Activating the voice channel and configuring general settings

<body>
<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">This article describes how to activate the voice channel and configure general settings. Be sure to readPreparing to offer voice supportfirst to ensure your hardware and network are ready.</p>
<div class="article-banners">
<div id="docs-wmp-link">
<a href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5411234991258-plan" rel="noopener" target="_blank">What's my plan?</a>
</div>

<div class="article-banner" id="suite_all">
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>All Suites</strong>
</td>
<td>Team, Growth, Professional, Enterprise, or Enterprise Plus</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>

<div class="article-banner" id="support_with_talk_all">
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Support with</strong>
</td>
<td>Talk Team, Professional, or Enterprise</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>

</div>
<div id="docs-ai-summary">
<p id="docs-ai-summary-toggle">Summary: <span id="up-triangle">◀</span><span id="down-triangle">▼</span></p>
<p id="docs-ai-summary-content">Activate the voice channel to start handling calls, then set call routing options like who can answer, queue size, wait time, call recordings, forwarding confirmation, and transcripts. You can also reactivate a disabled voice account so agents regain the call icon and access to voice support.</p>
</div>

<div class="body">

<p class="p">This article describes how to activate the voice channel and configure general settings. Be sure
to read <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408827987482" target="_blank">Preparing to offer voice support</a> first to
ensure your hardware and network are ready.</p>
<p class="p">This article contains the following topics</p>
<ul class="ul" id="id_4408838035866__ul_itr_kx1_2hb">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_sns_3x1_2hb">Activating the voice
channel</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_w1l_j14_5fb">Voice channel general
settings</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_qdx_xd4_hyb">Re-activating the voice
channel</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_lfg_phr_v2b">Next steps</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_sns_3x1_2hb">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">Activating the voice channel</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Before you can start using the voice channel, you need to turn it on, then configure
some settings that will apply to all of your calls.</p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To activate the voice channel</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_sns_3x1_2hb__ol_gld_hmk_rx">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_sns_3x1_2hb__d8e981" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ac_channels_icon.png">
<strong class="ph b">Channels</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">Talk and email &gt; Talk</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li">On the welcome page, click <strong class="ph b">Get Started</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">On the <strong class="ph b">Your number</strong> page, review your assigned number, then click
<strong class="ph b">Next</strong>. <p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_sns_3x1_2hb__image_pkb_45m_qtb" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/Talk_suite_number_1.png" width="400"></p>
<p class="p">You can purchase additional numbers or port an existing number
later, if you want to. If you're on a trial plan, you can use only the
assigned number or <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/1260805715389" target="_blank">add a digital line</a>.</p>
<div class="p">
<div class="note note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> If you see a list of numbers on this page, you can choose a number
from the list, change the country or number type, or search for a
specific number if you'd like.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li class="li">On the <strong class="ph b">Who will answer the calls</strong> page, select which agents can handle
calls. You can choose from:<ul class="ul" id="topic_sns_3x1_2hb__ul_sgq_v5m_qtb">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Everyone:</strong> Any agent</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Only Me:</strong> Only you</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Specific Users:</strong> A new page opens on which you can choose the
agents who will have access</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Next</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">On the <strong class="ph b">Let's try your new number</strong> page, follow the on-screen steps to
simulate a call or click <strong class="ph b">Skip this step</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">If you simulated a call, click <strong class="ph b">Check out the ticket</strong> to access the ticket
created from the call or click <strong class="ph b">Finish</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Configure <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408838035866#topic_w1l_j14_5fb" target="_blank">general settings</a> as needed, then click
<strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_w1l_j14_5fb">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Voice channel general settings</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">On the Settings tab, configure the general settings to your requirements. For
