How to Make International Calls in Zoho PhoneBridge from India?

Zoho CRM is a staple for Indian businesses — used by thousands of sales, support, and recruitment teams to manage leads, nurture deals, and centralise customer data. But while Zoho offers powerful automation, one crucial feature is often underutilised by Indian companies looking to expand globally: international voice calling directly from the CRM.

PhoneBridge is Zoho’s telephony integration system that connects your CRM with cloud-based calling tools. It lets you place calls, receive them, and log conversations — right from within Zoho. But here’s the catch: PhoneBridge isn’t a phone system itself. To make international calls — especially to countries like the UAE, US, UK, Singapore, or Australia — you need to integrate it with a compatible VoIP provider that supports those regions.

This guide is tailored for Indian businesses that want to scale their sales, recruitment, or support functions globally. Whether you’re a B2B SaaS company closing deals in Dubai, a consultancy managing UK clients, or a startup sourcing talent in Singapore, this blog shows you exactly how to make international calls in Zoho PhoneBridge from India.

What Zoho PhoneBridge Can and Cannot Do Natively

Zoho PhoneBridge serves as a powerful connector between Zoho’s suite of applications and cloud-based telephony systems. It’s built to streamline voice communication workflows, but many users misunderstand its true capabilities. PhoneBridge doesn’t replace a calling tool — it enhances CRM features by integrating with VoIP providers.

What Zoho PhoneBridge Can Do:

• Enable Click-to-Call in Zoho CRM and other apps: It transforms every phone number into a clickable link. Reps can initiate calls from contact, lead, or deal modules.
  
• Display contextual call popups: When a call is incoming, PhoneBridge fetches the contact’s data and presents it to the agent for better personalization.
  
• Auto-log call activities: Each call made or received is automatically recorded as a note or activity under the corresponding CRM record.
  
• Support multiple Zoho apps: It works not just with Zoho CRM but also with Zoho Desk, Zoho Recruit, Zoho Bigin, and others—ensuring voice communication is embedded across functions.
  
• Facilitate API or pre-built VoIP integrations: It supports 100+ telephony platforms, allowing seamless onboarding if your provider is listed.
  

What Zoho PhoneBridge Cannot Do:

• It doesn’t provide voice calling by itself: PhoneBridge isn’t a VoIP system. It requires a compatible third-party telephony provider to function.
  
• It doesn’t offer international numbers or dialling: To make calls to or from countries like the UAE or US, you must purchase virtual numbers from a connected provider.
  
• It doesn’t log recordings or AI summaries on its own: These features depend on your VoIP vendor’s capabilities and whether they push that data to Zoho.
  
• It doesn’t control call quality or pricing: Your telephony provider handles pricing, call routing, and audio quality, not Zoho.
  
• It doesn’t offer advanced features like voicemail-to-text or programmable IVRs: Such enhancements require external tools or premium VoIP APIs.
  

Bottom line: Think of Zoho PhoneBridge as an adapter. It doesn’t create the call—it routes and records it inside your CRM. The actual power comes from the VoIP tool you choose to integrate.

How to Set Up International Calling in Zoho PhoneBridge (Step-by-Step)

If your business is ready to make international calls (e.g., to clients in Dubai, the UK, or the US) from within Zoho CRM, follow these steps to set up a fully functioning system using PhoneBridge + a VoIP integration.

Step 1: Choose a VoIP Provider That Supports Zoho PhoneBridge

Your first and most important decision is selecting a provider that:

• Is officially listed on the Zoho Marketplace or PhoneBridge compatibility list
  
• Offers virtual numbers in the countries you want to target
  
• Supports call logging and optional features like call recordings or AI summaries
  
• Offers affordable pricing for Indian teams (e.g., FreJun, Aircall, Exotel)
  

Step 2: Buy International Virtual Numbers

Purchase virtual phone numbers from your VoIP provider for the markets you’re targeting:

• UAE numbers for Dubai and Abu Dhabi leads
  
• US/UK numbers for Western clients
  
• Singapore numbers for SEA business development
  

Assign these numbers to your team members so they can dial from a local ID.

Step 3: Integrate the VoIP Tool with Zoho via PhoneBridge

To integrate a VoIP tool with Zoho via PhoneBridge, you’ll need to use a third-party provider that offers PhoneBridge integration. Zoho PhoneBridge is not a direct VoIP provider; it acts as a bridge to connect other VoIP systems to your Zoho apps

Go to: Zoho CRM → Settings → Channels → Telephony → PhoneBridge

Then:

• Select your VoIP tool from the supported list
  
• Log in using your VoIP credentials or API key
  
• Authorize permissions for logging, call popups, and CRM sync
  
• Map phone extensions or agent numbers to Zoho users
  

Step 4: Configure Your Telephony Preferences

To configure your telephony preferences, you generally need to access your device’s settings and then navigate to the phone or call settings. From there, you can adjust various options like ringtones, vibration patterns, call alerts, and dialpad tones. Within the integration setup, make sure to enable:

• Click-to-call: Allows one-click dialing from leads, contacts, and deals
  
• Call pop-ups: Shows contact details when a call comes in
  
• Automatic logging: Stores call metadata as CRM notes or activities
  
• Call recording: (If supported by your provider) stores links to audio recordings
  
• Voicemail/missed call handling: To avoid losing leads after-hours
  

Step 5: Test and Train Your Team

To test and train a team effectively, focus on clearly defining goals, providing tailored training, and fostering a supportive learning environment. This involves assessing the team’s needs, tailoring training to their individual styles, and providing ongoing support and feedback. Metrics should be set to measure training effectiveness and adjust the approach as needed. Make sure agents know how to:

• Launch calls from Zoho contact records
  
• Use virtual numbers depending on the region they’re calling
  
• Review call history and update notes or follow-up tasks
  
• Use AI summaries or playback recordings (if enabled)
  

With this setup, your Zoho CRM becomes an international communication hub — with zero need to switch tools or manually log calls.

