Information Technology

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​If you have already been using Teams for meetings, at first glance it might look like Calls does nothing more than add a Dialpad. But that in itself is quite different.

The Teams Calls dialpad not only helps you to more easily search UWSP and personal contacts, it also gives you call access to external phone numbers, even if the person or organization you're calling does not use Teams.

​Teams Calls is designed to work much like a typical call system allowing us to forward and reroute calls, put a call on hold, and transfer calls, with the option of making video calls as well as the audio-only calls of a traditional phone system.​

A headset is strongly advised when making a Teams Call. A headset helps to filter out background noise ​for you and others on the call. In a pinch, your webcam audio will also work.

By default, your Teams calls will most likely ring through your headset if one is plugged in. 

You can change Calls to ring through your computer speakers in Teams Settings, yet still have ​call audio come through your headset for a better audio experience.

1. Click the Ellipses (...) at the top-right in Teams and select Settings.
   

 

2. ​At the left in Settings, select the Devices category.
   

3. At the right, scroll down and click the dropdown box for Secondary ringer​.

• For HP (PC) computers, select Speakers (Realtek(R) Audio).

• ​For Mac computers, select the built-in Mac speakers.

If you do not see these options please contact the IT Service Desk for help.

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If you don't see Calls on your Teams mobile app Menu bar, you can add it.

1. Tap More at the bottom-right on the Teams mobile app menu.

2. Tap Reorder in the apps list that opens.

3. To the right of Calls, tap and hold the three bars and drag to the top of the apps list above More.
   

4. Tap Done.​
   

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In Teams Calls Settings you can:

• Record your personal greeting and out of office message.

• Add a second person or contact group to help answer your calls.

• Forward your calls.
  

• Change your ringtones and more. 

The easiest way to get to Teams Calls Settings is from within Calls:

In the Teams Desktop app click Calls. In the Calls screen& at the lower-left click Forwarding and select More Settings.

Teams Settings opens with Calls Settings selected.

​​​You can also access Settings by clicking the Ellipses (...) at the top-right in Teams. Select Settings, then select Calls from the left.

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Common Area Phones are physical phones that are typically located in shared-work areas such​ as a department's front ​​desk.  UWSP's current common area phones are being replaced with MS Teams-compatible Yealink phon​es.

Please see this documentation​ for instructions on using your department's Teams-compatible phone.​

​From in Calls:

1. Click​ Forwarding (e.g. "Forward to...") at the lower-left of the Calls screen and select More Settings.
   




Teams Settings opens with Calls Settings displaying.

2. ​Click Record a greeting.

 

3. You will hear your ringtone then ​​see a Teams call background with a dial pad. 
   

 

4. Wait a few moments for a voice to say, “Main Menu” followed by your menu options.
   

5. Press 2 to change your personal greeting.

6. Press 1 to record a personal greeting.

7. If you have not recorded a personal greeting, press 1 to record and speak your personal greeting.

8. When you are finished, press the pound sign "#". Your recorde​d message will play.​​
   

9. Press 1 to keep your recorded message. It is important to press 1. If you simply leave this screen your message will not be saved.

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​See, "Forward calls when I'm out of the office" for how to set your Out-of-Office voicemail greeting to ​play when you turn on your Out-of-Office reply in Outlook and/or when you have scheduled an Out-of-Office appointment in your Outlook Calendar.

To record or change your Out-of-Office greeting:

From in Calls,

1. Click​ Forwarding (e.g. "Forward to...") at the lower-left of the Calls screen and select More Settings.
   




Teams Settings opens with Calls Settings displaying.

2. ​Click Record a greeting.

 

3. You will hear your ringtone then ​​see a Teams call background with a dial pad.




4. Wait a few moments for a voice to say, “Main Menu” followed by your menu options.
   

5. Press 2 to change your personal greetings.

6. Press 2 to record an "away" greeting.

7. If you have not recorded an "away" greeting, press 1 to record and speak your greeting.

8. When you are finished, press the pound sign "#". Your recorde​d message will play.​​
   

9. Press 1 to keep your recorded message. It is important to press 1. If you simply leave this screen your message will not be saved.

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​​The setting, When you receive a call, allows you and a designee to share responsibility of answering your calls as they come in. 

