TCNJ will be transitioning to Zoom for the use of our Telecommunication needs. This article will serve as a guide for getting started as we make this transition.
Zoom has uploaded many useful videos on how to operate Zoom Phone to YouTube.
IT has compiled a playlist of the ones most relevant to the features we have available here at TCNJ.
If you just need a refresher on one of the topics covered, here are links to the individual videos:
Zoom Phone is a unified communication solution that combines phone and video meetings. It allows you to make and receive calls while also giving you the option to participate in or transition to video meetings from the Zoom desktop and mobile apps (softphone). With Zoom Phone, you can make calls from your computer and mobile devices; the system will even transcribe voicemail messages for you. The streamlined functions and ease of access to the platform make Zoom phone ideal for on-campus, remote, and hybrid work.
- Integration: we can leverage our investment in Zoom Meetings and enjoy a more integrated and seamless experience. If you already have Zoom apps installed for meetings, they will automatically be upgraded with a new menu for phone use.
- Convenience and hybrid/remote work friendly: You will no longer be restricted to office phones. Instead, Zoom Phone offers a modern and user-friendly voice service that can be used on existing devices like computers and mobile devices. Essential functions such as call transfer, forwarding, conferencing, and voicemail will still be available, alongside additional features like call delegation, blocking, transferring, and business hour settings.
- Cost and sustainability: This transition will also lead to reduced costs and improved sustainability by minimizing phone hardware and maintenance. A small number of new phones will be available for use when circumstances require a physical phone. However, we expect that Zoom Phone will be used primarily via computers and mobile devices.
- Phone Number: You will keep your current 10-digit number and 4-digit extension number. You will still be able to make calls using just a person’s 4-digit extension, and you can even make calls by typing their name into the Zoom Phone application.
- Voicemail: You will be able to set up a voicemail message and check your voicemail via the Zoom browser portal. By default, you will also receive emails with both audio and transcription of your voicemail messages. This feature can be turned off in the Zoom browser portal if you would like.
- Physical Phone Units: With certain exceptions, like front office phones also utilized by student workers, we will be moving towards a primarily softphone model where you will utilize the web browser interface, computer desktop application, or mobile app.
- Peripherals: If you use a headset or headphones and a microphone to participate in Zoom video meetings they will work exactly the same way with Zoom Phone, so you can keep on using the same setup. TCNJ Information Technology will provide a wired USB headset upon request as part of the deployment. Departments are financially responsible for any headsets above and beyond the standard that is provided.
- Safety and Privacy: Zoom Phone provides a great amount of privacy for its Users. Calls do go through the Zoom cloud, but are encrypted with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES256). Both the call meta-data used to establish a call and the actual voice content are encrypted and cannot be intercepted and heard. On-campus calls are fully encrypted end to end. Off-campus calls are encrypted from your Zoom app or physical phone to Zoom but may not be completely encrypted from Zoom to the off-campus caller depending on their carrier and their local telephone system. Calls are not stored at Zoom although voicemail, recordings, and transcriptions are encrypted and stored at Zoom until deleted by the user. Zoom supports compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as well.
- Reliability: Zoom Phone runs fully redundant systems across a multitude of data centers around the world, ensuring services remain intact during maintenance, and it delivers a 99.99% service-level agreement (SLA) rating.
If you do not already have Zoom installed on your TCNJ computer, or are looking to install it on either a different computer or your phone, here is where you would find the download for each:
- Computer: Go to https://zoom.us/download and download the appropriate version for your computer
- Mobile: Use either the App Store or Google Play Store
Zoom Phone is incorporated directly in to your existing TCNJ Zoom account, so you would access it by logging in the same you do to access your TCNJ licensed account.
When you open the Zoom application, select "Sign in" and the choose the "SSO" option that is presented under the regular login boxes.
When prompted for a domain, enter in "tcnj" so it completes "tcnj.zoom.us" and then click Continue
This will bring up your default browser to log you in with the TCNJ SSO
For a list of Frequently Asked Questions about Zoom Phone, check out this Knowledge Base article