Removing Extension from my Zoom Phone Number

[GabriellaA]

I simply want one main number for my business that one person is assigned to. However, it seems no one is able to reach us without entering in an extension number while dialing. How can I get rid of the extension number? Our hope is to just have one phone number for our business and one person assigned to receiving those calls. Help!

[Ray_Harwood]

Hey, @GabriellaA,

 First a little background:  I’m a small one person business and I use two numbers on Zoom phone. For my main number that I list online and in directories, I have an Interactive Menu set up, just to weed out robo-calls. If a cash vines in and they don’t press a number, it never gets through. Then I have a second number ($5/month for  “just another number”) that I assign directly to my PC and IPhone for taking calls.

Now to your question: you need to go into phone administration and assign the phone number as a direct dial to the person that’s taking the calls. Chances are only the extension is assigned to your call taker.

Go to Admin, Users & Rooms, and the Users tab. Find the user – they’ll have an extension, but also confirm they have a phone number attached to them.

 There are other ways to set this up, but a bit more complex. Reach back out if you can’t get the number signed directly to the call taker. 

[urbantreeguy]

Hi Ray, have the same issue... all my calls go directly to VM, no chance to answer. I am the only user but have an extension. Could really use some help... just want it to "behave" like a regular phone system.  I have spent hours trying to figure this out. Thanks.

[Ray_Harwood]

Hey, @urbantreeguy --

Are you still having all your calls go directly to Voicemail?  Setting up a 1-person "phone system" shouldn't be difficult... but it is.  I'm assuming you have only one number, and you'd like to be able to just answer the darn phone, yes?  If you're still stuck... take a look at the answer I just gave to Gabriella.  Assume YOU are the person who will take all of the "company calls".

If that doesn't help, let me know and I'll PM you some info and try to help over a Zoom screen share.  It's hard to know what the configuration is now.

Personally, I pay the extra $5/month for an extra line which I make my "direct" number, and put an IVR (interactive voice response) on the "main" line which (a) weeds out 99.9% of spam calls and (b) let's you set up something like "Press 2 for my mailing address and business hours, and press 3 to reach my desk", or any other information people often call for.  

[Goretti]

Hi Ray, 

Thank you for the information. The problem is that when I get the to assign the number, it does not let me assign it.

This is what I see:

 And when I got to assign phone this is what I see:

 It does not let me assign anything. I only have one number and that number was ported.

Thanks so much!

 

[Ray_Harwood]

Hi, @Goretti.

In a similar post you wrote:

 I was NOT told that we would be assigned an extension during the sales process. I specifically asked who to keep the exact same phone number so I did not have to change my stationary. Is there a way to remove it?

Similar to other VOIP telephone providers, virtually all "endpoints" have an assigned extension number, with a few minor exceptions.  Don't  worry about trying to remove it... we have to get your external phone number assigned to you - essentially your external number and your extension are "the same endpoint".

From your screen shot, I don't see an available number.  Since I'm not sure how recently you moved to Zoom phone, I'll mention that the porting process (moving your old number from your previous phone service over to Zoom) can take several days.  This link points to "more than you want to know about porting"... but the "Common Issues" article might be of some help.

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/sections/360007663452-Number-Porting 

Another possibility, if you only had one number assigned, is that it might have been assigned as the "main company number".  I'm a one-person shop, and I use my ported number (originally from RingCentral) as my "direct" number, and I found a cool number ending in "00" in the pool of available numbers from Zoom, and I assigned that number as my "company number".  I set that up with an IVR menu and use that number in places that require a number to be entered, giving my Direct number only to people I know and trust.  Having the IVR stops almost all cold calls and any spam from vendors - they can't deal with having to click to get to me... though the IVR does give them a specific number to press to get to me.

It's a little cumbersome that Zoom (and most VOIP telco providers) assume that you're not "just one person" but are in instead "a company".  So you have to deal with the Phone menu both in your Personal menu and the Admin menu.  It'll take you some time to get familiar with these, but once you do, you'll have many options at your fingertips.  Don't get discouraged or overwhelmed early.  If you're still having issues in a couple of days, I'll send you a private message with information on how to contact me directly.

[MacielM]

Hi Ray, 

I tried the instructions you provided and I couldn't assign myself the number I have. Could you help me, please?

[bargainwriter]

I could really use this info - about to cancel my zoom phone because as of now it isn't useful. Thanks!

[Ray_Harwood]

Welcome to the Zoom Community, @bargainwriter.

There are several different things discussed on this thread.  Would you mind please describing what particular issue you're having or what you'd like accomplished?  There are very few things that can't be done... but I agree that the answers aren't easy to come by!  I'll help if I can.

[bargainwriter]

You are awesome. I want to get rid of the extension. TIA!

[Ray_Harwood]

Well, @bargainwriter... you're probably going to be surprised at the answer: To get rid of the extension, you have to be taken off of Zoom Phone.  See, the extension is sort of the "hook" that everything in Zoom Phone "hangs" on.

Even Auto Receptionists, Call Queues, parking numbers, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) -- everything requires a 3-digit number assigned to it.

I think what you might really be wanting is to assign an actual phone number to yourself.  If you already have that done... please explain why you want to eliminate the extension.  It doesn't hurt anything -- that I'm aware of!  If you're wanting a direct phone line, let me know.

I'm a 1-person company, and I have 3 phone numbers.  (Extra phone numbers are only $5/month each.)  I have one number as my direct phone line; one phone number as the "main company number"  which reaches an IVR (primarily designed to trap spam calls - they never "press 3 to reach the company president").  I have a spare phone number for "playing around with"... and on occasion I use it for special events with an IVR so callers can hear various announcements.

