How do I configure an Auto Attendant in Microsoft Teams?

Modified on Fri, Dec 8, 2023 at 7:34 PM

Description: How to create and configure auto-attendants in Microsoft Teams.

Auto attendants allow individuals to contact your organization and use a menu system to connect with the appropriate department, call queue, individual, or operator. You have the option to create these auto attendants for your organization using either the Microsoft Teams admin center or Ooma Enterprise Admin portal.

Auto attendants can direct calls, based on callers' input, to one of the following destinations:

Person in the organization: a person in your organization who is able to receive voice calls. This can be an online user or a user hosted on-premises using Skype for Business Server.
Voice app: another auto attendant or a call queue. (Choose the resource account associated with the auto attendant or call queue when choosing this destination.)
External phone number: any phone number.
Voicemail: the voice mailbox associated with a Microsoft 365 group that you specify.
Operator: the operator defined for the auto attendant. Defining an operator is optional. The operator can be defined as any of the other destinations in this list.

You will be prompted to choose one of these options at various stages as you set up an auto attendant.

The subject of creating and configuring auto-attendants for Shared Voicemail is extensive and beyond the scope of its original article named How to Configure a MS Teams Shared Voicemail. So, this particular article contains additional info boxes within the relevant sections, offering comprehensive details about setting the parameters of an auto-attendant to make it suitable for enabling the Shared Voicemail feature.

To set up an auto attendant, go to Microsoft Teams admin center. Locate and select the "Voice" option in the left-hand menu of the page to expand it.

Once the content is displayed, choose the "Auto-attendant" option.

After that, you will be taken to the "Auto attendants" page, which displays a table of existing auto attendants. For the first entry, the table will be empty. Additionally, you will find action buttons that enable you to edit, delete, and add new auto attendants.

To create a new auto attendant, simply click the "Add" button.

Upon clicking the "Add" button, a form will appear where you can set up a new auto attendant.

This form consists of three tabs:

General Info.
Call flow.
Advanced settings (optional).

It's important to note that filling out the third tab is optional. However, since it contains abundant information, details about this tab will be provided in a separate article, and a link to that article will be provided at the end of this current article.

General info Tab

Within this tab, you will find five fields that need to be configured.

Name: use this mandatory field to set the name of your auto attendant.

Operator (optional): when you click on this field, a drop-down list of Operator options will appear for you to choose from.

No operator: if you do not want the call flow for this auto attendant to lead to any other options from the drop-down list, you should select this particular option.

When configuring an auto-attendant for Shared Voicemail, be sure to choose the "No operator" option in this particular section.

Person in organization: by selecting this option, you can assign a person from your organization to this newly created auto attendant. Once you choose this option, a new field will appear, functioning as a search bar. In this search bar, you can look for a specific person to select as the operator for the configured auto attendant.

Voice App: by selecting this option, you can assign a Voice App to this newly created auto attendant.

A Voice App is an application or program that can interact with callers and provide automated responses or perform certain actions based on predefined settings. By assigning a Voice App as the operator, incoming calls will be handled by the automated system provided by the app, allowing callers to navigate through menus, access information, or perform other actions without the need for direct human intervention.

Once you choose this option, a new field will appear, functioning as a search bar. In this search bar, you can look for a specific Voice App to select as the operator for the configured auto attendant.

External phone number: by selecting this option, you can assign an external phone number to this newly created auto attendant. After selecting this option, two new fields will appear sequentially. The first field will prompt you to enter the country calling code.

The second field will require you to input the phone number associated with the selected region.

Time zone: this field is used to set the time zone of operation for the configured auto attendant. By clicking on this field, a drop-down menu will appear, offering a list of options for selecting a specific time zone. Alternatively, you can use the search bar to find the desired time zone instead of manually scrolling through the list of options.

Language: this field is used to determine the language of operation for the configured auto attendant. It works in conjunction with the next feature that can be set on this tab. By clicking on this field, a drop-down menu will appear, presenting a list of options for selecting the preferred language. Alternatively, you have the option to use the search bar to find the desired language instead of scrolling through the list of options manually.

