# Zip tone

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{{Short description|Type of call-progress tone}}
{{Listen
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|title=Zip tone
|description=Audible telephony alert which indicates an incoming call. 440 Hz 5 ms.
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In [telephony](/source/telephony), a '''zip tone''' (also known as a '''whisper tone''' or '''call waiting tone''') is a [call-progress tone](/source/call-progress_tone) which indicates a new incoming call is either connecting or waiting depending on the application. Unlike a [ringtone](/source/ringtone), which alerts those near a telephone to answer it, a zip tone alerts someone already on the line—for example a [telephone operator](/source/switchboard_operator), [call center](/source/call_center) agent, or telephone subscriber with [call waiting](/source/call_waiting) service—that action is needed for an incoming call such as pressing a button or reciting a phrase (e.g. "May I help you?"). This way of offering an incoming call to an available call center agent is also referred to as 'call forcing' or 'forced calling'. <ref name="BSTJ 49">{{cite journal |last1=Jaeger |first1=R.J. Jr. |title=TSPS No.1: System Organization and Objectives |journal=Bell System Technical Journal |date=December 10, 1970 |volume=49 |issue=10 |pages=2417–2443 |doi=10.1002/j.1538-7305.1970.tb02488.x |url=https://archive.org/details/bstj49-10-2417/page/n7/mode/2up |access-date=26 February 2022 |ref=BSTJ 49}}</ref><ref name="BSTJ48">{{cite journal |last1=Lonnquist |first1=Chester W. |last2=Manganello |first2=Joseph C. |last3=Skinner |first3=Robert S. |last4=Skubiak |first4=Michael T. |last5=Wadsworth |first5=Donald J. |title=Apparatus and Equipment |journal=Bell System Technical Journal |date=October 8, 1969 |volume=48 |issue=8 |page=2848 |doi=10.1002/j.1538-7305.1969.tb01195.x |url=https://archive.org/details/bstj48-8-2817/page/n31/mode/2up |access-date=26 February 2022}}</ref>

==Tone composition and customization==
The tone is typically a single, short burst (e.g. 440 hertz for 5 milliseconds) but can also be customized with multiple bursts or tones to hint at the nature of the call, so the agent can answer the call with the appropriate greeting; or a subscriber may know that a specific caller is calling or number was dialed (see [distinctive ring](/source/distinctive_ring)). <ref name="avaya1">{{cite web |title=Ringing versus zip tone for incoming calls |url=https://documentation.avaya.com/bundle/CCEliteFeatureReference_r81x/page/RingingVersusZipToneForIncomingCalls.html |website=Avaya Documentation Center |publisher=Avaya Inc. |access-date=11 July 2022}}</ref>

In some [automatic call distribution](/source/automatic_call_distribution) applications, the standard tone can be completely replaced with a digital recording of the agent speaking the answer phrase, thereby relieving them of the need to constantly repeat it, alerting the agent of an incoming call, and answering the call more quickly from the perspective of the caller.

== See also ==
* [Automatic Call Distribution](/source/Automatic_Call_Distribution)
* [Call waiting](/source/Call_waiting)
* [TSPS](/source/TSPS)
* [Telephone](/source/Telephone)
{{portal-inline|Telephones}}

==References==
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Category:Telephony signals

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Zip tone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zip_tone) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zip_tone?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.