Teams Voice - Do you have to use Auto Attendant - RESOLVED

[JD734]

Hello!  We have just switched to Teams Voice for our office phones and the way that our IT provider set up our phone system, it has Auto-Attendant answer first then goes to the Call Queue for call answering.  To me, this seems backwards. How do I just answer the phone and have the auto attendant answer if I am not available?  My boss prefers to have someone answer calls rather than go thru AA first.  Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

[#2]

There is a few ways you could potentially do this, but this would need to be reconfigured by your IT team

1.) Amend the auto attendant to, for example, play a greeting then redirect the call to you. If you don't answer, forward the call onto a second auto attendant with options
2.) Set the main number on you and then if you don't answer redirect to an auto attendant with options
3.) If you want multiple people to answer first, set up a call queue with the main number where several people can answer and if no one does, redirect to an auto attendant

This is just three examples. However, with the auto attendant in place on the main number there would be no way for you to do what you need without changing the auto attendant in place, so I would go back to your IT provider, explain the situation and what you need and they should be able to make the configuration changes needed.

Hope that helps and answers your question

Best, Chris

[#3]

Hi Chris, thank you for your response. Just to clarify, the main number is set up in our Resource Account as Auto Attendant. Should I change it to our Call Queue instead? That is how it will ring to me? If it times out, then I select Auto Attendant?

[#4]

For example, you would need to

1.) Remove the Auto Attendant. Make sure you map the settings such as the options and call queues each number runs to - this is important or you'll lose the settings
2.) Remove the Resource Account and the Number assigned to it
3.) Create two resource accounts, one for a call queue and one for an auto attendant. Assign the number to the call queue resource account
4.) Purchase another number for the auto attendant if you don't already have one
5.) Set up the AA resource account with the other number you have/just purchased
6.) Ensure you have both resource mailboxes assigned virtual user licences
7.) Configure the AA as it was previously with all options and linking to existing call queues
8.) Configure the Call Queue with attendant routing and in the section time out handling direct to the AA

Hope that makes sense. To note this is very invasive and it will disrupt your phone service so you will spill inbound calls for people trying to get through on that number when reconfiguring. This is why I would recommend speaking to IT, getting their pitch on your problem, their solution and getting sign off to go ahead on it, then doing that outside of core hours.

Hope that makes sense. Best, Chris

[#5]

I was able to reassign the phone number to the Call Queue but I really do not like that when a caller dials our number, the hold music plays first before connecting to me, I feel that this would confuse people and they will just hang up. Is there a way to eliminate the music altogether?

[#6 · Accepted solution]

Not possible to do currently, there is a uservoice open for it here

https://microsoftteams.uservoice.com/forums/555103-public/suggestions/38873356-allow-call-agents-to-...

Instead of just going straight to hold music I would add a greeting on the call queue beforehand so expectations can be set 'I.e. Welcome to x, we will connect you shortly'.

The alternative, if you want to go this way and wipe out all music, is to set up two Auto Attendants. Let's call them AA1 and AA2. Have AA1 greet and redirect to you, nothing else. Then in the call options, if you don't pickup, redirect to AA2 which is the mapped AA2 you have before.

Best, Chris

[#7]

@JD734 I know this is an old thread, but did you ever find a simple solution to this?

I just want callers to hear a ringtone, not have music on hold or a message. Any ideas? 

[#8]

@Petemurray  we currently have a call queue set up for incoming calls.  I found a ringing sound that I uploaded to make it sound like the phone is ringing rather than a voice that says 'Please wait for the next available agent" and it works out great!

[#9]

@JD734 Thanks for your help!

[#10]

@Petemurray @JD734 

Awesome, great work guys. 

Best, Chris