information about the other settings you can configure, see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4576052164762" target="_blank">Configuring voice channel settings</a>.</p>
<div class="p">
<div class="tablenoborder">
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" class="table" frame="border" id="topic_w1l_j14_5fb__table_mnj_klv_ld" rules="all" summary="">
<colgroup>
<col>
<col>
</colgroup>
<thead class="thead" style="text-align:left;">
<tr class="row">
<th class="entry nocellnorowborder" id="d52e209" style="vertical-align:top;">Setting</th>
<th class="entry cell-norowborder" id="d52e212" style="vertical-align:top;">Description</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody class="tbody">
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry nocellnorowborder" headers="d52e209" style="vertical-align:top;"><strong class="ph b">Enable Talk</strong></td>
<td class="entry cell-norowborder" headers="d52e212" style="vertical-align:top;">Select to activate the voice channel.</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry nocellnorowborder" headers="d52e209" style="vertical-align:top;"><strong class="ph b">Maximum queue size</strong></td>
<td class="entry cell-norowborder" headers="d52e212" style="vertical-align:top;">Your call queue size determines how many incoming calls will
be kept waiting for an available agent, whether on hold or in
the callback queue, before being sent to voicemail (or an
overflow number if it's configured and voicemail is off).<p class="p">You
can select from a range of queue sizes, including <strong class="ph b">0</strong>,
<strong class="ph b">2</strong>, <strong class="ph b">5</strong>, <strong class="ph b">10</strong>, <strong class="ph b">15</strong>, or higher
depending on your plan and omnichannel routing.</p>
<div class="p">If
omnichannel routing is turned off, the limits are:<ul class="ul" id="topic_w1l_j14_5fb__ul_is2_5wl_w3c">
<li class="li">Team: 15</li>
<li class="li">Professional or Enterprise: 50</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="p">If you <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5866925319962" target="_blank">turn on omnichannel
routing</a>, the limits are:<ul class="ul" id="topic_w1l_j14_5fb__ul_jtc_nwl_w3c">
<li class="li">Team: 750</li>
<li class="li">Professional or Enterprise: 1,500</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p class="p">If you need a larger queue size, contact <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408843597850" target="_blank">Zendesk Customer
Support</a> with your use case for evaluation
(Professional and Enterprise plans only).</p>
<p class="p">A maximum
queue size of 0 prevents end users from submitting a
callback request in the Web Widget (Classic).</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry nocellnorowborder" headers="d52e209" style="vertical-align:top;"><strong class="ph b">Maximum queue wait time</strong></td>
<td class="entry cell-norowborder" headers="d52e212" style="vertical-align:top;">
<p class="p">Callers who wait longer than the time specified in the
maximum queue wait time are sent to voicemail. Callers can
dial 1 at any time to go straight to voicemail (if on). If
voicemail is off, the caller will hear a greeting, then the
call will end. Maximum queue wait time is ignored after a
call is transferred.</p>
<p class="p">The maximum queue wait time takes
precedence over the <strong class="ph b">Call offering time limit</strong>
setting.</p>
You can select from a range of wait times
between <strong class="ph b">1</strong> and <strong class="ph b">20</strong> minutes or, if on an Enterprise
plan, between <strong class="ph b">1</strong> and <strong class="ph b">60</strong> minutes.<p class="p">If you need a
longer wait time, contact <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408843597850" target="_blank">Zendesk Customer
Support</a> with your use case for evaluation
(Professional and Enterprise plans only).</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry nocellnorowborder" headers="d52e209" style="vertical-align:top;"><strong class="ph b">New live call recordings are public?</strong></td>
<td class="entry cell-norowborder" headers="d52e212" style="vertical-align:top;">Selecting this option allows the requester to access
recordings from live calls that are added to tickets. For more
information, see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408831738266-zug-voice-recording-NEW-Managing-recording-options-in-Voice" target="_blank">Managing
call recording options</a>.</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry nocellnorowborder" headers="d52e209" style="vertical-align:top;"><strong class="ph b">Agent confirmation when forwarding?</strong></td>
<td class="entry cell-norowborder" headers="d52e212" style="vertical-align:top;">
<p class="p">When agents forward calls to their phones, this option
requires agents to press a key before the call is connected
to indicate that a person is answering the call and not an
automated voicemail. This prevents calls from forwarding to
an agent's personal voicemail if they do not answer.
Forwarded calls not answered with a key confirmation are
routed to voicemail and recorded in a ticket.</p>
<p class="p">If your agents forward calls to a phone system where personal
voicemail boxes are not an issue, you can disable this
option so that agents are immediately connected to callers
