Microsoft Teams calling FAQ

Overview

This article provides answers to frequently asked questions about the Teams calling service within Microsoft Teams.

Telephone service for most UO employees will transition to Teams calling in 2022. Learn more in Around the O: November 2021, May 2022, and September 2022.

Table of contents

• How do I use Teams calling?
• What is the schedule for UO's transition to Teams calling?
• When will I get more details about my department's transition?
• How can I make and receive phone calls without a physical desk phone?
• Will my phone number stay the same?
• Will there be caller ID?
• What kinds of equipment will we need to use Teams calling?
• How will this work for contacts outside the UO, such as parents, collaborators, and vendors?
• How will this work for students?
• Does Teams allow calls to be transferred?
• How will shared department lines work?
• What about private or confidential phone calls?
• Will Teams calling include voicemail?
• Can voicemail be personalized?
• Can I get voicemail messages by email?
• What are the cost implications for departments? For students?
• How will this work for call centers? Will Teams calling replace Amazon Connect?
• Will employees who use Amazon Connect need to use Teams as well?
• Can I make or receive calls through my personal cell phone without sharing my personal phone number?
• What types of training will be available?
• I want Teams calling now! Can I be an early adopter?
• I use my desk phone for Duo two-step login. Can Duo call me through Teams calling, too?
• I used to use a code for long distance calling. Do I need to use a code anymore?
• How do I call internationally?
• I have a question about Teams calling that's not answered here. Who can I contact?

Information

How do I use Teams calling?

• Please visit the Teams calling section of this website for step-by-step information about using Teams calling.

What is the schedule for UO's transition to Teams calling?

• The Teams calling transition schedule 2022 includes a comprehensive list of date assignments by department. 

When will I get more details about my department's transition?

• About eight weeks before their unit's scheduled transition, Information Services will notify the unit head and phone liaison.
• About three weeks before the transition, unit employees will be notified.

How can I make and receive phone calls without a physical desk phone?

• The new Teams calling service in Microsoft Teams will allow UO faculty and most staff to make and receive conventional telephone calls with their UO phone numbers through any computer or mobile device.
• Teams calling will add new functionality, including a virtual dial pad, to Microsoft Teams. When your department switches to Teams calling, we'll associate your UO telephone number with Teams.
• From that point on, your UO phone service will no longer be tied to a specific phone in an office on campus. The Teams calling feature works in the Teams application on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Most features also work through a web browser.

Will my phone number stay the same?

• If you have your own UO phone number, it will most likely stay the same.
• If you currently share a phone with others, or don't have a UO phone number, then a new phone number may be assigned to you as part of this transition. The new number will appear in your Teams Calls tab, under the dial pad, on or before the day your department transitions to Teams calling.

Will there be caller ID?

• Yes. Caller ID is a built-in feature of Teams calling.

What kinds of equipment will we need to use Teams calling?

• Teams calling will work with headsets, external microphone and speaker units, and laptop microphones and speakers.
• Video isn't required for telephone calls, so cameras are also not required.
• If needed, Information Services can provide basic wired headsets for faculty and staff to use with Teams calling. Headset distribution will be coordinated through designated departmental liaisons as part of each department's to transition to Teams calling.
• We've published a list of recommended and supported headsets to help guide future departmental purchases.
• In the future, we also plan to list recommended conference phone devices that units can purchase for use in situations where multiple people at one location need to join a call as a group.
• The project team is discussing the possibility of providing physical desk phones for a limited number of use cases. No decisions have been made on that yet.

How will this work for contacts outside the UO, such as parents, collaborators, and vendors?

• People outside the UO will be able to contact UO employees and departments just as they do now. They can continue to dial your 10-digit UO phone number. They don't need to use Teams.
• The only difference will be on the receiving end. When they call your phone number, it will ring on your computer—or whatever device you're using Teams on—instead of on a physical desk phone.

How will this work for students?

• Students will not automatically get the Teams calling service. However, students can still use the existing Teams videoconference and audioconference functionality—i.e., Teams-to-Teams calls—to contact anyone else within the UO.
• Students can also call any UO phone number from their cell phone or landline, just like someone outside the UO can do. 
• Student employee licenses for Teams calling are available by request from their manager. Managers should contact their department's phone coordinator to request a license for a student employee.

