Understanding Embedded voice

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Your mobile app or website might be full of useful information to help customers, but sometimes they just want to talk to a real human being. Embedded voice enables you to add a digital line, then embed a call button in your mobile app or Web Widget (Classic), so your customers can call you immediately, and enjoy a seamless experience, without leaving the app or widget. Digital lines can be added to the messaging Web Widget using the Zendesk API. See Voice API in messaging quick start.

Adding a call button means customers don’t need to know your phone number but can still access your contact center.

Embedded voice gives you these benefits:

You don’t need to publish a phone number for your customers to call.

You can expand your voice support footprint across countries without the need for phone numbers there.

There is no monthly charge for a digital line. You are only charged when you use it. To find out more about the cost of digital lines, see Zendesk number availability and pricing.

You control the integration and get to control who can call you. For example, you might choose to only add a call button for signed in customers, or your VIP customers.

This article contains the following sections:

Requirements for adding a call button

Setting up Embedded voice

Understanding digital line limitations

Requirements for adding a call button

You’ll need the following to add a call button to your app or Web Widget (Classic):

A digital line.

A Zendesk phone number that’s enabled for outbound calling must be chosen to complete the setup of a digital line. You’ll need this for any features that involve making an outbound call to a PSTN like forwarding a call to an external number. This number is not published or used by your callers.

If you're adding a call button to an app, the app must be enabled with a call button and associated with a digital line using the Talk SDK. The device on which the app is installed must support the WebRTC communication protocol.

If you want customers to be able to call from Web Widget (Classic), you'll need an active Web Widget (Classic) in your account. For help, see Web Widget (Classic) resources.

Note: Unlike with phone numbers, you can add digital lines while you are on a Suite trial.

Setting up Embedded voice

The high-level flow for setting up digital calling looks like this:

Step 1:
Configure a digital line

Step 2:
Configure one of the following to connect your customers to a digital line:

Configure your app with the Talk SDK and add a call button

Configure Web Widget (Classic) to display a call button

Step 3:
Customers can now call you direct from your app or Web Widget (Classic)

Step 1: Adding and configuring a digital line

You add a digital line the same way you’d add a phone line, though some of the settings might differ slightly from the phone number settings.

You’ll find all you need to get started in Adding a digital line.

Step 2: Configuring your app or Web Widget (Classic)

After you've added a digital line, you can configure your app or Web Widget (Classic). Use the information in the following two sections to get started.

Configuring your app with a call button

The Talk SDK gives you all the tools you need to integrate a call button into your app and link it to one of your digital lines. To get started, see Adding a call button to your mobile app.

Configuring the Web Widget (Classic) with a call button

You can configure a Web Widget (Classic) configuration that adds a call button to your widget. To get started, see Configuring voice options in Web Widget (Classic).

Step 3: Understanding the customer and agent calling experience

From the caller's point of view, a call from an app or through Web Widget (Classic) works the same as any other type of call, except the caller does not need to dial or know your number. After the caller clicks the Call button, they are connected. The caller will hear any greetings you have configured and then be placed in the queue along with calls from all of your other numbers.

From the agent's point of view, in-app calls are also similar to other calls. The caller number will show on the console as "Caller unknown," but the line will appear with a unique nickname that you gave to the digital line.

Understanding digital line limitations

The following features are not currently available on a digital line:

Interactive voice response (IVR)

Caller recording consent (opt-in/opt-out)

Priority lines

Callback

To use these calling features, you’ll need to use a Zendesk phone number.