when they answer.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry nocellnorowborder" headers="d52e209" style="vertical-align:top;"><strong class="ph b">Transcribe and summarize call recordings on
tickets</strong></td>
<td class="entry cell-norowborder" headers="d52e212" style="vertical-align:top;">For calls that are recorded, you can help your agents with
auto generated transcripts and summaries. To configure this and
associated options, see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6170157307162" target="_blank">Using generative AI to create
call summaries and transcripts on tickets</a>.</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry row-nocellborder" headers="d52e209" style="vertical-align:top;"><strong class="ph b">Transcribe and summarize call recordings for Zendesk
QA</strong></td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" headers="d52e212" style="vertical-align:top;">Select to send call transcripts and summaries to Zendesk QA
so that reviewers don't have to listen to entire recordings to
evaluate calls. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8536077648538" target="_blank">Activating Voice
QA</a>.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested1" id="topic_qdx_xd4_hyb">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title4">Re-activating the voice channel</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Deactivated accounts do not display the call icon, as the setting is turned off by
default when the account is deactivated.</p>
<div class="p">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_qdx_xd4_hyb__ol_jsm_5t1_3yb">
<li class="li">On the sidebar, click <strong class="ph b">Text &amp; Talk</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Open the <strong class="ph b">Summary</strong> tab.</li>
<li class="li">On the <strong class="ph b">Summary</strong> table, find the account you want to reactivate, then
click <strong class="ph b">Activate</strong>.<p class="p">The call icon will now appear for agents who have
access.</p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title5" class="topic nested1" id="topic_lfg_phr_v2b">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title5">Next steps</h2>
<div class="body">
<div class="p">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_lfg_phr_v2b__ul_npm_thr_v2b">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408824192026" target="_blank">Adding Zendesk phone numbers</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408831899930-Configuring-voicemail-options" target="_blank">Configuring voicemail options</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<script id="docs-schema-markup" type="application/ld+json">{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "TechArticle",
"@id": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408838035866",
"url": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408838035866",
"headline": "Activating the voice channel and configuring general settings",
"description": "You activate the voice channel, choose which agents can answer calls, and set general call settings such as queue size, wait time, recordings, forwarding confirmation, and transcription options.",
"articleSection": "Setting up your voice channel",
"datePublished": "2021-10-16T05:16:32+00:00",
"dateModified": "2026-08-29T22:11:10.080537+00:00",
"inLanguage": "en",
"mainEntityOfPage": {
"@type": "WebPage",
"@id": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408838035866"
},
"author": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Zendesk",
"@id": "https://www.zendesk.com"
},
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Zendesk",
"@id": "https://www.zendesk.com"
},
"isPartOf": {
"@type": "WebSite",
"name": "Zendesk Help",
"@id": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/"
},
"about": {
"@type": "SoftwareApplication",
"name": "Zendesk",
"@id": "https://www.zendesk.com",
"softwareAddOn": {
"@type": "SoftwareApplication",
"name": "Voice",
"@id": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/sections/4405298861722"
}
}
}</script><script id="ai-summary-script">
//<![CDATA[
const ai_summary_style = document.createElement('style');
ai_summary_style.innerHTML = `#styled-article-body{padding:0 0 0}#article-body #docs-ai-summary{background-color:#f3f3f3;border:1px solid #d3d3d3;padding:10px 10px 6px;margin-bottom:16px}#article-body #docs-ai-summary #docs-ai-summary-toggle{font-size:.9em;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:4px;cursor:pointer;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center}#article-body #docs-ai-summary #docs-ai-summary-toggle #up-triangle{margin-left:auto;padding-right:10px;display:none}#article-body #docs-ai-summary #docs-ai-summary-toggle #down-triangle{margin-left:auto;padding-right:10px}#article-body #docs-ai-summary #docs-ai-summary-content{font-size:.9em;padding-left:25px;padding-right:25px;margin-bottom:12px}`;
document.head.appendChild(ai_summary_style);

const toggleAISummary = () => {
const summary = document.getElementById("docs-ai-summary-content");
const upTriangle = document.getElementById("up-triangle");
const downTriangle = document.getElementById("down-triangle");
if (summary.style.display === "none") {
summary.style.display = "block";
upTriangle.style.display = "none";
downTriangle.style.display = "inline";
} else {
summary.style.display = "none";
upTriangle.style.display = "inline";
downTriangle.style.display = "none";
}
};

document.getElementById("docs-ai-summary-toggle").addEventListener("click", toggleAISummary);
//]]>
</script>
</body>