Users & Rooms.
3. Click the Common Areas tab.
4. On the right, click the Package drop-down arrow icon.
   The word inactive highlighted in red and enclosed in parentheses, will be displayed alongside any package that is inactive. You can reassign a package to the common area if desired.
5. (Optional) To the far right, click the more icon , then select Remove to remove the common area.

How to convert an unassigned desk phone to a common area phone

You can convert a provisioned, unassigned desk phone to a common area phone without having to re-provision it.

Note: If the desk phone is currently assigned, edit its settings to unbind it from the phone user.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management, then Phones & Devices.
3. Click the Unassigned tab.
4. Click the display name of the phone you want to convert.
5. Click Assign.
6. In the User box, select Common Area, then search the common area.
7. Click Add.
   The desk phone will appear in the Common Area Phones tab. The desk phone may reboot several times to complete the conversion.
   Note: If the common area phone is offline, reboot the phone to bring it back online.

How to convert a common area phone to an unassigned desk phone

You can convert a common area phone to an unassigned desk phone without having to re-provision it.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management, then Users & Rooms.
3. Click the Common Area Phones tab.
4. Click the display name of the common area you want to convert.
5. In the Desk Phone(s) section, click the x to remove the desk phone.
6. In the dialog window, click Unbind.
7. (Optional) Assign the desk phone to a phone user.

How to add a common area phone to a call queue

You can add a common area phone to be a member of a call queue.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Call Queues.
3. Click the name of the call queue you want to add the phone to.
4. Click the Profile tab.
5. In the Member(s) section, click View or Edit.
6. Click Add.
7. Click the Common Area Phone tab.
8. Select the common area phone and click OK.

How to add a common area phone to an auto receptionist

You can route to a common area phone during an auto receptionist's business or closed hours.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation, click Phone System Management then Auto Receptionists.
3. Click the name of the auto receptionist you want to add the phone to.
4. In the Business Hours or Closed Hours section, click Edit next to Route to.
5. Select Common Area Phone, enter the phone's name, then select the common area phone.
6. Click OK.

How to add a common area phone to an IVR

If you have an a IVR system, you can provide an IVR menu option for callers to route to a common area phone.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation, click Phone System Management then Auto Receptionists.
3. Click the name of the auto receptionist with an IVR you want to add the phone to.
   Note: Set up an IVR if the auto receptionist if it doesn't have one.
4. click the Profile tab.
5. In the Business Hours or Closed Hours section, click Edit under Interactive Voice Response (IVR).
6. Click Edit next to one of the key.
7. Select Forward to Common Area Phone.
8. Click OK.