What a soft extension is
ZentryVoice Soft Extensions are softphones: your practice extension delivered as an application rather than a physical handset. The desktop app runs on macOS and Windows and handles calls, texts, fax and voicemail in one window. The iPhone app (iOS 16 or later) and Android app (Android 10 or later) put the same extension in your pocket. The web phone runs in any modern browser with nothing to install.
Each app registers to your CloudUCM extension over the same encrypted path a desk phone uses (TLS signaling, SRTP media, Telnyx as the carrier), so a call answered on a laptop is handled exactly like one answered at the front desk. Outbound calls and texts show the practice number as caller ID, never a staff member’s personal cell.
Soft extensions matter most on day one. When a practice signs up, a temporary number forwards calls from minute one and every user’s desktop and mobile line is live within about 15 minutes, before desk phones arrive in 2–3 business days and before the existing number finishes porting in 5–10 business days.
How it works
Setting up a soft extension takes a few minutes and no network changes at the office.
- 1Invite the userAdd a person from Team in the practice portal. The next free extension is assigned automatically and the invitation goes out by email.
- 2Install or openFrom Apps & devices, download the macOS or Windows app, tap “Text me the link” for the iOS or Android app, or open the web phone in the browser.
- 3Sign in with a one-time codeUsers sign in with an emailed code; the app pulls its extension credentials from the PBX. There are no SIP settings to type.
- 4Ring everywhereCalls to the extension ring the desk phone, desktop, mobile and web phone together. Answer on one and the others stop ringing.
- 5Hand off mid-callTransfer, park or move a call to another device without hanging up; the patient hears nothing.
Same number, same presence
Presence is the state a colleague sees next to your name: Available, On a call (with a running timer), Do not disturb, Away or Voicemail box. In ZentryVoice that state is computed once on the PBX and shown identically on every device, in the Numbers & extensions page and on the live dashboard. Set Do not disturb on your phone during a procedure and the front desk sees it on their desk phone and desktop at the same moment.
Because every device shares the extension, the patient timeline is shared too. A text answered from the Android app, a voicemail read on the desktop and a call taken on the desk phone all land in the same conversation record next to the patient’s calls, faxes and AI summaries.
What makes it different from forwarding to a cell phone
Many practices “go mobile” by forwarding the office line to a personal cell. That loses the practice caller ID, the record and the compliance posture. Here is the comparison.
| Capability | Forwarding to a personal cell | ZentryVoice soft extension |
|---|---|---|
| Caller ID on callbacks | The staff member’s personal number | The practice number, with STIR/SHAKEN A-attestation |
| Texting | Texts from a personal phone, outside the record | HIPAA two-way SMS from the practice number, logged |
| Presence | None; colleagues guess | One shared state across desk phone, desktop, mobile and web |
| Record of the call | Only on the handset | In the patient timeline with transcript and AI summary |
| Encryption | Carrier voice, no SRTP | TLS signaling and SRTP media to the PBX |
| Offboarding | Ask the employee to delete contacts | Remove the seat; the extension and its data stay with the practice |
Compliance notes
Soft extensions handle PHI in voice and text, so the apps follow the HIPAA Security Rule’s technical safeguards (45 CFR 164.312): unique user identification per seat, automatic logoff, encrypted transmission, and audit controls that record who signed in, from which device, and what they did. Call recordings and texts are encrypted at rest.
Using a personal device for a soft extension is permitted under HIPAA when safeguards are in place; the risk comes from PHI leaving the practice’s control. The ZentryVoice apps keep conversations inside the practice account rather than the phone’s native SMS or call log, and removing a seat removes access from every device at once.
Signed BAA before the first text: the practice’s Business Associate Agreement is countersigned at signup, and the apps will not send texts or faxes until it is in place.
Pricing and plan facts
Soft extensions are included in every $20 per user per month seat; there is no per-device charge for running the extension on desktop, mobile and web at the same time. Plans are month-to-month with a 30-day trial, cancel anytime, free port-out, and priority human support.
Frequently asked questions
What is a softphone?
A softphone is a phone extension that runs as software on a computer, phone or browser instead of a physical handset. It registers to the same cloud PBX as a desk phone and uses the same number.
Can I use my office phone number on my cell phone?
Yes. The ZentryVoice iOS and Android apps place and receive calls and texts as your practice number, so patients never see a personal cell number.
How fast can a new office phone system be up and running?
Soft extensions on desktop, mobile and web are live about 15 minutes after signup, with a temporary number forwarding calls from minute one. Desk phones follow in 2–3 business days and number ports in 5–10 business days.
Does the desktop app work on both Mac and Windows?
Yes. The ZentryVoice desktop app runs on macOS and Windows and handles calls, texts, fax and voicemail.
Is a web phone secure enough for a medical practice?
The web phone uses the same encrypted signaling and media path as the desk phone and desktop app, and sign-in is by one-time code. It is covered by the same BAA and audit log as every other device.
What does presence mean in a phone system?
Presence is the real-time status of an extension: Available, On a call, Do not disturb, Away or Voicemail box. ZentryVoice shows one presence state for a person across every device they use.
Can I ring my desk phone and mobile at the same time?
Yes. Calls to your extension ring the desk phone, desktop app, mobile app and web phone together; answering on one stops the others.
Sources
- 45 CFR 164.312 — Technical safeguards (HIPAA Security Rule)· eCFR (Office of the Federal Register)
- Guidance to render unsecured PHI unusable, unreadable or indecipherable (encryption per NIST SP 800-111 and 800-52)· HHS Office for Civil Rights
- Combating Spoofed Robocalls with Caller ID Authentication (STIR/SHAKEN)· Federal Communications Commission
- GDMS — Grandstream Device Management System· Grandstream Networks