Does Teams allow calls to be transferred?

• Yes. Teams can transfer calls to other phone numbers, regardless of whether those numbers use Teams calling, conventional landlines, or cell phones.
• Teams calling also lets you conference multiple people into a call, regardless of whether they're using a landline, cell phone, or Teams calling.

How will shared department lines work?

• Teams will allow us to create call queues that will allow shared departmental lines to work very much like they do today. There will still be a department number that will ring on multiple desks and allow multiple employees to answer calls.
• During the pilot, we plan to develop training and informational pages about how this will work.

What about private or confidential phone calls?

• Headsets should take care of most of these. Any calls that UO employees take today on a desk phone, they should still be able to take through Teams calling with a headset.

Will Teams calling include voicemail?

• Yes.

Can voicemail be personalized?

• Yes. You can record a voicemail greeting or compose a written greeting and have Teams greet callers for you.
• You can also set out-of-office notifications that can align with your calendar status.
• Teams calling also lets you determine whether callers can leave a message or get transferred to someone else.

Can I get voicemail messages by email?

• Yes. With Teams calling, you'll automatically receive an email message for each voicemail message, including both an attached audio file and a speech-to-text transcription.
• Voicemail messages will also be available in both formats within Teams. (Some exceptions may apply for departmental call queues or shared lines.)

What are the cost implications for departments? For students?

• With this shift in communications support, a new billing model is being developed. More information about changes will be available soon. Anticipated implementation for the new billing structure will be January 2023. Until then, current phone bill charges will remain in place.
• As for the costs of providing headsets, the project team is still working out the details.
• There will be no additional costs for students. (Teams calling will be limited to employees, including some student employees when requested by their manager.)

How will this work for call centers? Will Teams calling replace Amazon Connect?

• UO call centers will remain on Amazon Connect.
• Information Services plans to add more advanced features to the Amazon Connect service some time in the future.

Will employees who use Amazon Connect need to use Teams as well?

• Some people who use Amazon Connect for call center functionality may also need to use Teams calling for other types of calls.
• Those two apps will likely operate separately, without a specific integration.

Can I make or receive calls through my personal cell phone without sharing my personal phone number?

• Teams calling allows you to receive phone calls to your UO phone number on any computer or mobile device through Microsoft Teams. The caller won't see your personal cell phone number, even if you're taking the call through the Teams app on your smartphone. That applies to both UO-owned and non-UO-owned devices.
• Similarly, you can make calls through Teams from any device without revealing your personal cell phone number. The people you call will see your UO phone number in their caller ID.

What types of training will be available?

We plan to offer a range of training sessions and materials during the Teams calling roll out:

• Live online trainings, both basic and advanced.
• On-demand recordings of the basic and advanced training sessions.
• Short how-to videos about specific features.
• Step-by-step written instructions in the UO Service Portal.

I want Teams calling now! Can I be an early adopter?

• We've received quite a few requests to switch to Teams calling as soon as possible, from both individuals and entire departments.
• The project team is not able to accommodate early adopters at this time. We'll let campus know if that changes.

I use my desk phone for Duo two-step login. Can Duo call me through Teams calling, too?

• If you're already logged in to Teams and need to verify your identity to log in to another UO service, then yes, you will be able to get a call from Duo through Teams calling, just like you can with a landline.
• However, for logging in to Teams itself, you'll need to use a different device to verify your identity with Duo. Here are two options to consider:
  • Duo Mobile app. Lets you get push notifications. Also lets you generate passcodes, even without Wi-Fi or cell service.
  • Hardware token. Available free to the UO community. Generates passcodes. No need for Wi-Fi or cell service.

I used to use a code for long distance calling. Do I need to use a code anymore?

• No. You do not have to use a code for long distance calling. 
• For more information, please consult the Calling through Microsoft Teams article.

How do I call internationally?

• International calls can be made through Teams as long as the caller has an appropriate international calling plan and if you are attempting to call certain countries.
• For more information about international calling, please submit a ticket through the Microsoft Teams Support service page.

I have a question about Teams calling that's not answered here. Who can I contact?

• Please email the Communications and Collaborative Technologies Program team in Information Services at cctprogram@uoregon.edu.