Setting up nomadic emergency services

Overview

Nomadic emergency services provide the ability to dynamically detect and report phone users' location for emergency calling. To enable this feature, the admin must define locations and sub-locations as necessary, providing network data and a specific emergency address for each one.

When users place emergency calls from within a defined location, the corresponding emergency address can be sent to emergency responders. For sites in the US and Canada, this dynamic location data can be sent to both the public safety answering point (PSAP) and an internal safety response team. For sites outside the US and Canada, and for customers with a Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC) calling plan, the dynamic location data can only be sent to the internal safety response team. The emergency address retrieved by the PSAP will be based upon the caller's phone number.

As part of nomadic emergency services, you can also enable personal emergency addresses. This allows users to define locations and specify an emergency address. The Zoom client will prompt phone users when they're in an undefined location and notify them that they're using a default address. The phone user can add a new location while correcting or verifying the address. The client will automatically save the IP address or wireless access point identifiers for the location. When a phone user places an emergency call from a defined location, the associated emergency address will be sent to emergency responders.

This article covers:

• Limitations
• Location priority
• Enabling nomadic emergency services
• Adding a parent location
• Adding a sub-location (optional)
• Fields for parent and sub locations
• Importing locations using a CSV file
• Updating locations using a CSV file
• Viewing personal emergency addresses
• Process for nomadic emergency services
• Tracking and improving nomadic emergency services

Prerequisites

• Zoom Phone license
• Account owner or admin privileges
• Emergency addresses and calling set up
• Zoom desktop client (version 5.4.7 or higher) or provisioned desk phone

Limitations

• The Zoom mobile app doesn't use nomadic emergency services. The app always uses the phone's native carrier when making an emergency call.
• Common area phones don't support nomadic emergency services. If you require this feature, consider adding a phone user and assigning the desk phone to that user.

Location priority

When a phone user places an emergency call, Zoom Phone will use these methods (if available) to determine the emergency address. These methods are ordered by priority (highest to lowest).

1. BSSID (wireless access point ID) of the defined location
2. IP address of the defined location
3. GPS coordinates of the phone user
4. Phone user's default emergency address indicated in their settings (if user has set a personal default)
5. Site level default emergency address

Enabling nomadic emergency services

Note: Before enabling nomadic emergency services for the entire account, you can test it on a subset of phone users to build up location data. After building up location data, you can enable nomadic emergency services with bootstrap mode to identify ways to improve your location data.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Company Info.
3. If you have multiple sites, click the name of the site you want to edit.
4. Click the Emergency Services tab.
5. Enable nomadic emergency services for all phone users or specific phone users:
   • All phone users in the account or site: Click the Nomadic Emergency Service toggle.
     • Allow personal location: Enable personal emergency addresses.
   • Specific phone users: Under Testing Extensions for Nomadic Emergency Service, click Add to enable it for specific phone users.
6. (Optional) Enable these features for nomadic emergency services:
   • Allow personal location: Allow phone users to set detectable personal emergency addresses.
   • Enable bootstrap mode: This mode helps build up the data set for detectable company locations. It enables users to report their current locations as company locations and/or report underlying network data for existing company locations. User reported location and network data must be approved by administrators before it becomes actively part of your defined company locations. These operations will send email notifications to admins (at most one email per day).
     Note: This feature requires users to have the Zoom desktop client, version 5.4.0 or higher.
   • Email Recipients for Emergency Services Data Maintenance: Enter internal or external email addresses that will receive alerts and warnings regarding locations and emergency addresses for nomadic emergency services. Example notifications can be that an endpoint (user, phone device, or location) lacks an emergency address, or that someone has submitted pending locations or network data when bootstrap mode is enabled.

Adding a parent location

You need to define physical locations for nomadic emergency services. A parent or sub-location has a street address (for example, 123 Main Street, 6th floor) and can also be defined by network IP address ranges and wireless access point identifiers. A typical hierarchy consists of a Zoom Phone site at the city level, create locations for each office or building, and then within each building, define sub-locations for specific floors or suites.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Company Info.
3. Click Account Settings.
4. Scroll down to the Emergency Address & Location section.
5. Under Locations, click Manage.
6. Follow one of these options depending on if you have multiple sites:
   • If you don't have multiple sites: Select the one site you see in the left-side panel.
   • If you have multiple sites: Select a site in the left-side panel to add a location to.
7. Click Add Location.
8. Enter the required fields.
9. Click Save.

Adding a sub-location (optional)

If you already set up a location, you can add sub-locations to further segment emergency addresses. For example, you can add sub-locations for specific floors or suites in a building.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Company Info.
3. Click Account Settings.
4. Scroll down to the Emergency Address & Location section.
5. Under Locations, click Manage.
6. Follow one of these options depending on if you have multiple sites
   • If you don't have multiple sites: Select a main location under the one site you see in the left-side panel.
   • If you have multiple sites: Select a site then a main location you previously created.
7. Click the Sub Locations tab.
8. Click Add Sub Location.
9. Enter the required fields.
10. Click Save.

