Zoom expands AI agent to phone, launches hub & boosts AI tools
Virtual Agent on Zoom Phone
The Zoom Virtual Agent is now integrated with Zoom Phone for users in supported regions, enabling a concierge experience that aims to improve the way businesses handle incoming calls. The feature moves beyond typical call routing, allowing callers to interact with an AI-driven receptionist capable of handling routine queries, booking appointments, and directing calls appropriately.
The solution is described as a 24/7 AI receptionist which processes input, responds naturally, and initiates next steps as required by the caller's needs. This capability is intended to reduce missed calls and help organisations make a better first impression during customer interactions. "When someone calls your business, it should feel easy and personal from the first hello. By combining AI that can listen, understand, and take action with the reach of Zoom Phone, our concierge virtual agent provides seamless and personalised support to all callers. Whether a customer is calling to schedule an appointment, check an order status, or check product availability, Zoom's concierge is available 24×7 and can deliver answers instantly, escalating to live employees only when needed. The result is a faster, more personalised, and more scalable experience for everyone," says Smita Hashim, Chief Product Officer, Zoom.
Admins can deploy the concierge via a no-code configuration, enabling businesses to upload documents or pointedly direct the virtual agent to websites in order to train it. The system supports natural, multilingual conversations in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Japanese, with further languages in development. The ability to respond to questions around the clock delivers a consistent experience for callers at any time.
Zoom Virtual Agent concierge supports industries such as healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and financial services. For example, healthcare providers can use it to field patient queries and book appointments, while retailers can check product availability and schedule pickups. Manufacturers and service providers can capture requests or guide troubleshooting, and financial services can gather client information and direct them to the proper adviser.
Agentic AI for meeting scheduling
Zoom announced enhancements to its AI Companion, which now provides automated meeting scheduling capabilities. The AI Companion analyses calendars, time zones, and out-of-office notices to suggest available meeting times, sends invitations, and tracks responses on behalf of the user.
The AI-driven meeting scheduler is aimed at eliminating manual back-and-forth processes, reducing scheduling conflict errors, and freeing teams to focus on actual meetings rather than logistics. If schedules change, the AI Companion suggests alternatives and ensures meetings are confirmed quickly.
Zoom Hub centralises content
Zoom Hub is now generally available, functioning as a workspace within Zoom Workplace. It brings together meeting recordings, summaries, documents, whiteboards, and other assets, with tools for organisation by folder and the ability to create new assets directly in the hub. The Hub works alongside AI Companion to boost productivity, including features such as generating content drafts for meetings or projects.
Users can search for assets by meeting, prepare for upcoming meetings, and use AI tools to draft materials quickly, reducing the time spent managing disparate files across different systems.
AI improvements for Team Chat
Additional changes have been made to Zoom Team Chat, with AI Companion now integrated into the mobile user experience. This allows users to draft messages or receive document summaries without having to open the underlying files. AI-driven quick summaries are also accessible from the desktop application, streamlining catch-up processes in workplace communications.
In line with Zoom's AI development, Zoom will also be integrating OpenAI's GPT-5 into its AI stack to further improve agentic tasks such as meeting scheduling and translating conversations into actionable outcomes.
All new AI Companion features are included at no extra cost for users with paid Zoom Workplace plans. These updates are aimed at increasing collaboration efficiency and enabling users to stay aligned on work tasks.
While the Zoom Virtual Agent for Phone is not currently available in Australia, the launch of Zoom Hub and enhanced AI features are accessible within the region. The company continues to focus on developing accessible digital workplace capabilities powered by AI for users across different markets.