Please be aware that the list of options expands upwards.

Voice inputs: enabling this option will activate the AI feature to process incoming voice commands in the language selected in the previous field.

Call Flow Tab

Within this tab, you will find two parameters that need to be configured.

Greeting options: within this section, you have the ability to choose the option that dictates how a caller will be greeted when connecting with the auto attendant.

No greeting: by choosing this option, the caller will not receive any greeting upon connecting with the auto attendant.

When configuring an auto-attendant for Shared Voicemail, be sure to choose the "No greeting" option in this particular section.

Play an audio file: when you opt for this choice, you can set up a custom audio file to be played as the greeting. After selecting this option, the "Upload file" button will appear, enabling you to upload your desired audio file from your computer into the configured auto attendant.

Add a greeting message: upon choosing this option, you can manually type a greeting message with a length ranging from 10 to 1000 characters. This typed message will then be converted to voice and used as the greeting for the auto attendant.

Call routing options: you have the ability to configure the call routing options for your auto attendant.

Disconnect: by choosing this option, a caller will be disconnected after listening to the greeting message (if it has been set up).

Redirect call: when you opt for this option, you can set up the redirection process for incoming calls after they have listened to the greeting message (if it has been set up).

When configuring an auto-attendant for Shared Voicemail, be sure to choose the "Redirect call" option in this particular section.

This parameter follows the same configuration pattern as the previously described "Operator" parameter given on the "General info" tab. The only new option is "Voicemail."

Voicemail: by selecting this option, you can redirect an incoming call to a Voicemail of your choice.

When configuring an auto-attendant for Shared Voicemail, be sure to choose the "Voicemail" option here and look for the Microsoft 365 Group you have created when reading the original article named How to Configure a MS Teams Shared Voicemail

Once you choose this option, several new fields will appear. The first one will be functioning as a search bar. In this search bar, you can look for a specific Voicemail registered in the system.

Two additional fields function as toggle switches, providing you with the ability to activate specific features.

Transcription: by enabling the first toggle switch, the message left by a caller in the selected Voicemail will be transcribed.

When configuring an auto-attendant for Shared Voicemail, do not forget to enable the "Transcription" toggle switch described above.

Skip voicemail system message: turning this option on will skip the voicemail message "Please leave a message after the tone. When you have finished please hang up or press the hash key for more options." Callers will only hear the beep and can start recording their message.

Play menu options: upon selecting this option, you will have the capability to create a custom interactive menu for the caller. This menu allows the caller to press key combinations to perform specific actions.

There are three parameters that need to be configured here:

Force Listen: when this feature is enabled, callers will have to listen to the entire menu message before being able to enter their selection. Any caller input prior to the end of the menu is ignored. We recommend including information at the start of the menu message instructing callers to wait until the end to make their selection.

Set up the greeting: this parameter follows the same configuration pattern as the previously described "Greeting options" parameter given on this tab.
Set menu options: in this section, you have the ability to set key press rules that callers can use to perform certain actions when prompted to use this menu within the call flow. Here you can find the table of existing menu options and the action buttons:

Each key press rule offers the option of a voice command, which can be configured when you enable the Voice Inputs option on the General Info tab.

Expand all dial keys: when you press this button, it will expand the list of all key press options, allowing you to assign commands to specific keys.

To accomplish this, simply choose the line corresponding to the desired key and click on the field in the "Redirect to" column to select an action.

Once you perform the above step, a dropdown list of options will become visible, allowing you to make your selection. This parameter follows the same configuration pattern as the previously described "Redirect to" option of the "Call routing" parameter given on this tab. The only new options are "Operator" and both "Announcements."

Operator: after choosing this option, you can configure an operator to be available when the selected key is pressed.

To create an operator, click on the "Set up" button. This action will bring up a form on the right-hand side of the page, enabling you to configure a new operator.

Here you need to configure:

Destination for your operator: when you click on this field, a dropdown list of destinations will appear, giving you various options to choose from.

