Using call monitoring (listen, whisper, barge, take over)

Overview

Note: Call monitoring is not enabled by default. Admins must assign phone users as monitors and specify which phone users can be monitored. 

If granted permission by the Zoom Phone admin, phone users can use these call monitoring features on other phone users, common area phones, and call queues.

• Listen: Listen to a call without the parties being aware.
• Whisper: Speak to a phone user in a call without other parties being aware.
• Barge: Join a call and speak to all parties. The call will become a 3-way call.
• Take over: Take over the call from a Zoom Phone user.

The following scenarios illustrate possible use cases:

• Front desk receptionist: If there is a high-priority call for an employee who is busy on another call, the receptionist can barge in and inform the employee of the important call.
• Call center supervisor: Supervisors can silently observe an agent's call with a customer to ensure high-quality service, then barge in to calls to assist.
• Group trainer: A group trainer can listen to an agent's call with a customer then whisper to the agent to provide advice on handling the customer.

This article covers:

• Limitations
  • Adding groups that can use call monitoring (admin)
  • Using call monitoring
• Enabling call monitoring (admin)
• Adding groups that can use call monitoring (admin)
• Using call monitoring
  
  • Desktop client or mobile app
  • Desk phone
  • Key codes
• Using call monitoring for call queues

Prerequisites

• Zoom Phone license
• Zoom desktop client or mobile app, version 5.4.7 or higher
• Provisioned desk phone that supports call monitoring

Limitations

Before using call monitoring, take note of these limitations:

Adding groups that can use call monitoring (admin)

• You assign up to 100 monitors and 100 phone users being monitored to each call monitoring group.
• Phone users can belong to multiple call monitoring groups, but monitor/monitored pairs can't be duplicated. For example, if Grant (monitor) and Carly (monitored) are in group A, you can't create another group with Grant as a monitor and Carly as a phone user that can be monitored. 
• If the monitoring privileges are changed, the associated phone users' devices will reboot.
• Common area phones can be monitored but not act as the monitor.

Using call monitoring

• For each call that can be monitored, only one monitor can actively use a call monitoring feature on that call. For example, if a monitor is already listening to a call, another monitor can't listen to the same call.
• If you attempt to monitor a call that's on hold, you will be placed on hold and hear the hold music.
• You can only use call monitoring on a phone user when they are in call or the call is on hold. You can't use call monitoring when the phone user is ringing a number.
• You can't use call monitoring on a shared line. For example, lines that are part of a call delegation setup or shared line group.
• If you answer an incoming call while you're using a call monitoring feature, the call monitoring will end.
• Taking over a call will end the active call recording.
• Call monitoring for call queues is only supported on the desktop client or mobile app. Desk phones don't support this feature.
• If you can monitor a call queue, this only includes calls where a member makes a call using the call queue's direct number or receives a call routed through the call queue. This doesn't include direct personal calls made or received by the call queue member.

Enabling call monitoring (admin)

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Account Management then Account Settings.
3. Click the Zoom Phone tab.
4. Make sure the Monitor toggle is turned on.

Adding groups that can use call monitoring (admin)

After enabling call monitoring, you need to create groups of phone users that can use the feature. Each group contains the following:

• Monitors: Phone users that can use call monitoring on other phone users.
• Monitored: Phone users that can be monitored.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Monitoring.
3. Click Add.
4. Specify the following information:
   • Type: Select what extensions to enable call monitoring for.
     • Users & Common Area Phones
     • Call Queues
   • Name: Enter a display name to help identify the group.
   • Site (only visible if you enabled multiple sites): Select a site to assign the group to.
     Note: You can still add phone users from other sites to the group.
   • Monitors: Select the phone users or call queue that can use call monitoring. If you set the Type to Call Queues, the call queue admin is the monitor by default. If you don't see a name in this setting, manually select a call queue member.
   • Privileges: Select the call monitoring feature that the monitors can use.
     Note: The monitors can also use all preceding privileges from the one you select. For example, if you select Barge, they can also use listen and whisper.
   • Monitored: Select the phone users or common area phones that can be monitored.
     If you set the Type to Call Queues, the call queue you set in Monitors will be added here by default.
   • Prompt: Turn on or off a disclaimer prompt that warns call participants their call may be monitored. This setting is only visible after clicking Save.
5. Click Save.

Note:

• Associated phones will automatically reboot to apply the changes. Phones may reboot multiple times.
• A line key called BLF (Monitoring) will be automatically added to the monitor's line key settings. This line key will allow the monitor to see the call status of the monitored and use call monitoring on desk phones.

Using call monitoring 

If your admin assigned you as a monitor with call monitoring privileges, you can listen, whisper, barge, or take over calls.

Desktop client or mobile app

1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop client or mobile app.
2. Click or tap the Phone tab.
   
3. Click or tap the Lines tab.
   In the MONITORING section, you will see a list of the phone users that you can monitor. When a phone is on a call, you will see their call status change along with the call length.
4. Follow one of these options depending on the call monitoring feature you want to use:

• Listen: Click the listen button.
  
• Whisper: Click the whisper button.
  
• Barge: Click the more button (...) then click the barge button.
  
  Alternatively, if you're already listening or whispering on a call, click Barge using the in-call controls.
• Take over: Click the more button (...) then click the take over button. 
  
  Alternatively, if you're already listening or whispering on a call, click Takeover using the in-call controls.

Note: You can switch between call monitoring features when using listen, whisper, or barge. When you take over a call, you can't switch back to a different call monitoring feature.

Desk phone

Note:

• After an admin sets up call monitoring, a line key called BLF (Monitoring) will be automatically added to your line key settings. This line key will allow you to see the call status of the phone users you can monitor.
• If you have access to several direct numbers or shared lines, customize the line keys to make it easier for you to identify lines. 

1. Go to your phone's home screen.
   On the line key list, you will see the phone users that you can monitor. When a phone is on a call, you will see an in-call status, usually indicated by a red icon or solid red indicator light.
2. Press and hold the line key associated with the phone user you can monitor.
3. Press one of these options depending on the call monitoring feature you want to use:
   • Listen: Press Monitor.
   • Whisper: Press Whisper.
   • Barge: Press Barge In.
   • Take over: Press Take over. On some Yealink devices, press More then Take over.

Note: You can switch between call monitoring features when using listen, whisper, or barge. When you take over a call, you can't switch back to a different call monitoring feature.

Key codes

You can also use call monitoring features by dialing and calling the following key codes (also known as DTMF tones), followed by the extension of the phone user you can monitor. You can use these key codes on the desktop client, mobile app, or desk phone.

• Listen: *336
• Whisper: *339
• Barge: *332
• Take over: *338

For example, to listen to phone user with extension 888, dial and call *336888.

Using call monitoring for call queues

If your admin assigned you as a monitor for call queue, you can listen, whisper, barge, or take over calls made or received by call queue members.

1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop client or mobile app.
2. Click or tap the Phone tab.
   
3. Click or tap the Lines tab.
   • In the MONITORING section, you will see a list of call queues you can monitor.
   • When a member makes a call using the call queue's direct number or receives a call routed through the call queue, you will see the notification message below the call queue name.
   • The notification will indicate the number of members in a call that you can monitor.
4. Click or tap the call queue name to view a list of members on calls you can monitor.
5. Use a call monitoring feature.