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Techday NZ
2 days ago
- Techday NZ
Zoom expands AI agent to phone, launches hub & boosts AI tools
Zoom has announced the expansion of its AI-powered Virtual Agent to Zoom Phone, as well as the launch of Zoom Hub and enhancements to its AI capabilities across Zoom Workplace. Virtual Agent on Zoom Phone The Zoom Virtual Agent is now integrated with Zoom Phone for users in supported regions, enabling a concierge experience that aims to improve the way businesses handle incoming calls. The feature moves beyond typical call routing, allowing callers to interact with an AI-driven receptionist capable of handling routine queries, booking appointments, and directing calls appropriately. The solution is described as a 24/7 AI receptionist which processes input, responds naturally, and initiates next steps as required by the caller's needs. This capability is intended to reduce missed calls and help organisations make a better first impression during customer interactions. "When someone calls your business, it should feel easy and personal from the first hello. By combining AI that can listen, understand, and take action with the reach of Zoom Phone, our concierge virtual agent provides seamless and personalised support to all callers. Whether a customer is calling to schedule an appointment, check an order status, or check product availability, Zoom's concierge is available 24×7 and can deliver answers instantly, escalating to live employees only when needed. The result is a faster, more personalised, and more scalable experience for everyone," says Smita Hashim, Chief Product Officer, Zoom. Admins can deploy the concierge via a no-code configuration, enabling businesses to upload documents or pointedly direct the virtual agent to websites in order to train it. The system supports natural, multilingual conversations in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Japanese, with further languages in development. The ability to respond to questions around the clock delivers a consistent experience for callers at any time. Zoom Virtual Agent concierge supports industries such as healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and financial services. For example, healthcare providers can use it to field patient queries and book appointments, while retailers can check product availability and schedule pickups. Manufacturers and service providers can capture requests or guide troubleshooting, and financial services can gather client information and direct them to the proper adviser. Agentic AI for meeting scheduling Zoom announced enhancements to its AI Companion, which now provides automated meeting scheduling capabilities. The AI Companion analyses calendars, time zones, and out-of-office notices to suggest available meeting times, sends invitations, and tracks responses on behalf of the user. The AI-driven meeting scheduler is aimed at eliminating manual back-and-forth processes, reducing scheduling conflict errors, and freeing teams to focus on actual meetings rather than logistics. If schedules change, the AI Companion suggests alternatives and ensures meetings are confirmed quickly. Zoom Hub centralises content Zoom Hub is now generally available, functioning as a workspace within Zoom Workplace. It brings together meeting recordings, summaries, documents, whiteboards, and other assets, with tools for organisation by folder and the ability to create new assets directly in the hub. The Hub works alongside AI Companion to boost productivity, including features such as generating content drafts for meetings or projects. Users can search for assets by meeting, prepare for upcoming meetings, and use AI tools to draft materials quickly, reducing the time spent managing disparate files across different systems. AI improvements for Team Chat Additional changes have been made to Zoom Team Chat, with AI Companion now integrated into the mobile user experience. This allows users to draft messages or receive document summaries without having to open the underlying files. AI-driven quick summaries are also accessible from the desktop application, streamlining catch-up processes in workplace communications. In line with Zoom's AI development, Zoom will also be integrating OpenAI's GPT-5 into its AI stack to further improve agentic tasks such as meeting scheduling and translating conversations into actionable outcomes. All new AI Companion features are included at no extra cost for users with paid Zoom Workplace plans. These updates are aimed at increasing collaboration efficiency and enabling users to stay aligned on work tasks. While the Zoom Virtual Agent for Phone is not currently available in Australia, the launch of Zoom Hub and enhanced AI features are accessible within the region. The company continues to focus on developing accessible digital workplace capabilities powered by AI for users across different markets.
