Getting Started Guide for Zello Work

  • Updated

This article is written for: Zello Work Zello Friends & Family.

Welcome to Zello Work! This guide walks you through creating a free, 14-day trial on our website. 

Part One: Create your Zello Work network

If you have already created your network, skip to Part Two

1. In a web browser, go to the Zello Homepage.

2. Click Try for Free.
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3. Enter your email address, then click ContinueScreenshot 2024-09-20 at 11.11.02 AM.png

4. Enter you name, company name, cell number, and industry details. Then establish a private network name. 
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Please note: Your network serves as your company's private Zello workspace. It hosts your configured users, settings, channels and more, and is accessible exclusively via invite. Your network name cannot be changed—even if you convert to a paid subscription—so please choose it carefully!

5. Your new account's username is admin. Assign a password, then click Done. A few things to note about being an admin:

  • The admin is charged with configuring the network. This includes adding users, configuring settings, creating channels, and more. Configuration occurs in the admin management console, which is accessible via the URL [yournetworkname].zellowork.com.
  • The admin account cannot be deleted. 
  • Additional admins can be added to your network at a later date. These are called primary and secondary admins

6. Download and sign in to Zello using either the link sent to you via text or the QR code. 
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7. Once you've signed in Zello on your device, your browser will direct your to the management console. From here, invite more users to join your network via either email, SMS, or a link:

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Please note: Because your network functions as a private workspace, all users must be invited to join. Individual users will not need to create a Zello Work account; the admin establishes that account at user creation. Trials can host up to 100 users. Learn more about inviting users to your trial.  

8. After clicking “Done,” you will be taken to your management console's homepage. 
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Part Two: Install and log into the app on your device(s)

1. Download and sign in to Zello on your iOS or Android device. If you'd like to use Zello on your desktop computer, consider downloading Dispatch Hub

2. Confirm your audio is working by testing with Echo!

Echo is a Zello Work contact that's automatically added to all networks. It will repeat any voices messages you send it, serving as a test for your device's audio on Zello.

Echo can be found in the app's Contacts tab. To send Echo a voice message, press and hold the PTT button. 

If Echo isn't useful to your team, you can delete if from the management console's Users page. 

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Part Three: Invite your coworkers to join your Zello Work network

Effective communication requires more than one person, so it's time to invite your coworkers to join your Zello work network. You can do this in a couple of ways:

  • 1. Open the Zello app. From the log in screen, tap Zello Work. Enter your username, password, and network name, then tap Log In
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    Please note: Your network name is the name assigned to your private workspace at trial creation. This name cannot be changed. 

    2. Tap the Contacts tab (1), located at the bottom of your screen. Then tap Invite (2).
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    3. Choose if you'd like to share a link or invite the new user via SMS or email. Please note that links are only sharable during active trials; additionally, this option is exclusive to admins. 
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    Links can be shared to any platform. For example, you may choose this option if you'd like to send an invite link over Slack. 

    4. The user you've invited will receive a message like the following: 

    SMS Invite:

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    Email Invite:

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    Link Invite:
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    When a user opens an invite, they'll be automatically signed in to the network you've invited them to join. 
  • 1. Sign in to the management console at [yournetworkname].zellowork.com
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    2. Select Users from the taskbar. Then click + New User.
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    3. Create a username and password for the new user, then enter the contact information you'd like to send the invite (email or phone number). When complete, click Create and Invite User.
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If you ever need to re-generate the sign-on link for a user, you can do that from the user’s profile (see Part Seven for more information about profiles). Simply click Get SignOn Link and then enter their email address or phone number, or have them scan the QR code. You can find full instructions here

Learn more about adding users to your network. 

Part Four: Use Zello Work

Now that you've created a network and added users, it's time to start communicating on Zello! 

Sending a message

1.Sign in to the Zello app on your iOS or Android device. Tap Contacts, then tap on any user with an  Available status (solid green circle). 
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Please note: You will not be able to send messages to users who've been invited to your network, but not yet joined (i.e. Tilly in the screenshot above).