No operator: selecting this option means that no one will be assigned to the configured key press rule.
Person in organization: by selecting this option, you can select a person from your organization who will be assigned as the operator to the configured key press rule. Once you choose this option, a new field will appear, functioning as a search bar.

Voice App: by selecting this option, you can select a Voice App which will be assigned as the operator to the configured key press rule. Once you choose this option, a new field will appear, functioning as a search bar.

External Phone Number: by selecting this option, you can enter an external phone number of your choice as the operator to be assigned to the configured key press rule. After selecting this option, two new fields will appear sequentially. The first field will prompt you to enter the country calling code.

The second field will require you to input the phone number associated with the selected region.

Announcement (file): by selecting this option, you can assign a custom audio file to the configured key press rule. After selecting this option, the "Upload file" button will appear, enabling you to upload your desired audio file from your computer.

Announcement (message): by selecting this option, you can manually type a message with a length ranging from 10 to 1000 characters. This typed message will then be converted to voice and used as the message assigned to the configured key press rule.

Assign a dial key: when you press this button, you will have the ability to create custom key press rules one at a time. Each new rule that appears in the table requires the configuration of three parameters.

Dial Key: upon clicking this field, a dropdown list of key options will be displayed.

Please be aware that the list of options expands upwards.

Voice command: each key press rule offers the option of a voice command, which can be configured when you enable the Voice Inputs option on the General Info tab.
Redirect to: when you click on this field, a dropdown list of destinations will appear, giving you various redirection options to choose from.

This parameter follows the same configuration pattern as the previously described "Redirect to" parameter that becomes visible when you select the "Expand all dial keys" option for setting the menu configuration.

Delete: to remove the configured key press rule, you can easily do so by checking the desired line in the table of existing menu options (which will change its color to blue) and then clicking on the "Delete" button.

Directory search: in this section, which becomes visible only when the "play menu options" feature is enabled, you have the opportunity to configure the method by which the directory search will be executed.

Selecting the "Dial by extension" option will not function unless there is specific preparation of designated extensions for users who may be recipients of redirected calls. 
For detailed information on configuring users' extensions for use in the "Dial by extensions" feature, please refer to the related article titled "Setting up the dial by extension feature," accessible through Dial by Extension.

If you want to use both the Dial by name and Dial by extension features, you can assign a dial key on your main auto attendant to reach another auto attendant enabled for Dial by name. Within that auto attendant, you can assign the 1 key (which has no letters associated with it) to reach the Dial by extension auto attendant.

Once you have completed configuring all the fields described above, your auto attendant will be ready to go. To create it, you can simply press the "Submit" button, or if you wish to set more advanced options, you can click on the "Next" button to access the advanced settings of the configured auto attendant.

Please note that the "Advanced Settings" tab is optional, but it contains valuable and detailed information. For further details about this tab, a separate article will be provided, and you will find a link to that article at the end of this current one.

Once you click on the "Submit" button, the configured auto attendant will be created and will appear in the table of existing auto attendants.

Once you configure the primary parameters for the newly created auto attendant, you will find that it lacks an associated resource account, as evident in the table of existing auto attendants.

Resource accounts are objects that are not enabled in Azure Active Directory and are required for each auto attendant or call queue in MS Teams. They can be assigned phone numbers when they are used as a calling ID.

All auto attendants must have an associated resource account. First-level auto attendants need at least one resource account that has an associated service number. If you wish, you can assign several resource accounts to an auto attendant, each with a separate service number.

To assign a resource account to the auto attendant, you should access the advanced settings section within the auto attendant's parameters. This can be done through the Resource Accounts subtab. You will find the link to this specific subtab at the conclusion of this article.

To make edits or remove the auto attendant, you can easily do so by checking the desired line in the table of existing auto attendants and then clicking on either the "Edit" or "Delete" buttons.

Additionally, you will find a Gear badge located in the top-right corner of the table of existing auto attendants.

By clicking on this badge, you will gain access to the visual parameters of the table, allowing you to enable or disable certain columns as needed.

To implement the changes, simply press the "Apply" button.

For further information on the optional parameters found in the "Advanced settings" tab, please use this link to access the relevant article.