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Evaluating voice in your Zendesk Suite trial account

TobyH Howard
Suite Professional, Enterprise, or Enterprise Plus
Support with Talk Professional or Enterprise

This part of the Zendesk Suite trial evaluation guide helps you evaluate voice features in the Zendesk Suite to see how they'll work for you. Your trial is on the Professional plan.

You can add another dimension to your support experience by enabling customers to call or text you with their problems. Calls and texts become tickets so you have a record of all communication.

Follow the steps in this guide to try out voice features. Each task typically takes less than 10 minutes to complete.

Note: Text messaging is not available for trial accounts.

This article contains the following sections

Step 1: Place and receive a call

When you started your trial you were given a number so you can jump right in and start testing. If you want to purchase a different number, or use your own phone number, see Adding Zendesk phone numbers.

Note: You can't add more phone numbers while you're on a trial plan.

Try it out

Try placing an outbound call from Zendesk, then try answering an incoming call. The best way to try out answering a call is to dial your Zendesk phone number from another phone. You can see your number at the bottom of the call console.

To place a call

  1. Click the call icon () on the right side of the toolbar.
  2. Click the dial pad icon, enter the telephone number you want to call, and then click Call.

  3. When you’re finished with the call, click Hang up.

To answer a call

  • To answer the call, click Accept in the call console.

When you receive a call, you’ll see who’s calling in the call console and hear the phone ring. When you accept the call, the call console begins recording the call (see Step 3: Configure call recording) and a ticket is created.

Tip: How was the quality of your first calls? If you're having any problems, start by reading Preparing to offer voice support. If you were unable to place or receive a call, you might need to work with your network team. The information in Network requirements for voice support will help.

Learn more

Step 2: Configure agent wrap-up time

After a call, agents often need a few minutes to update details on the call ticket or to take notes. This is known as agent wrap-up time. By default, agents have unlimited wrap-up time after a call, until they are ready to make themselves available to take new calls in the call console. However, you can adjust the wrap-up time agents have or even deactivate it.

Plan it

As an admin, you can allow agents to take as much wrap-up time as they need, or you can configure the length of time agents have to wrap up calls. If you set a time limit, agents are automatically available for calls when the time expires. Additionally, you can deactivate it completely, if you want. Think about what makes sense for your team.

Try it out

In this trial, try setting a wrap-up time limit so that agents are automatically available for calls if they don’t click the Available to take new calls button within five minutes.

To set agent wrap-up time

  1. In Admin Center, click Channels in the sidebar, then select Talk and email > Talk.
  2. On the Settings page, click the Lines tab.
  3. Click your phone number.
  4. On the number settings page, click the Settings tab.
  5. From the list of settings, ensure Agent wrap-up after calls? is enabled and set the Wrap-up time limit to the amount of time you want the agent to have to wrap-up calls.

  6. Click Save changes.

The agent now becomes available for new calls once the time you configured elapses.

Learn more

Step 3: Configure call recording

When you enable call recording, all calls are recorded by default and attached to the ticket associated with the call. However, you can turn off recording for any number, give callers the ability to opt-in or opt-out of call recording, or temporarily pause call recording.

Plan it

Take some time to read about the available call recording settings and how you want to configure them. You must also ensure that you understand any local laws in your country about recording calls. For example, most countries require you to inform the caller that the call is being recorded, but some countries require that you explicitly ask the caller for consent to record the call. Before you start recording calls, consult your legal department to ensure that the recording settings you want to use are OK.

Important: You are responsible for using the recording features in Zendesk in compliance with all applicable laws. Certain jurisdictions may require End-User and/or Agent consent prior to initiating a recording. By enabling call recording, you agree that you have received such consent.

Try it out

For this trial, you’ll try configuring some of the call recording settings.

Configure call recording settings

  1. In Admin Center, click Channels in the sidebar, then select Talk and email > Talk.
  2. On the Settings page, click the Lines tab.
  3. Click your phone number.
  4. On the number settings page, click the Call recording tab.
  5. Configure the call recording options as required. Read Managing call reporting options to help you understand the available options.
  6. When you’ve finished configuring recording settings, click Save changes.

Learn more

Step 4: Use conference calling to transfer to another agent

Sometimes, while you are taking a call, it can be useful to consult another person (a third-party). This person can be another agent, an end user, or an external number. You can put the caller on-hold while you speak to the third-party, or transfer the call to the third-party. Additionally, you can also invite the third-party into a conference call.

Try it out

In this example, you’ll add another agent to a test call. Before you start, ask one of the agents you’ve added to the account to set their status to online. That way you’ll be able to conference in that agent on your test call. You’ll need to initiate the call (as an end user) to your Zendesk number from an outside line to start the test call.

To add another agent to a call

  1. During a call, click the transfer button.

  2. Start typing the agent’s name or phone number, then click the agent’s name when you find the right agent.

  3. When the agent answers, you can consult before clicking one of the buttons to add the agent to the call, transfer the call to the agent, or cancel to reconnect with the end user.

    You, the end user, and the agent can now talk.

    Learn more

What's next?

Congratulations! You've completed your trial evaluation tasks for voice. There’s plenty more you can explore on your own. See Resources for voice support.

To get the most out of your Suite trial:

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