2. Press and hold the PTT button. When your message starts recording, you'll hear two quick, successive beeps, and the PTT button will turn red. Speak your message, and release the PTT button when done. Your message will automatically send. 
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3. Wait for your contact to respond. The PTT button will turn green when a message is incoming. 
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A Note on Statuses

Statuses indicate a user's availability. They impact how and when a message is received. 

User statuses are viewable from the your app's Contacts page. Network admins can also monitor statuses from the management console's Users page. 

To change your status from the app, tap your user icon > Status
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There are four statuses: 

  • AvailableSolid green circle with a checkmark. Indicates the user is online and all messages are played in real-time.
  • BusySolid orange circle. Indicates Zello will not play audio in real-time. Instead, messages will saved to a user's History for later listening
  • StandbyHollow green circle. Indicates the user has lost internet connection or is not currently running Zello. Missed messages will be automatically played when the user returns to “Available" status. 
  • OfflineHollow gray circle indicates the user is not signed into the app. The user cannot receive messages while in Offline status. However, they will receive any missed messages sent within 7 days of going Offline once back in "Available" status.

Learn more about statuses.

Part Five: Create channels

Channels allow groups to communicate in real-time, using one-to-many transmissions. They are secure and configurable, and only accessible by assigned users. A few things to note about channels:

  • There are 4 different types of channels, each of which carries unique permissions regarding user communication: team, dynamic, hidden, and dispatch. See this article for a breakdown of the different features available in each. 
  • All channel users can hear every message (by default; this can be changed using User Roles), but only one person can speak at a time. 
  • The interrupt time defaults to one minute, but this setting can be changed from the management console.  
  • Up to 6000 online and connected users are supported per channel. An unlimited number of channels can be created for your network. 

Creating a New Channel

  1. Sign in to your network’s management console at [yournetworkname].zellowork.com

  2. Create a new channel from either the Channels tab or task bar: 
    1. Select Channels from the taskbar. Then click + New Channel. 
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    2. Click + New. Then, select New Channel from the dropdown.
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  1. Assign your new channel a name and specify the desired configurations. Note that the settings and channel type can be changed at any time.
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  2. Select the users you’d like included in the channel. Note that you can add or delete users at any time. Then, click Add people.
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Part Six: Add users to your new channel

  1. From the taskbar, select Channels. Then select the channel you'd like users added to.  
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  2. Select the + symbol located at the top of the Users section.
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  3. Click the checkbox next to the usernames you’d like added to the channel. To add all users in the network, check the Select all box in the menu’s upper right corner.
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NOTE: The free trial only allows up to 100 users per network. If you decide to convert your network into a paid subscription, then you can add as many users as you need.  In order to add a large number of users at one time, you can import multiple users from a CSV file. You can also export user data

Part Seven: Edit user details

Users details and configurations can be altered at any point in time. Configurations include: 

To edit these configurations, sign in to the management console and select Users from the taskbar. Click on the user you'd like to edit. You'll then be taken to their user details page:

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Part Eight: Track user adoption

It's important to ensure invited users are joining your network! There are two ways to track user adoption:

1. See which users have signed into Zello via your Sign In Report: Click on Menu and then Sign In Report. 
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The Sign In Report shows you which users have signed in, when, and which platform they are using. 
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2. Listen to the network's message history: From the management console, go to the History tab(also known as Message Vault). From here, you'll be able to listen, read, and download messages sent over your network. 

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While available throughout the trial phase, this feature requires a subscription to our Plus tier once your trial has concluded. Note that you can exclude a user's communications being stored by toggling off Cloud History under their user settings. 

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Part Nine: Convert Your Trial to a Paid Subscription 

Trials can be easily converted to a paid subscription through the management console's Upgrade tab. See our pricing page for details on subscription tiers and costs. 

1. From the Management Console taskbar, select Upgrade.
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2. Select the pricing tier that suits your team's needs. You can also specify Monthly payments, or select Yearly payment for a 15% discount. If you are a 501C non-profit or educational organization, contact sales@zello.com for details about our non-profit discount.

3. Click Enter Payment Details and enter your credit card information. Note that your trial will end as soon as you enter payment information so it is best to wait until the end of the 14 days.

You can pause or cancel your subscription at any time by selecting Cancel Subscription at the bottom. If you have any questions throughout this process, please don't hesitate to contact paidsupport@zello.com!