NZ Herald
11-07-2025
- NZ Herald
Covid inquiry: Time to cut Dame Jacinda Ardern a break – Fran O'Sullivan
Sowing dissension when this country could more usefully focus on setting an ambition that might persuade more talented New Zealanders to build their futures here instead of heading for the departure lounge. Fact: Ardern has agreed to give evidence to phase two of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Government's response to Covid-19. If she cares deeply for her reputation – and I am sure she does, given the global acclaim that has come her way after her memoir A Different Kind of Power – she will agree to do that in public during the commission's hearings. Ardern doesn't have to come back to New Zealand for that. If the commission calls her – and it should – it can take evidence via Zoom as is now commonplace in transnational court hearings. Subjecting the former Prime Minister to running a gauntlet of personal and potentially physical abuse by insisting she gives evidence in New Zealand will just set off another wave of paranoid behaviour. It won't help in getting to the facts and motivations which coloured prime ministerial decision-making in the Covid years in the dispassionate manner that is needed. The economic trade-offs where the money printers went overtime and dollars were flung at business – critics lament that now. The country has a debt bubble to digest. But it is notable that some critics come from companies that took the Government's financial handouts but did not remit them back when their fortunes improved. The shareholders were winners. The taxpayers were 'tail-end Charlie' here. Go figure. Commission chair Grant Illingworth, KC, has said the inquiry will take public evidence from those affected by 'social division and isolation, health and education, and business activity'. This is important so New Zealand can learn the hard lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic and craft strategies for when the next pandemic arrives, as it certainly will. It will also provide a bloodletting for those who were most cruelly affected by the former Labour Government's Covid policies. Hearing from the 'victims' is long overdue. And there are personal stories aplenty, as most can attest. The commission also wants to hear from key decision-makers (and experts) about major decisions and their consequences so lessons can be learned. But the inquiry would be incomplete without hearing from Ardern, former Finance Minister Grant Robertson, former health supremo Sir Ashley Bloomfield and others within the tight Beehive circle that ran the country during the Covid years. It is undeniable that Ardern's performances at the 1pm 'podium of truth', where she and Bloomfield updated daily on the latest Covid situation, were required viewing. Her most impressive attribute was her mastery of that press conference. Her coining of the 'team of five million' (drawn from the late Sir Peter Blake's slogans to build public support for his America's Cup campaigns) to unite New Zealanders in 'fighting the virus' was also masterful. And it worked – at least in the initial phases of the pandemic response. People stayed home. The hospitals were not overrun. Lives were saved – although it is noticeable that the current world Covid death rate statistics show that many other countries did better than New Zealand in the long run. But Ardern's Covid honeymoon was quick to sour. Just one year after she pulled off a historic victory by catapulting Labour to an outright win in the October 2020 election, Ardern's reign hit stumbling blocks. Her Government's tardiness in getting sufficient New Zealanders vaccinated before the mid-August 2021 Delta outbreak helped pave the way for a punishing Auckland lockdown. This was Ardern's toughest year as Prime Minister. Cap that with the politically naive decision not to speak with protesters on Parliament's front lawn – instead of at least speaking with their leaders as commonsense former PM Jim Bolger advocated – and it is not surprising that the tide went out on her prime ministership. It was obvious to anyone coming down from Auckland to Wellington during this period that our political leaders were in a bubble of their own. I went to political journalist Tova O'Brien's farewell from the press gallery on the day we were finally allowed to travel domestically again. It was a different world. No paranoia about drunk citizens hassling or mugging people and acting thuggishly, which had become all too commonplace in the Auckland CBD, where I had spent the past four months. It was all bonhomie and drinks aplenty. The atmosphere also brought into sharp focus the lack of reality that coloured those 1pm press conferences to those watching from Auckland. Bizarre traffic light systems, for instance. The Prime Minister's empathetic response to the March 2019 Christchurch massacre, where 51 Muslims were murdered at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques, had earlier propelled her to international superstardom. The world's tallest building – Dubai's Burj Khalifa – had been lit up with a giant image of Ardern embracing a woman at a Kilbirnie mosque. Her leadership was tested not just by the terrorist attack, but by the Whakaari/White Island disaster and the pandemic. It's ironic that few thank her now for throwing so much money at the crisis. That's the pain of having to pay all that debt back. But there is room to examine all of this dispassionately – not try to (figuratively) hang her again as the more deranged attempted when they wheeled out their noose on Parliament's grounds.
