Overview
This article is designed to provide an overview on call groups and call queues in Microsoft Teams.
What's the difference?
Call groups and call queues act in a similar fashion to one another but there are some major differences.
Call groups
Call groups are user-assigned groups of Teams users that can receive calls on behalf of the group creator. The group can consist of up to 25 other Teams users and call behaviors can be set for each group member. To share calls with others, a user creates a call group and adds the users they want to share their calls with. Then they choose a simultaneous ring or forward setting.
Call queues
Call queues provide a method of routing callers to people in your organization and are set up and defined through the help of Telecom Services. Calls are distributed one at a time to the people in the queue (who are known as agents). Call queues provide:
- The initial greeting and voicemail greeting
- Call handling for business hours, after-hours and on classified holidays
- Call queue behavior
- Setting a particular song for hold music
- Call routing to agents (call all available agents, serial, round robin, longest idle)
- Call handling options for queue overflow, call timeout and no agents logged in
How to create and manage a call group
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When you are wanting to forward your calls so someone else is notified (via Also Ring or Simultaneous Ring), you can choose the group members that you want and how they are notified.
- Go into the Settings menu, select Calls, then go to the Call answering rules section
- Choose either the Also ring or If unanswered menu, then select Call group.
- A new window appears. You can choose from anyone within the Global Address List but you cannot add external phone numbers.
- Once your group members are set, you can choose whether to have them notified at the same time or according to their listed order—click Save to proceed.
Now that your group is set, this will be your forwarding group if you choose it from either menu.
If you wish to remove any member(s) of your call group, highlight the person(s) you wish to remove and click the X to the right of their name and description. If you wish to delete the group entirely, click the X to the right of each group member, then select Save to save any changes.
Call groups are managed separately from also ring and simultaneous calls. It can be assigned to also ring or ring simultaneously once it's created.
Creating a call group
- Go into the Settings menu, select Calls, then go to the Manage call group section
- Select Add a call group
- A new window appears. You can enter their name or phone number in the Add a call group member field. You cannot add external phone numbers.
- Once your group members are set, you can choose whether to have them notified at the same time or according to their listed order—click Save to proceed.
Assigning a call group
- Go into the Settings menu, select Calls, then go to the Call handling and forwarding section.
- Choose the When you can't answer a call menu, then select Redirect to a call group. It will save automatically once assigned.
Managing a call group
Call order
- You can set the notification for your call group to ring in order as listed or simultaneously by selecting the desired option in the Ring: menu above the group member list.
Delete group members
- If you wish to remove any member(s) of your call group, click the trash can icon to the right of their name.
If you wish to delete the group entirely, click the trash can to the right of each group member.
How to create and manage a call queue
Creating a queue
The creation process is undertaken by IS-Telecom Services. If you wish to have a new call queue created, please have your department phone coordinator send a request ticket through the Voice Services Support service page.
Considerations
Certain settings can only be adjusted by call queue administrators through the Voice Services Support service page:
- Call handling for business hours, after-hours and on classified holidays
- Call queue behavior
- Call routing to agents (call all available agents, serial, round robin, longest idle)
- Call handling options for queue overflow, call timeout and no agents logged in
Please Note: Department/role, graduate employee, student employee, temporary employee, associate, and courtesy accounts need to have Teams calling licensing manually added before they can participate in a call queue. Please submit a ticket to have Teams calling licensing added at the
Voice Services Support service page.
The student affiliation is not eligible for Teams calling licensing. Students will need one of the eligible affiliation/account types listed above.
Managing a queue
If you're a team owner, you can modify the owners and members of a team.
Adding a new team member
- Open Microsoft Teams and go to the Teams tab, then go the team you wish to manage.
- Select More Options ... then select Add member.
- Enter the name or email address of the person you wish to add, then select Add.
- Select Close.
- In the Members tab, expand the Members and guests section to see the new member.
People that you add to a team will receive an email letting them know they are now a member, and the team will appear in their Teams list.
Please be aware that it can take eight hours for the new call queue member to get full call queue functionality.
Removing a team member
- Open Microsoft Teams and go to the Teams tab, then go the team you wish to manage.
- Select More Options ... then select Manage Team,
- In the Members tab, expand the Members and guests section.
- Select the X icon to the right of the person's name to remove them from the team.
Adding a new team owner
- Open Microsoft Teams and go to the Teams tab, then go the team you wish to manage.
- Select More Options ... then select Manage Team. A list of the owners and members will be displayed in the Members tab.
- Select the Add member button.
- Enter the name or email address of the person you wish to add, then select Add.
- Select Owner in the drop-down menu to the right of the person's name.
- Select Close.
The team will appear in the teams list of the new owner.
Removing a team owner
- Open Microsoft Teams and go to the Teams tab, then go the team you wish to manage.
- Select More Options ... then select Manage Team. A list of the owners and members will be displayed in the Members tab.
- Change the person's role from Owner to Member.
- Select Member in the drop-down menu to the right of the person's name.
- Expand the Members and guests section.
- Select the X icon to the right of the person's name to remove them from the team.
Note: Only owners can modify the owners and members of a Teams group.
If an owner isn't available to edit the group please have your department phone coordinator submit a ticket at the
Voice Services Support service page.