Make sure that you let the people helping you with your calls know they are sharing this responsibility. Microsoft Teams does not alert individuals that are given call answering access.

From within Calls:

1. Click Forwarding and select More Settings.

 

2. Move the Forward all calls slider to the left to disable automatic forwarding (Automatic forwarding means that you do not hear your calls as they come in).
   

3. Below When you receive a call, click the dropdown box and select Also ring a new number or contact.​

 

4. Begin typing a name​ or phone extension and select the contact from the list.

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Once you add the new contact, your selected contact will be able to help answer your incoming ​calls.

You can also click the dropdown for When you can't answer a call and redirect the call to an additional contact or your voicemail. Any unanswered calls will then be redirected after the number of seconds set under Ring for this many seconds before redirecting.

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​​This setting waits the number of seconds set under Ring for this many seconds before redirecting giving you first opportunity to answer your calls before forwarding to the call number you designate under​ When you can't answer a call.

Make sure that you let the people helping you with your calls know they are sharing this responsibility. Microsoft Teams does not alert individuals given call answering access.

From within Calls:​

1. Click Forwarding and select More Settings.

 

In Teams Call Settings,

2. Move the Forward all calls slider to the left to disable automatic forwarding (Automatic forwarding means that you do not hear your calls as they come in).
   

3. Below When you receive a call, click the dropdown box and select Do not ring anyone else.​

4. For When you can't answer a call click the dropdown box and select how the call should route if you do not pick up.
   
   ​If you select, Redirect to a new number or contact, begin typing a name or phone extension and select the contact from the list.
   

 

5. In the Ring for... box, select the number of seconds your call should ring you before the call is forwarded to the selection you made under When you can't answer a call.
   




6. Close Settings.
   
   

​​This setting immediately forwards all of your calls to the selection you make under Choose how all your calls will be forwarded.

From within Calls:​

1. Click Forwarding and select More Settings.

 

In Teams Call Settings,

2. Move the Forward all calls slider to the right to enable automatic forwarding.
   

 

3. Below Choose how all your calls will be forwarded select a forwarding option.
   

4. If you select, Forward to a new number or contact, in the box below begin typing a name or phone extension for who should receive your forwarded calls then select the contact from the list.

 

5. Close Settings. Your changes save automatically. 

Once you have added a forwarding contact(s) in your Calls Settings, you can enable forwarding whenever needed from the lower-left of the Calls window by clicking Forwarding and selecting your Forward to contact.

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 Once you record your​​ Out-of-Office greeting (see the section, "Change your Out of Office ("Away") greeting") it will play as your Voicemail greeting whenever your Automatic Replies (Out of Office) is turned on in Outlook and/or you have an Out-of-Office appointment scheduled in your Outlook Calendar.

Once you have added a forwarding contact(s) in your Calls Settings​ it's easy to forward your calls whenever needed (see the section, "Set Up Call Forwarding" on this page).​​

Call someone at UWSP or from your personal Contact list.​

1. ​Above the Calls Dial pad, begin typing the person's name​. 

2. Select the contact from the list that displays and click Call.

Call an external phone number that is not in your list of contacts.

That's what Calls Dial pad is for. :-)

During your call, you can select Dial pad at the top of your call window when you need to select numbers for automated options.

See "Dialing instructions for Teams Calls" in this topic list.

​Receive calls with the Teams desktop or web app

if you have not changed your Calls Settings to forward all of your calls,​ you should receive a pop-up notification at the lower-right corner of your computer screen whenever you receive a call​.

Click the blue phone button at the left of this notification to answer your call.

If you do not hear a ringtone for incoming calls and have a headset plugged into your computer, you can easily change your Device Settings to enable you to hear your calls ring through your computer speakers, yet still use your headset when taking your calls.

See ​How to hear your calls ring through your computer speakers ​in the section Getting Started with Teams Calls at the top of this page.

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If you have gotten used to checking your voicemail through your UWSP email, your voicemail is still easily accessed there.

You can also check your Voicemail through your Teams Desktop and web apps, and Teams mobile app.​

To check your voicemail from the Teams Desktop and web app​

Select Calls and click Voicemail above your call log in the middle of the screen.

