First Things to Know About Calls in MS Teams

What this article covers

Calls are a quick way to connect in Teams. You can have one-on-one calls or calls with several people. You can set them up ahead of time, like in a meeting, or you can start them on the fly while in a chat.

While meetings are a great way to collaborate in Teams, calls can be a more direct way of connecting to complete specific tasks or to get questions answered quickly. 

In this article, the following top four things to know about making and managing calls will be covered:

1. There are many ways to make a call in Teams
2. You can do a lot while on a call in Teams
3. Review your call history
4. Access your voicemail

1. There are many ways to make a call in Teams

Wherever you are in Teams, you can start a call with someone (or a group of people). Here are some of the ways:

Make or answer a call from anywhere

• Select either Video call or Audio call. Any call can be a video call or an aduio-only call. It's always up to you.
• Answering a call is simple, too. Just select Video call or Audio call when prompted. When someone calls you, you'll get a notification that lets you accept or decline the call.

Turn a chat into a call

With one click, you can turn any chat into a call in Teams. When you're in a chat, select Video call or Audio call in the upper-right corner of Teams. The person you are chatting with (or the people if it's a group chat) will receive a call from you.

Make a call from your call history, speed dial, voicemail, or contacts

• Access your history to quickly call anyone back from the list. Go to Calls and review the History section in the center of the screen. Select any item from the list and then choose Call in the Details section on the right side of Teams.
• From your speed dial, you can quickly call people that you previously saved to this list. To access your speed dial, go to Calls and then find the Speed dial section on the right side of Teams.
• From your voicemail, you can quickly call back anyone who left a message. To access your voicemail, go to History and select the Voicemail button in the upper-right corner. You can call someone back from your voicemail by selecting More actions next to their name > Call back from the call history list, or by clicking Call under the contact details.
• To view your contacts, click Calls > View Contacts button in the upper right of Teams. Hover your mouse over a name and you can call anyone by selecting Call to the right of their name.

Use the dial pad

If you have a calling plan enabled, you can call anyone from Teams.

To dial a number from Teams, go to Calls, and then enter the number of the person you want to reach by using the dial pad located on the left. Then click Call.

You can also type the name of a person or group and call them from the dial pad.

Hover over someone's profile picture

Throughout the Teams app, you'll find profile pictures of people you're connected with. (Sometimes people choose avatars, or you might just see their initials.)

At any time, you can mouse over a profile picture and see options to make a video or an audio-only call to that person. Choose one of those options and your call will begin.

Use the command box

At the top of Teams, type "/call" in the box, press the ENTER key, and then enter a name or number. When you make your selection, the call will begin automatically.

In this way, you can quickly find people or groups and make a call to them.

Note: If you're in a Teams call on your mobile device, the device's screen won't turn off if you don't navigate away from the call window (or if you navigate away but come back before it turns off). If you turn off your screen during a call, you'll stay connected but the device will lock.

2. You can do a lot while on a call in Teams

During a call, you can take many actions. These are a few common actions you might take:

Place a call on hold
During an active call, choose the Hold icon. Everyone on the call will be notified that they've been put on hold. When ready, continue the call by clicking Resume at the top of the screen.

Transfer a call
Blind (cold) Transfer

1. During an active call, click the Transfer icon.
2. Select Transfer.
3. Choose who you want to transfer the call to or enter a number. Toggle on "Ring back if there's no answer".
4. Select Transfer to complete the transfer.

• Alternatively, select the recipient's voicemail or other number by clicking on the drop-down next to Transfer.
  

Consultative (warm) Transfer

1. During an active call, click the Transfer icon.
2. Select Consult then transfer.
3. Choose the person you want to consult with or enter a number. 
4. Consult with them by clicking Chat (a Teams chat window will open).
5. When ready, click Transfer (top right corner) or click Resume to go back to the original caller.
   

Add a delegate
You can pick someone in Teams to be your delegate—to receive and make calls on your behalf. When you add a delegate, you’re essentially sharing your phone line with them, so they can see and share all of your calls.

Choose either Desktop Phone OR Computer to set up your delegation.

Setup Delegates - Desktop Phone

1. On the Touchscreen, tap on your Profile picture > Settings > Manage Delegates.
2. Type the person's name in the Add a delegate field. Your delegate will automatically receive a notification about their new status.
3. Select the permissions you want to give them.
   Tip: The Delegate will now appear as an option for your Call Handling and Forward settings.
   

Setup Delegates - Computer

1. Open the MS Teams desktop application on your computer.
2. Go to Settings > Calls, scroll down to Manage delegates.
3. Select Add a delegate.
4. Type the person's name in the Add a delegate field.
   Your delegate will automatically receive a notification about their new status.
5. Select the permissions you want to give them.
   Tip: The Delegate will now appear as an option for your Call Handling and Forward settings.
   

3. Review your call history

Your call history is located in the center of the calls experience and shows a list of past calls (including missed calls).

Go to Calls > History. From any call in the list, select More actions > Call back to begin a call automatically.

You can also chat with that contact, add them to speed dial, and add them to your contacts - all from the More actions menu.

4. Access your voicemail

Your voicemail is another familiar tool for getting the most out of your calling experience in Teams.

Go to Calls > History and then select Voicemail in the upper right. From here, you can:

• Review messages and transcripts from calls
• Customize call rules
• Record a greeting
• Call anyone who's left you a message

Call someone back from your voicemail by selecting More actions next to their name > Call back from the call history list, or by clicking Calls button from the contact Details section to the right the person's name.

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