Fields for parent locations and sub-locations

• Name: Enter a name to help you identify the emergency.
• Emergency Address: Select a current emergency address to associate with the location. You can also add a new emergency address. 
  Note: You can't change the country/region of the location. You will have to add a new location.
• IP Address: Specify IPv4 addresses or ranges to associate with the location. 
• BSSID (Optional): Specify the BSSID (MAC address of the access point) to associate with the location.
• SIP Group (Optional): If you have SIP groups and trunks set up in your account, specify the SIP group to associate with the emergency address.
  Note: This is optional and is usually not used for nomadic emergency service. The SIP group is used when a site is configured to support location-based routing (LBR), allowing you to route calls for the location. Typically, LBR is only needed for sites in India.

Importing locations using a CSV file

You can add several locations at once by uploading a CSV file.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Company Info.
3. Click Account Settings.
4. Scroll down to the Emergency Address & Location section.
5. Under Locations, click Manage.
6. Follow one of these options depending on if you have multiple sites:
   • If you don't have multiple sites: Select the one site you see in the left-side panel.
   • If you have multiple sites: Select a site in the left-side panel to import locations to.
7. Click Import.
8. Click CSV Sample to download a sample file and view on-screen instructions for each field.
9. Open the CSV sample file using spreadsheet software and fill in these fields.
   Note:
   
   • Parent Location Unique Identifier: The unique identifier of the parent location. Only specify this field if you are importing a sub-location. Leave it blank if you're importing a parent location. You can obtain this by exporting a CSV file of current addresses.
   • Location Unique Identifier (Required): Specify a unique identifier for the location. Make sure the ID is unique. You can specify a sequence of numbers as the IDs.
   • Company Address: Fill the fields to specify an emergency address for this location. You can use a previously-created emergency address (enter it exactly), or specify a new one. Zoom will attempt to validate new addresses, which can cause the location import to fail if the address cannot be successfully validated.
10. Go back to the Zoom web portal, click Upload CSV, then select your completed CSV file.

Updating locations using a CSV file

You can update multiple locations at once by uploading a CSV file.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Company Info.
3. Click Account Settings.
4. Scroll down to the Emergency Address & Location section.
5. Under Locations, click Manage.
6. Follow one of these options depending on if you have multiple sites:
   • If you don't have multiple sites: Select the one site you see in the left-side panel.
   • If you have multiple sites: Select a site in the left-side panel to update locations for.
7. Click Export to download a CSV file of the current locations.
8. Open the CSV file using spreadsheet software and fill in these fields.
9. Go back to the Zoom web portal and click Import.
10. Click the Update Locations tab.
11. Click Upload CSV and select your completed CSV file.

Viewing personal emergency addresses

If you enabled Personal Locations with nomadic emergency services, the Zoom desktop client will prompt phone users when they're in an undefined location and notify you that they're using a default address. They can add a new location while correcting or verifying the address. The client will automatically save the IP address or wireless access point identifiers for the location. When the phone user places an emergency call from a defined location, the associated emergency address will be sent to emergency responders.

Follow these steps to view personal emergency addresses:

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Company Info.
3. Click Account Settings.
4. Scroll down to the Emergency Address & Location section.
5. Under Locations, click Manage.
6. Follow one of these options depending on if you have multiple sites:
   • If you don't have multiple sites: Select the one site you see in the left-side panel.
   • If you have multiple sites: Select a site in the left-side panel to import locations to.
7. Click Personal Locations in the left-side panel.
8. Select a phone user.

Process for nomadic emergency services

These steps provide a detailed process overview if you enable nomadic emergency services with bootstrap mode and personal locations:

Note: Phone users must have Zoom desktop client (version 5.4.7 or higher) or a provisioned desk phone.

1. When a phone user signs in to the desktop client for the first time after you enable nomadic emergency services with bootstrap mode and personal locations, the desktop client will prompt the phone user to enable location permission.
2. When Zoom Phone detects a network change (IP or MAC address) that the user hasn't previously reported, Zoom Phone will prompt the user to confirm or update their emergency address:
   • Desktop client: If the network change is related to the desktop client, the phone user will see the prompt directly in the desktop client.
   • Desk phone: If the network change is related to a desk phone, the phone user will receive an email notification that will redirect them to their phone settings in the web portal.
3. Zoom Phone will attempt to associate the phone user's network data with an existing company or personal location.
   • Detectable location: If the network data is associated with an existing location, the prompt will allow the phone user to confirm the detected emergency address, or update it. If the phone user confirm the address, they will be redirected to the web portal to select a location for this address. The address will be associated with the location.
   • Undetectable location: If the new network data is not associated with an existing location, the prompt will ask the phone user to add an emergency address.
4. When updating or adding their emergency address, users will be able to:
   • Select a company location added to their site
   • Add a new emergency address as a company location
   • Select a saved personal location
   • Add a new emergency address as a personal location
5. If the phone user does either of the first two options, you (and any specified email recipients) will receive an email notification to review and approve pending data for company locations. Sign in to the Zoom web portal to review and pending company location data. Once approved, the location will be automatically added as a company location.

Tracking and improving nomadic emergency services

After building up a set of location, use the nomadic emergency services dashboard to track metrics like the number of phone users that are not location in a detection location. You can also use the dashboard to re-prompt users to enable location permission.