Click to select a message.  A text transcript of the message along with a play button displays at the left.

To check your voicemail on your Teams mobile app

Open Teams and tap Calls on the menu at the bottom of the screen. If Calls doesn't display, tap More and select ot from your other apps list.

At the top-right in Calls, tap the Phone icon to see your Voicemail list.

Tap a message to see a text transcript of the message along with a play button.

If your office utilizes a call queue, there may be times when you are out of the office, or simply in a meeting, and you want to temporarily disable your ability to receive calls from your department's call queue.  This leaves the other people in your department's call queue still available to answer the queue's incoming calls.

You can disable your call queue access in your Teams Calls Settings.

1. ​At the upper-right in Teams, click the ellipses (…) and select Settings.

 

2. At the right in your Teams Settings, select Calls.

3. At the top of the Calls Settings pane select the call queue. A "Call receiving" slider will appear. 
   

4. Move this slider to the left to disable your access to call queue calls.

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 When you are ready to renable you access to your department's call queue, repeat these steps and move the "Call receiving" slider to the right.​

Video requires more bandwidth than audio-only, and the more people on your video call, the more bandwidth is required.

While bandwidth is likely not an issue if everyone on your call is on the UWSP network, bandwidth may be an issue for people in your call who are working from home or on public wifi.

If someone on your call is experiencing issues with the video portion of the call, consider asking everyone on the call to disable their call's​ Camera.

Speed Dial in Teams Calls let's you make a call with a quick click from your computer or with a quick tap in the Teams mobile app.

Speed dial is located at the right in the Teams Calls screen.

To add a contact to your Calls speed dial​: 

• Mouse ​over the contact in your Call History list, then click the ellipses (…) to the right of the contact and select Add to speed dial.
  
  

OR

• ​At the top-right in the Speed dial pane, click the person icon to add an existing contact to speed dial.
  

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​It is important to remember that there is a difference between placing a call "On Hold", versus needing to briefly step away from a meeting.

A caller "On Hold" only hears background music until they are taken out of hold. You typically place someone on hold in order to transfer the person to someone else or simply to pause the conversation with them for some purpose.

Tools available while on a Teams Call:

Tools like the Dial pad, Hold, and Transfer, are only available in calls between two people. These tools are not available in calls with three people or more.

Teams meetings cannot be placed "On Hold". This allows the remaining meeting participant(s) to continue to work if you step away.

Tools available while in a Teams Meeting:

If you do need to briefly step away from a meeting, consider simply informing the other meeting participants verbally or in the meeting chat, then mute your audio and video until you return.​​

Also see the following, "Can I take a Teams Call while I'm in a Teams Meeting?"

Yes. 

If you are in a Teams Meeting and receive a Call notification on your computer, mobile device, or Teams office phone, you can step out of the meeting to take the call, then re-enter the meeting when you have finished the call.

Currently, Teams has no option allowing you to alert meeting attendees that you are temporarily stepping away from the meeting. Consider posting a quick chat message to let people know when you briefly step away from your meeting​​, and when you return.

If incoming call notifications do not display while in a meeting or call, check to make sure that "Show notifications during calls and meetings" is not disabled in your Teams Settings (Settings > "Notifications and activity").

​On your Computer:

If you receive a Teams Call while you're in a Teams Meeting, click the call pop up to answer.

You are now temporarily removed from the meeting as the Call window opens. In the Teams ​Call window you can place the caller on hold, or transfer the caller to someone else.

When you are finished with the call click Leave to close the Call window and return to the Meeting window.

Back on the meeting window, click Resume to re-enter the meeting.

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On your mobile device:

Tap Hold & Accept to take the incoming call and place your meeting on Hold. 

Your meeting technically is not "On Hold" as the other attendees continue to meet. You are just stepping away from the meeting to take the new call.

To return to your meeting, tap Resume.

On your Teams office "Yealink" phone:

If you are in a Teams meeting and receive a call, just answer your call on your Yealink phone. You will remain in your meeting and can rejoin when your call is complete.

While you can add multiple contacts to a call using the Calls Dial pad, any call between three or more people automatically removes traditional calls tools such as Hold and Forward from the Call menu.

​For in-depth information about the features available with your Yealink phone, check out the User Guide​!​