Teams Voice Call Queues and Auto Attendants- Frequently Asked Questions
The information below is intended for CSU IT staff considering or using Teams Voice Call Queues and Auto Attendants.
Please refer to Teams or Teams Voice Support for information about other Teams Voice services. More information regarding Teams Call Queues and Auto Attendants, including a feature matrix comparing Shared Mailboxes, Auto Attendants and Call Queue features can be found on the new Division of IT CQ/AA site.
FAQs
- What are Teams Voice Call Queues and Auto Attendants?
- What are common scenarios for using Call Queues or Auto Attendants?
- What is the process to create a Call Queue and/or Auto Attendant?
- How long does it take to create a Teams Voice Auto Attendant or Call Queue?
- What is the difference between Teams Call Queue/Auto Attendants and a Contact Center?
- What options are available for managing agents (add/remove) participating in a Call Queue?
- Are Teams Voice Call Queues required to have a phone number assigned?
- Can student employees be setup with Teams Voice to participate in a Call Queue?
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 provide a CSU number and allow callers to navigate a menu system to speak to the right department, call queue, person, or an operator.
What comes with a Call Queue?
- A greeting message.
- Music while people are waiting on hold in a queue.
- Call routing - in First In, First Out (FIFO) order - to agents
- Handling options for queue overflow and timeout.
Where can an Auto Attendant direct calls?
- A person at CSU who can receive voice calls.
- A voice app - another Auto Attendant or a call queue.
- Voicemail - the voice mailbox associated with a Microsoft 365 group that you specify. You can choose if you want voicemail transcriptions and the "Please leave a message after the tone" system prompt.
- External phone numbers.
- Announcement (Audio file) - A recorded announcement message you upload that's saved as audio in .WAV, .MP3, or .WMA format. The recording can be no larger than 5 MB. The system plays the announcement, and then returns to the Auto Attendant menu.
- Announcement (Typed) - Type in the text you want the system to read. The system plays the announcement, and then returns to the Auto Attendant menu.
What are common scenarios for using Call Queues or Auto Attendants?
Below are some example scenarios that could employ a Call Queue and/or Auto Attendant
- Service, Information Desks or Call Centers
- Several units on campus are already using Teams Voice call queues and auto attendants. Those areas include Financial Aid, Registrar's Office and Veterans Benefit Office.
What is the process to create a Call Queue or Auto Attendant?
- Display Name for the Call Queue or Auto Attendant
- Information to setup the service account UPN in the format: M365_CQ_Dept_CallQueueName@colostate.edu or M365_AA_Dept_AutoAttName@colostate.edu.
- Who will need to be setup as agents of the call queue and to verify agent accounts are properly licensed.
- Advanced routing details that may require additional call queues or call scheduling
How long does it take to create a Teams Voice Auto Attendant or Call Queue?
What is the difference between Teams Call Queue/Auto Attendants and a Contact Center?
What options are available for managing agents (add/remove) participating in a Call Queue?
Options for adding and removing agents from a call are listed below. Telecom and Division of IT staff can help determine which options is best, if needed:
- Microsoft 365 group (recommended and most common).
- A Channel in a Microsoft Team (new or existing). You can enable a Teams Channel for Teams Voice and tie that channel to your shared line or call queue.
- Directly adding/removing individual users.
NOTE: Whether directly added or as a part of channel or Microsoft 365 group, all agents participating in a call queue must be licensed for Teams Voice.
Here is more information regarding Microsoft Call Queue configuration within a Teams Channel.
Are Teams Voice Call Queues required to have a phone number assigned?
Can student employees be setup with Teams Voice to participate in a Call Queue?
NOTE: Students must have Microsoft 365 set as their university email to be eligible for Teams Voice. Students using @Rams Google Apps can switch their primary email provider on the eID website under Modify eID > Email Settings.