With Zoom Chat, you can communicate in real-time over video and over the phone. Zoom Chat can be deployed to:

• Collaboration inside and outside your organization can increase productivity across all workflows.
• Provide users with instant options for starting video and voice calls, sharing files, and pinning messages.
• Ensure that tribal knowledge and corporate messaging are persistent and searchable.
• Your policies will be enforced and your data will be protected if you configure granular security settings.

Important:

All accounts will be migrated and enabled for the New Admin Experience starting June 1, 2022. You won’t experience any downtime during the migration, but it may take several days to enable the New Admin Experience. An email will be sent to your account owner when the process is complete. The old Admin Experience can be found in the articles about user groups and IM groups if the New Admin Experience has not yet been enabled on your account.

Prerequisites for managing Zoom Chat admin settings

• Owner, administrator, or user with permission to access the account

How to deploy Zoom Chat

Zoom Chat can be deployed and account-level chat settings can be changed by following these sections.

Set up advanced or auto SAML mapping

Defining and creating user groups and channels can be done using advanced or auto SAML mapping after you’ve configured basic SAML mapping. If you want to automatically create and modify channels or user groups, or sync groups defined in your IDP to existing channels, you can set up advanced SAML mapping.

Grouping users makes it easier for them to find and chat with coworkers in the desktop client and mobile app. A group of users can also customize their IM settings through IM Contacts and Channels . You can add contacts, create contact groups. Billing employees can be grouped together in the Contacts tab so that they appear in the same IM group and have the same IM settings.

On Zoom, users can chat in channels. Projects, teams, and topics are usually assigned to them. Members of public channels can join at any time, while members of private channels must be invited.

1. Access the Zoom web portal by signing in.
2. You can sign in using single sign-on by clicking Advanced in the navigation menu.
3. On the SAML Response Mapping tab, click the SAML Response Mapping button.
   • SAML Advanced Information Mapping section
     • User Group: Enter SAML Attributes, SAML Values, and Resulting Values to assign specific IDP groups to existing user groups. The Billing department of your company can be assigned to the desired user group if your IDP already has an attribute and value assigned to it.
     • Channel: Use SAML attributes, SAML values, and resulting values to assign specific IDP groups to existing channels. You can, for example, assign the Billing department to the channel if your IDP already has a value and attribute assigned to it.
   • SAML Auto Mapping section:
     • User Group: You can automatically create IM groups by specifying an attribute in your IDP. When you have an IDP that has an attribute called “manager”, Zoom can automatically create a number of user groups named “manager” based on all of the groups of that IDP that have this attribute.
     • Channel: You can create channels automatically by specifying an attribute defined in your identity provider. It is for this reason that Zoom can create channels automatically when your IdP has a manager attribute, for instance, if users with the manager attribute have an active channel.

Find out more about how you can map advanced SAML services, manage groups, and manage channels.

Assign chat management permissions

The chat management permissions can be assigned to another user by creating a role for that user. In this way, they can manage chat in the Zoom web portal, which provides them with a lot of flexibility. A chat management role can be created for an IT administrator so that he or she can make changes to the IM groups and create new ones as needed.

1. Log into the Zoom web portal as the account owner in order to access the Zoom web portal.
2. Click User Management then Roles from the navigation menu at the top of the screen.
3. Click on the Add Role button.
4. Click on the Add a role button to enter a name and a description for the role.
5. In the following sections, click the check box in the Edit or View column for the permissions that you want to modify:
   • User and Permission Management section:
     • Groups: Managing user groups is an important part of managing users
     • Contacts: Manage the groups of contacts that you have.
   • Reports section: Chat history: Archive chat messages for later use.
   • Chat Management section:
     • Chat channels: Managing channels for all account users.
6. Save your changes by clicking Save.
7. Tap the Members tab to view the members of the role.
8. Then click the Add Members button.
9. You can assign roles to users by entering their email addresses or names.
10. Then click Add.

Use role management to learn more.

Change account-level Zoom Chat settings

There are settings that can be modified at an account-level for all users in Zoom Chat. Several chat features can be enabled or disabled, such as file transfer and code snippets, in order to customize the experience. The desktop client and mobile app both offer the option of customizing how users are displayed to you. There are a number of settings that you can either enable or disable in the following steps. Check out all the settings that can be set at the account level in order to learn more about them.

