Zoom unveils virtual receptionists for when people start going back to the office

With the arrival of vaccines to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus, millions of companies are preparing to return back to their office. Just in time when people start going back to the office, video conferencing company Zoom said Tuesday it has come up with a way to let people visiting offices check in with a receptionist without physical contact.

It involves starting a Zoom call, naturally. Best of all, the Zoom receptionist does not require the human receptionist to be in the office. According to Harry Moseley, Zoom’s chief information officer, human receptionists can be at their own homes. They can be anywhere. They can actually be in a different country, and they can support multiple buildings.

The announcement comes as demands for the Zoom conference surge due to millions of people now working from home. The unveiling of the virtual receptionist also shows that Zoom recognizes it must make sure its products remain relevant in the post-COVID world as people start to return to the office.

The new feature, Kiosk Mode, is part of Zoom Rooms.  The Zoom Rooms was originally launched in November 2020. The new Kiosk Mode solutions make it easy to host, join, and engage in video meetings with the tap of a button, no matter where your workspace is. Below is a video of how the Zoom Receptionist works.

Zoom is also providing even more Zoom mobility with the ability to seamlessly hand off a Zoom Phone call to a Zoom Rooms Appliance. As long as the device is in proximity, you can transfer calls among desk phones, mobile devices, desktop PCs, and conference rooms. This feature is now available on Zoom Rooms Mac OS, Windows OS, and appliances. Below is another video demonstration of how to manage calls across all devices.

Whether planning a safe return to the office or further accommodating employees working from home, here are a few new Zoom Rooms features to simplify either experience. Unlike the standard Zoom video calling service, which people use on their own PCs and mobile devices, Zoom Rooms is meant for meeting places such as conference rooms, and it starts at $499 per year per room.

Kiosk Mode can also help companies reduce the number of receptionists they have on each floor of their buildings.