Top VoIP Tools That Integrate with Zoho PhoneBridge

To help you decide, here are the best-in-class VoIP platforms Indian businesses are using in 2025 to activate international calling inside Zoho CRM.

1. FreJun 

FreJun is not just another VoIP app — it’s your sales assistant, note-taker, transcription tool, and performance coach, all rolled into one. It has emerged as a favorite for teams using Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk. Its one-click integration via PhoneBridge allows users to make, receive, and log calls without switching tabs. 

Key Features:

• Deep Zoho integration (CRM, Desk, Bigin, Mail)
  
  See How FreJun Integrates with Leading CRMs
  
  
• AI-based transcription + sentiment tagging

Discover How FreJun’s Call Recording Works

• Auto-logging with smart notes
  
  
• Click-to-call and call popups
  
  
• Integration with WhatsApp, email, and SMS
  
  
• Call performance dashboards for managers

FreJun offers better features, superior customer support, and a more cost-effective solution compared to competitors. FreJun should be your top VoIP choice in 2025.

Pricing:  Standard: Begins at $14.49 per user, per month.

              Professional: Starts at $16.69 per user, per month.

G2 Rating: 4.9/5 (Read Reviews)

2. RingCentral

A global VoIP leader, RingCentral integrates seamlessly with Zoho to offer advanced features like IVR, call routing, and presence sync. Businesses benefit from its advanced call-handling features, including automatic call distribution, call forwarding, and robust analytics. The platform integrates seamlessly with productivity tools like Microsoft Teams and Salesforce, making it an excellent choice for enterprises looking to streamline communication. With its focus on reliability and scalability, RingCentral MVP caters to businesses of all sizes, from startups to global corporations.

Key Features:

• Deep analytics inside Zoho CRM
  
• Call pop-ups with contextual customer info
  
• Unified communication tools: voice, video, and fax

Pricing:  The basic plan starts at $30/user/month.

G2 Rating: 4/5

3. Aircall

Aircall’s cloud telephony system integrates beautifully with Zoho CRM, especially for customer-facing teams.

Key Features:

• Click-to-call and power dialer in CRM
• Automatic contact syncing
• Tagging, call notes, and sentiment detection
• Integration with other tools like Slack and Zendesk

While Aircall is a strong VoIP option, it lacks the AI-powered analytics and multi-channel communication features that FreJun offers.

Pricing: The basic plan starts at $30/user/month.

G2 Rating: 4.3/5

4. 8×8

8×8 combines VoIP, team chat, and video calls in a single platform and integrates effortlessly with Zoho apps. It is designed to provide businesses with comprehensive communication tools, combining VoIP, video conferencing, and team messaging. It stands out with its global reach, offering unlimited calls to over 40 countries and advanced analytics for customer engagement. The platform’s scalability makes it a great choice for both small businesses and large enterprises looking for a reliable, feature-rich solution.

Key Features:

• AI-driven call analytics & transcription to enhance customer interactions.
• Omnichannel communication, including voice, video, chat, and SMS.
• Advanced call routing & IVR for streamlined customer support.
• Global calling capabilities with high-quality VoIP connections.

Pricing: 8×8 offers flexible pricing plans starting at $24 per user per month.

G2 Ratings: 4/5

5. Exotel

Exotel offers seamless Zoho integration for outbound and inbound communication at scale. It is a cloud-based platform that provides businesses with a range of communication tools, including a business phone system, customer call center solutions, and omnichannel engagement capabilities, to help them manage customer interactions and improve customer experience. 

Key Features:

• Smart IVR flows
  
• Bulk calling tools
  
• Agent productivity dashboards linked to Zoho

Pricing: Visit this page for pricing details.

G2 Rating: 4.3/5

Comparison Table: VoIP Solutions for Zoho PhoneBridge in India

Final Thoughts

Zoho PhoneBridge is an incredibly powerful tool — but only if paired with the right VoIP provider. For Indian teams selling, hiring, or supporting clients overseas, integrating Zoho with a cloud telephony platform like FreJun can unlock real international reach and CRM-connected efficiency.

Let’s recap why this matters:

• Click-to-call functionality speeds up outreach
  
• Virtual international numbers build global trust
  
• Auto-logged calls and notes streamline workflows
  
• AI summaries reduce manual work and improve visibility
  
• Complete CRM integration ensures every conversation is tracked

Whether you’re in SaaS, consulting, recruitment, or customer success, adding international calling to Zoho CRM is how Indian businesses scale smarter in 2025.

FreJun doesn’t just plug into Zoho. It supercharges it.

Further Reading: Top 15 VoIP Services to Boost Business Efficiency in 2025 – Find Your Best Fit

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