1. To access the Zoom web portal, you will need to sign in.
2. You can access Account Settings by clicking Account Management in the navigation menu.
3. You will find the Zoom Chat tab on the left side of the screen.
4. In order to begin configuring your system, you will need to change these settings:
   • Sharing:
   •  Users should be able to share these through chat if they have accounts in the account.
     • An example of a screen capture
     • Files can be shared in channels and chats by users
     • Transfer of files
     • Images that are animated in GIF format
     • Snippet of code
     • Record an audio message
     • Video Message Recording
   • Storage:
   • The length of time messages are stored can be set. More information about these settings can be found in the chat storage section.

Zoom Chat settings at the account level can be found here.

Read it also –

How to configure Zoom Chat

With Zoom Chat, you can create teams, projects, and topics, as well as change user group settings.

Determine how users/groups are shown in the desktop client and mobile app

In the All Contacts section on the Contacts tab, you will see the account’s users and groups.

1. Zoom’s web portal can be accessed by signing in.
2. Select User Management and then Contacts from the navigation menu.
3. The toggle at the top of the page enables the desktop client and mobile app to display users and groups for the account (displayed on the Contacts tab, All Contacts section).
4. Click the check boxes next to the following options (optional):
   • List all account users under ‘All Contacts’:
   • The Users section on the Contacts tab will display all users under Company Contacts. In the desktop client and mobile app, any contact groups created will not be displayed.
     Note:
   • You will not be able to configure Zoom Chat group settings if you enable this setting.
   • List all Zoom Rooms under ‘All Contacts’:
   • Click this to stop Zoom Rooms being organized as described in the Zoom Rooms tab on the Contacts page. The Zoom Rooms tab on the Contacts tab will display all Zoom Rooms under Zoom Rooms.
5. Confirm by clicking Continue.

Link groups to the Contacts page

User groups can be linked to contact groups and you can assign properties to these contact groups on the desktop client and on the mobile app so that the contact groups appear just the way you want them to appear (displayed in the All Contacts section on the Contacts tab). There will be a new, separate contact group created for each group you select based on the information you provide. It will be common for the names of each contact group to match those of its corresponding user groups. There is also the option of manually creating and naming contact groups (by adding individual users or based on a group of users) by following the instructions in the next section. There will be a corresponding change in the contact group if any users are added to the user group or are removed from it.

1. Log in to the Zoom web portal by entering your email address and password.
2. Select User Management from the navigation bar, and then click Contacts from the drop-down menu.
3. You will be able to select groups by clicking Select Groups.
   Note:
4. There will be a separate contact group created for each of the selected groups, irrespective of how many groups you select.
5. Choose a privacy setting from the following and search for groups to import:
   • Visible to anyone, searchable by anyone: Groups are displayed in the All Contacts section of the Contacts tab in the client and app. Searching for group members is available to all users.
   • Visible to members only, searchable by anyone: Contacts tab displays contacts only for members in the All Contacts section. Searching for group members is available to all users.
   • Visible to members only, searchable by members only: In the client and app, the group is only visible to members (displayed in the All Contacts section). Members of a group can only be searched by other members of the group.
6. Then click Import.

Manage channels

Creating channels lets you create private or public workspaces for specific projects, teams, or discussions. Messages, images, and files can be sent through channels. Channel members can also initiate instant meetings.

Note:

There is a difference between a group chat and a channel.

• Users can start group chats by chatting with two or more people; or by inviting users to existing 1-on-1 chats.
• The privacy controls of group chats differ from those of channels, and they do not require topic names.
• In the Zoom web portal, you cannot manage group chats. Desktop clients and mobile apps can only be managed by group chat administrators.

You can start by creating channels from your existing IM groups if you do not have one already.