Techday NZ
10-07-2025
- Techday NZ
Zoom AI Companion expands integrations & features for productivity
Zoom has introduced new features to its AI Companion, notably expanding its integration capabilities to work with 16 third-party applications and adding further enhancements to its artificial intelligence offering. The company stated that these updates are designed to support users by increasing productivity, automating workflows, improving efficiency, and enhancing output across an expanding portfolio of supported applications and services. Additional integrations The Custom AI Companion add-on now enables Zoom AI Companion to connect with 16 external applications. Among these are ServiceNow, Jira, Asana, Box, Amazon Q, Glean, Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Confluence, Notion, and Coda. These integrations mean that users can execute tasks such as resolving service tickets, updating project statuses, generating and summarising documents, and maintaining customer records directly from within Zoom's platform. AI Companion leverages agentic AI capabilities for what the company describes as maximising efficiency, allowing tasks to be completed without the need to constantly switch between applications. For example, teams are able to handle sales and service activities via ServiceNow and Zendesk, while collaboration on documentation is supported through integrations with Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and others. Project management is further facilitated by connections to platforms like Asana and Jira, enabling users to update statuses, assign tasks, and adjust deadlines using AI-powered commands from within their meeting or workflow environment. "With Zoom AI Companion's agentic skills, users will see a significant productivity boost to help them get more done - not just in Zoom, but across business-essential apps like ServiceNow, Jira, Asana, Box, and more," said Smita Hashim, Chief Product Officer at Zoom. "The Custom AI Companion add-on empowers users to streamline their workflows by having AI Companion join their Zoom Meetings and in-person meetings, and can now access AI Companion across other video conferencing platforms." Other notable integrations include messaging platforms, where AI Companion is capable of searching, summarising, and posting to third-party chat applications, as well as connections to recruitment tools like Workday to aid in organising and accelerating hiring workflows. Expanded accessibility The Custom AI Companion add-on is now available for online purchase, and can be used by small businesses, entrepreneurs, and consultants. This move expands the AI Companion's meeting summary features to other video conferencing platforms, such as Google Meet and, soon, Cisco Webex. This function provides meeting notes and summaries even when users move between different conferencing tools during their workday. For consultants and freelancers, the integration with project management apps enables automatic project updates in Asana directly from meetings. Sales professionals can benefit by having CRM records updated based on their conversations, reducing administrative tasks. In education, the AI Companion's custom summaries and ability to generate personalised video clips using custom avatars can facilitate communication with students in multiple languages and formats. The add-on offers other tailored functions such as the option to have AI Companion attend third-party meetings to transcribe, summarise, and deliver follow-up actions. Users can also create custom avatars for video content creation, customise meeting summaries with up to 11 different templates, and enhance the scope of knowledge the AI can draw from by linking various data sources. The Custom AI Companion add-on is priced at $12 per user per month for Zoom Workplace clients with paid licences. Core feature enhancements Zoom has introduced further enhancements to the underlying AI Companion. These include a revised onboarding experience within the desktop application, making it easier to configure which meetings are summarised and how these summaries are distributed. AI Companion can now help users develop meeting agendas by drawing on templates or past meetings. The ability to query the AI before, during, and after Zoom Phone calls adds another element, enabling users to catch up on missed points or retrieve insights from earlier discussions. Text-based documents shared via Zoom Team Chat can be summarised by AI Companion, helping users quickly process shared information. For in-person meetings, a new voice recorder feature offers transcription, summary, and action item capture. Meeting assets, such as summaries and recordings, are now more accessible, with hosts and participants able to share and request materials from the calendar event. Additionally, the platform is extending its ability to share meeting summaries to platforms like Microsoft Teams, helping maintain up-to-date client records. Zoom Workplace additional developments Zoom announced several improvements within Zoom Workplace that support collaboration and productivity. Users can now track document edits in Zoom Docs and publish documents as public pages. Editing for video content has been expanded: users can merge multiple Zoom Clips, preview, and adjust them before publication, and retain originals within their library. These enhancements to Zoom's offering collectively reflect ongoing efforts to provide users with more value and streamline professional collaboration via artificial intelligence and integrations within the digital workplace.
