What are Teams Voice Call Queues and Auto Attendants?
Microsoft Teams provides basic call queue and Auto Attendant functionality “out of the box”. Call queues provide a CSU number (e.g., 970-491-####) where callers are routed to people at CSU who can help with a particular issue or question. Calls are distributed one at a time to the people in the queue, who are known as agents. Auto Attendants leverage a CSU issued phone number and allow callers to navigate a menu system to speak to the right department, call queue or individual person.
What comes with a Call Queue?
- A greeting message
- Music while people are waiting on hold in a queue.
- Handling options for queue overflow and timeout.
Where can an Auto Attendant direct calls?
- A (Teams Voice enabled) person at CSU.
- A voice app e.g. another call queue or auto attendant.
- Voicemail – Can either be a M365 group (shown in the Groups section of Outlook) or a Teams Voice enabled shared mailbox (new or existing).
- External phone number.
- An announcement (audio file) – a recorded message that you upload to Teams that is saved as a .wav, ,mp3 or .wma format. The recording can be no larger than 5 MB. After the announcement the system returns the callers to the Auto Attendant menu.
- Announcement (typed) – Type the text you want the system to read. The system reads the announcement and then returns the caller to the Auto Attendant.
Where can I find more information about Teams Call Queues and Auto Attendants?
Most of the information on this page was sourced from detailed Microsoft provided documentation, we have provided links to those resources for your convenience:
- Create a call queue in Microsoft Teams
- Manage your call queue in Teams
- Plan for call queues and auto attendants
- Answer auto attendant and call queue calls
What are common scenarios for using a Call Queue and/or Auto Attendant?
Below are some example scenarios that could employ a Call Queue and/or Auto Attendant:
- Service and Information Desks, Call Centers
- Several units on campus have been using Teams Voice Call Queues and Auto Attendants for over a year. These departments include but are not limited to Financial Aid, Veterans Benefit Office and the Office of the Registrar.
What is the process to create a Call Queue or Auto Attendant?
Because Call Queues and Auto Attendants are more advanced use cases, they require Telecom Staff involvement. Departmental IT staff will need to submit a ticket to Telecom (using the Telecommunications > Teams CQ/AA/CAP request type) to begin design and functionality consultation. Telecom will work with you to assess your departments requirements and will collect information such as:
Display Name for the Call Queue or Auto Attendant.
This will be the friendly name for your call queue. For example, if your CQ resource account was called: M365_CQ_DoIT_Information Desk@colostate.edu, your display name might be DoIT Information Desk.
Dept Prefix and Display name for service account used in your Call Queue or Auto Attendant.
The CQ or AA Service Account UPN is the service account used for licensing, assigning the phone number and is the actual user account used in making/receiving calls. These accounts are created by Telecom staff in the format: M365_CQ_Dept_CallQueueName@colostate.edu or M365_AA_Dept_AutoAttName@colostate.edu
How do you want to handle your agents working the call queue?
Agents can be handled in two ways: Creating a M365 group, and then adding the Teams Voice licensed agents to the group. That group is then assigned in the “agents” section of the Call Queue configuration. Alternatively, you can use an existing or create a new Teams channel. M365 groups are used most often but the choice is entirely up to the Resource Coordinator or the Lead managing the call queue. Unlike Teams Channels, M365 groups do not show which agents are active in the queue nor do they allow for real time opt in/out of the queue. M365 groups show in the “Groups” section of Outlook, whereas Teams Channel agents are self contained with the Team/Channel they are assigned to. NOTE: All agents, regardless of M365 group or Teams Channel, must be licensed and onboarded to Teams Voice.
Advanced functionality and customization
Any advanced configuration, such as Holiday Hours, after hours routing, call scheduling, hold timeout, call overflow etc. must be configured by Division of IT staff. Please submit a ticket to Telecom using the Telecommunications > Teams Voice CQ/AA/CAP request type if you need to configure or change your call queue or auto attendant settings.
What should I use, a Call Queue or a Shared Mailbox?
We created the following matrix to hopefully give you an idea of which Teams Voice functionality best fits your use case:
How long does it take to create a Teams Voice Auto Attendant or Call Queue?
Call Queues and Auto Attendants can typically be created within 4 days after the initial design and consultation contact with Telecom. Once you have settled on a display name, UPN service account name, and details such as call delegates/agents and call routing, Telecom will work with you to schedule a cutover or ‘Go Live’ time.
What is the difference between Teams Call Queue/Auto Attendants and a Contact Center?
Built In Teams Call queues and Auto Attendants offer similar functionality to Contact Centers, which are generally 3rd party applications that are used alongside of Microsoft Teams. 3rd party Contact Centers offer additional functionality such as the ability for live looks at call queues, live call reports and statistics, as well as the ability to join in on active calls. The Division of IT is currently exploring Contact Center solutions to support advanced use cases. Additional cost (to the requesting department) will likely be incurred when Contact Center functionality is required.