1. Log into the Zoom web portal by entering your email address and set up a password at the individual meeting, go to the settings tab and enable it. This setting will give you an option to set your password.
2. Click on Account Management and then click on IM Management in the navigation menu.
   Note: Click Chat Management and then Channels if you have the new admin interface for managing your account.
3. Select the Create Channel option from the menu.
4. You can create channels for each of the selected IM groups by selecting Select IM Groups.
5. Click on the Next button.
6. Choose one or more IM groups from which you would like to create channels. For each group that you select, a new channel will be created.
7. You will be asked to resolve the naming conflict by entering a new channel name if the group’s name has already been used as a channel name on the web portal. As soon as the conflicts have been resolved, click the Continue button.
8. In these columns, please provide the following information:
   • Channel Name: By default, the channel names are the same as the names of the group you previously selected.
   • Type: Select the channel type.
     • Public: Anyone in your organization can join your channel.
     • Private: Only invited people can join your channel.
   • Posting Permissions: Select which channel members are allowed to post in the channel.
     • Everyone: All channel members can post in the channel.
     • Admin only: Only the admin can post in the channel.
     • Admin, plus specific people: Only the admin and specified members can post in the channel.
   • Can Add External Users by: Channels can be added by users outside your organization.
     Note: Ensure that external users’ privileges are reviewed if this option is enabled.
     • No one: The channel should not be open to external users.
     • All channel members: You can add external members to your organization both internally and externally.
     • Members in your organization: You can only add external members if you are a member of your organization.
   • New Member Can See History: Members can view messages and files sent before becoming members if this option is checked.
   • Channel Admin: The channel administrator should be specified. Names, descriptions, and settings can be changed by the channel admin.
9. Then click Done.

SAML Mapping allows you to create channels as well by syncing the IDP groups.

Channel settings and channel management.

Change chat storage settings

On your Zoom cloud account, as well as on your local device, you have the option to choose for how long chat messages are stored. Once the designated time period has passed, all messages will be removed from the system.

1. To access Zoom’s web portal, you need to sign in.
2. Click on Account Management then click on IM Management in the navigation menu on the left side of the screen.
3. On the IM Settings tab, click the Edit button.
4. To get started, you will need to change the following settings in the Storage section:
   • Cloud storage: All persistent chat messages will be automatically saved to the cloud if this setting is enabled. Once you have specified the period of time for which messages should be saved, click on the Save button. There will be no longer any persistent chat messages or metadata stored in the Zoom server’s cloud after the specified period of cloud retention has passed.
   • Local storage for Zoom Chat messages (excluding personal channel messages): When this setting is enabled on the local device, Zoom will automatically delete all persistent chat messages, files, images, and metadata after the specified retention period has expired on the local device. If you wish to store messages on the desktop or mobile device running Zoom for a particular period of time, then you should specify the period and click Save.
     Note: Files or images that are manually downloaded to the user’s local device can still be accessed and viewed by the user.
   • Store edited and deleted message revisions: As well as storing edited/deleted messages in the cloud, we also store the original versions of the messages.

View the history of your chats and learn how to adjust the storage settings for your chats.

How to secure Zoom Chat for your users

Enable account-level chat security settings

1. Zoom’s web portal can be accessed by signing in.
2. To manage IM, click Account Management in the navigation menu.
3. You can change your IM settings by clicking the Settings tab.
4. The following settings should be changed in the Security section to get started:
   • Ensure that advanced chat encryption is enabled
   • Allow users to add contacts: The company contact directory can still be viewed if the option is turned off, but external contacts cannot be added.
   • Allow users to chat with others: Allow internal users to chat with each other.
   • Show status to external contacts: Provide external contacts with a status of the user’s presence.

The advanced settings for IM groups can be found here.

Remove external contacts

External contacts added to the account can be viewed and removed by users.

1. Zoom’s web portal can be accessed by signing in.
2. Select User Management from the navigation menu.
3. You can select External Contacts on the Users tab by clicking the gear icon in the top-right corner of the table, and then clicking on it.
4. Locate the user who has external contacts in the External Contacts column and click on the number next to the user’s name.
   When you select the user, you will be presented with a list of external users that have been added by that user.
5. If you would like to view the channels or group chats they are a member of, please click the number in the Channels column.
6. Remove the item from your account by clicking the ellipsis (…) in the last column.

Manage external contacts and internal users better.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you set up Zoom chat?

1. Open the Zoom desktop client and sign in with your Zoom account.
2. To begin the chat, click on the Chat tab.
3. There will be a new chat button at the top of the chat panel. Click on it if you want to start a chat.
4. In order to chat with Zoom contacts, you need to enter their names or emails on the chat page. The name or email address of the recipient can be added as needed.
5. If you want to send a message, enter the message and press the Enter key.

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