Completing the Telephone Service Upgrade Together
Thanks to outstanding campus-wide collaboration, more than 90% of University of Michigan telephone lines have smoothly and successfully transitioned to the Zoom Phone platform. Your department’s partnership with ITS has ensured that U-M remains reliably connected for teaching, research, administration, and safety.
We are working to finish strong and prevent unpredictable outages as the legacy system ages. Our legacy phone system is nearing the end of its reliable service life. Proactively completing the upgrade will help us avoid service disruptions and keep our campus communications robust and modern.
Working Together
Transitioning phone lines takes collaboration and a tailored approach! To simplify this process, ITS has divided the remaining lines into two categories with a specific plan to expedite the upgrade for each set of phone lines.
High-Usage Lines: These are phone numbers with 50 or more calls in the last year.
- ITS Telecommunications Analysts (TAs) will collaborate directly with unit contacts with high-usage lines to plan and upgrade those lines. Many require specialized support (multi-line setups, complex department practices, compliance/emergency needs).
- TAs will schedule conversations, gather feedback, and ensure these mission-critical lines are transitioned smoothly—with minimal disruption.
Low-Usage Lines: These are phone numbers with fewer than 50 calls in the last year (note: a low call count does not necessarily mean the line is not needed).
- People who assist in the management of department phone lines are being asked to review their department’s low-usage phone inventory, confirm the current use and assignment for each line and decide how each line should be handled. The options are:
- Disconnect (end billing/service)
- Upgrade to Zoom Softphone (individual line)
- Upgrade to Zoom Deskphone (individual line)
- Upgrade to Zoom Deskphone Common Area (shared space)
- Keep analog line (for compliance, alarms, fax, modem, emergency—consult with TAs as needed)
- This task needs to be completed by Thursday, May 14, 2026.
- Important: Any lines not addressed will be moved to “maintenance hold.” It will be disabled and will be unable to receive calls, but billing continues. Proactive engagement and clear communication with your staff will help everyone prepare for these changes.
Finishing this project together guarantees department communications remain reliable and modern.