Forum Discussion
Microsoft Teams won't send dial pad inputs when navigating a phone tree during a conference call
Our users sometimes need to dial to an external number from the Teams app on their phone, add another external number to the call, then use the dial pad to navigate a phone tree. However, the Teams c...
jcjchavez(and a message to my future self when I get annoyed by this again)
So I realised that there are two dial pads. The one in the main Teams window doesn't send tones.
But if you can navigate to the call itself there is another dial pad at the top. This does send tones.
🙂
JULY 2023 UPDATE FROM MY FUTURE SELF:
They Keypad option in Teams sends tones on the call. To add another participant, click on People and then dial another number.
Just some additional information to explain what is happening here. In our case, we have an intercom at our security gate where the visitor presses a button and it dials a Teams calling Call Queue. It rings all users in the call queue but only one answers. Sometimes, the user is able to enter a DTMF code into the keypad on Teams to open the gate. Other days they can't.
The reason for this, from looking at the call history is that sometimes the call type is considered a 'call' as it only has two participants. Other times it is considered a 'conference' as it thinks there are 3 or more participants. There are not, there is only the intercom and the person who answers I haven't yet figured out WHY it thinks there are 3 participants - although one theory I have is that the users it is happening to are often logged in to 2 desktops at once.
The reason DTFM codes will not work in a 'conference'/'Teams meeting' (and Teams call that has more than 2 participants is by design. When you are in a meeting, Teams enables a feature that lets you enter codes beginning with * so that if you join the meeting from your phone you still have all the normal Teams functionality. Eg. *6 mutes and unmutes your mic. *5 raises your hand. To allow these 'features' it needs to disable the normal DTMF codes used to open gates or select an option at an auto attendant etc.
The solution we need from Microsoft here is to either:
A. Disable this feature and choose to just use DTMF codes, as we never have users join a meeting via a call now that the Teams app exists.
B. Set a policy for a Teams number that forces it to connect as a call, not a conference.
I feel like option B would present it's own issues, for example, a call can only have 2 participants. Will it drop the wrong participant to force it to a call? So option A seems like it is the only one that will solve everybody's problems. However, this has been ongoing for years now so I wouldn't hold my breath.
The reason for this, from looking at the call history is that sometimes the call type is considered a 'call' as it only has two participants. Other times it is considered a 'conference' as it thinks there are 3 or more participants. There are not, there is only the intercom and the person who answers I haven't yet figured out WHY it thinks there are 3 participants - although one theory I have is that the users it is happening to are often logged in to 2 desktops at once.
The reason DTFM codes will not work in a 'conference'/'Teams meeting' (and Teams call that has more than 2 participants is by design. When you are in a meeting, Teams enables a feature that lets you enter codes beginning with * so that if you join the meeting from your phone you still have all the normal Teams functionality. Eg. *6 mutes and unmutes your mic. *5 raises your hand. To allow these 'features' it needs to disable the normal DTMF codes used to open gates or select an option at an auto attendant etc.
The solution we need from Microsoft here is to either:
A. Disable this feature and choose to just use DTMF codes, as we never have users join a meeting via a call now that the Teams app exists.
B. Set a policy for a Teams number that forces it to connect as a call, not a conference.
I feel like option B would present it's own issues, for example, a call can only have 2 participants. Will it drop the wrong participant to force it to a call? So option A seems like it is the only one that will solve everybody's problems. However, this has been ongoing for years now so I wouldn't hold my breath.