You will probably want to take a look at these Zoom Support articles:

• https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360021058071-Managing-Phone-Users - How to manage phone users in general, but specifically, how to add Phone Calling Plans to users
• https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360020808292-Managing-phone-numbers - How to obtain phone numbers and how to assign phone numbers to users, common area phones, call queues, etc.

The whole of "managing phones" needs to be somewhat complex, to accommodate the needs of large companies -- even multi-site organizations.  But there are a few simple things that can be done for those of us who "just need a phone".

If you have further questions, you might consider starting a new thread... this one has seen a lot of discussion on various topics already.  Feel free to tag me to I'll be sure to see your post.

[Ray_Harwood]

@urbantreeguy - take a look at this Zoom Support article, look especially at "Customizing phone user settings".   See my screen shot attached.

On the web, go to ADMIN -> Phone System Management -> Users & Rooms, click on your entry (might be the only one, if it's just you on the account).  Make sure the "telephone package" is assigned to you (the Package setting) and assign the direct number to you (the Number(s) setting).  Once that happens your Phone in your Zoom client/app should ring when dialed.

Getting access to Voice Mail was also a tough one for me.  You have to grant yourself access to the Voice Mail in several places.  And if you turn recording On, then accessing the recordings also requires granting access in several locations.  Tag me in a new post if you need help with those...

[FORE-Craig]

Hi Gabriella,

Were you able to resolve your issue?

[Sheldon]

Roy: Thanks for the insight....BUT... still inbound calls get answered by the IVR prompting caller to input the extension number.

I believe I followed your instructions, however still unable to eliminate the ext number and prompt. Other ideas???

[Sheldon]

ONe more thing....I may be getting confused where you say...."Make sure the "telephone package" is assigned to you (the Package setting) and assign the direct number to you (the Number(s) setting).  "....

I an unable to see (anywhere on the screen)...the Number(s) setting

[Ray_Harwood]

Here you go... it's part of the "Assign" pulldown menu:

My "simple solution" for @GabriellaA  was to simply assign the "business" number to the one person she wants to answer all the time.  Assuming that person never takes a day off, that's an easy solution.

The more robust approach is to set up an Auto Receptionist, Call Queue, a Shared Line, or a Group Call Pickup, depending on how you want the "alternative phone answering folks" to be involved.  Each approach has its own benefits and issues -- and a discussion of that is more involved than I'll get into here.  Read the various Zoom Support articles, and check around for video guides on YouTube, etc.

Comparison: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360039141752-Comparison-of-call-routing-methods 

Call Queues:  https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360021524831-Managing-Call-Queues 

Shared Line Groups: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360038850792 

Group Call Pickup: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360060107472-Setting-up-and-using-group-call-pickup 

[Sheldon]

HI Roy: Regrettably, ....on the “assign number” screen, under the box for country/region there is a search box. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to put the zoom assigned phone number in there and when I tried that, the “Confirm” remained grayed out.  So  I tried the “get number” button, and a message come up as ...“You need more phone number licenses.”   Makes little sense since I do have a Zoom provided phone number.  So I am simply confused and stuck. 

Question: Would you be willing to do a screen share to help me get this set up? I would be happy to pay you for your time and insight.  Kindly confirm.

[Ray_Harwood]

@Sheldon  Please check Private Message on Zoom Community.

[Ray_Harwood]

@GabriellaA --

If you're still searching for a solution to your original question, "I simply want one main number for my business that one person is assigned to", I found the trick this morning while doing some research for @Sheldon.

I'm assuming you're talking about your "Main Number" at Admin -> Phone System Management -> Phone Numbers at the top (https://zoom.us/pbx/page/telephone/phoneNumbers#/numbers/assigned😞

Look for the Main Auto Receptionist on your list of Auto Receptionists at Admin -> Phone System Management -> Auto Receptionists ( or https://zoom.us/pbx/page/telephone/auto-receptionists#/auto-receptionists😞

The number at the right should be the main company number.  Click the "Main Auto Receptionist" link (it could have been renamed, but its the one Auto Receptionist with no checkmark next to it):

Scroll down a little to see something like this:

It might not say "Route to Interactive Voice Response"... there are several possibilities.  Click the Edit link next to whatever option is there to see:

The list is pretty long, and you might have to scroll to see the option for "User" highlighted here.  Click that and you'll be prompted to select which user:

If there aren't many, they'll all show up; if there are a lot, type in a few letters to find the person, then click on their name... and click OK.

Call your main number and the designated person's phone should ring!

Ideally, it would be better for you to create a Call Queue for this... even if she's the only person in the Call Queue.  If you had a Call Queue, and she was going to be out one day and someone else volunteered to take the calls, your main person could "opt out" of the Queue and the new temporary call take could "opt in", and reverse the process when your main person returned.  That's a tiny bit more complex to set up, but I'll walk you through it if you're interested in that additional flexibility.

[EdGol]

Ray, thanks for your help with the community. I've tried all of the fixes and still can't get my inbound calls.  They automatically go to voicemail.    I can make outbound calls though.  Any help is appreciated. Thx, Ed

[Ray_Harwood]

Welcome to the Zoom Community, @EdGol., and thanks for your kind words.

If these steps didn’t work for you, I can help you over a Zoom meeting with Screen Share – I helped @Sheldon this way last year, and it worked out great. Check out my GoodClix.com link and look for the Let’s Meet link. 

[maximumyoullc]

For single member companies, this is what worked for me:

SETTINGS--->SETUP GUIDE--->CALL HANDLING--->OPEN HOURS--->REDIRECT CALL--->ROUTE TO USER--->SELECT MYSELF FROM THE DROP DOWN AND PROCEED WITH SETUP. Then I logged out of the app on my phone an logged back in. Waited 5 minutes and it works.