MS Teams Phone FAQs

Microsoft (MS) Teams Phone is a software-based calling solution integrated into Microsoft Teams. It can be used on your desktop computer, laptop, smartphones and MS Teams certified handsets. With MS Teams Phone, you can make and receive calls, as well as transfer them—just like you would with a traditional desk phone.

 

MS Teams Phones enhances access to work phones by moving to a digital solution integrated with current work tools already in use at SFU. For more information about SFU’s transition toward a more accessible university, see Accessibility at SFU.

MS Teams Phones are used for personal phone lines and shared lines, while Emergency lines with a direct connection to Campus Public Safety remain on a separate analog solution.   

Please contact your manager or department administrator to submit a ticket request.

SFU phones are centrally funded, much like how network services are provided. Departments will not be charged for phone services. 

The move eliminates departmental charge‑backs for phone services.

Only non-emergency phones will be moved to MS Teams Phones. MS Teams phone can be setup with a MS Teams certified handset. 

You must be logged into MS Teams to know that someone is calling you, otherwise it will go directly to voicemail. If you are logged into MS Teams on your mobile phone or desktop/laptop you will also be able to make and receive calls.

1. Open Microsoft Teams.
2. Click on the three dots (...) near your profile picture in the top-right corner.
3. Select Settings.
4. Under the General tab, check the box for Auto-start Teams, Open application in background and on close, keep the application running. 

Safety is always a priority, and physical phones and landline connections will remain in place for emergency phones and alarms on our three campuses. Only non-emergency phones will be transitioned to MS Teams Phone.

 

All phones on campus can be used to call 911 in an emergency.

In addition, the university has dedicated emergency phones located across campus. These phones connect directly to Campus Public Safety and automatically share your location, which can help responders reach you more quickly.

Non-emergency phones are used for everyday communication and do not automatically connect to Campus Public Safety or provide location information.

As part of the current transition, most non-emergency phones are being moved to MS Teams Phones, while all dedicated emergency phones and lines will remain in place.

For guidance on what to do in an emergency, visit: https://www.sfu.ca/emergency

Yes, you can make emergency calls in MS Teams. There are also dedicated emergency analog phones located across campus that can only make calls to 911 and/or 24500 Campus security. 

In an emergency, please call 911 from any phone.  

There are dedicated emergency analog phones located across campus that can only make calls to 911 and/or 24500 Campus security.

For more information on Safety and Security, please visit Safety & Risk Services site. Additionally medical emergency information can be found here.

Emergency phones are SRS determined dedicated analog phones located across campus that can only make calls to 911 and/or 24500 Campus security. All other phones can be used to make emergency calls but are not categorized as an emergency phone.

Yealink MP56 costs approximately $355.  Click here to see specifications for MP56 E2-Standard Teams Phone | Yealink

MS Teams Phone is typically used with a work computer, but you can make and receive calls even with your smartphones and tablets. You will need to sign into MS Teams with your SFU account. For instructions on how to sign-in to MS Teams, see here.

You can continue to use the audio setup you currently use for standard Teams or Zoom meetings - whether that is built-in speaker and microphone in your laptop, standard headphones, or an existing headset. Depending on your work environment a headset might be beneficial. They are funded by individual departments and should be ordered following your standard equipment procurement process. 

Handsets are not required, if you feel the need for one, please discuss it with your manager as they are funded by individual departments. Handsets are required to be Teams-certified to work with the application. Licensing will have to be setup by SFU central IT. They are funded by individual departments. To place an order, please have your manager or departmental administrator submit a service request ticket.

1. In MS Teams App. Click on the three dots beside your profile picture Select Settings> Calls.
2. Under Manage Voicemail > Record a greeting and follow the instructions to record your message.

For more information see How to Guide section. 

Voicemails in MS Teams will be directly sent to email as an audio file attachment. Additionally, transcription can be enabled. Employees are not expected to answer work-related phone calls outside their scheduled work hours. MS Teams Phones contains a built-in voicemail feature so employees can follow up when they are back in office as needed.

No, you will need to specifically enable call recording. Click here for instructions on how to turn on call recording. 

Voicemails go directly to the email account the phone number is associated with. To change the email location, setup a rule in your Outlook to have emails from noreply@skype.voicemail.microsoft.com forwarded to your role account email. 

 

Yes, although it may be provided in a different manner with the MS Teams Phone 

No, this can be managed by you based on your preference.

• To enter a new location go to Settings > Calls and select Add or verify address.
• Then go to Settings > Privacy > Location to manage how MS Teams uses your location, ensuring it is allowed for emergency only.

If the notification settings listed below do not appear in your app, please check you mobile device's system settings and ensure that Manage notification categories for each app" is enabled. Each phone will vary in navigation, for general instructions, click here.

 

For instructions on setting mobile notifications for MS Teams Phone, click here. You can customize alerts for the following features:

• Chat—when someone sends you a message in a one-on-one or group chat.
• Mentions—when you or a channel you're a member of is @mentioned.
• Replies—when someone replies to your post in a channel, or to one that you've also replied to.
• Calls—when someone calls you via MS Teams.
• Meeting started—when someone joins a Teams meeting on your calendar.

For personal lines you need to sign in with your SFU user ID and password and complete Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Note: Re authentication is required every 7 days, as MFA expires in accordance with SFU security standards.

For shared phones one-time sign-in is required (set up upon deployment), MFA is not required.

Shared device settings are administered by the Phones Team due to licensing.   Please submit a ticket request.

Due to Microsoft licensing shared devices users are not able to see call history.

Note in a call queue: if a call goes through a call queue and gets picked up by a user, that user can see the calls answered. If it becomes a missed call, then it will go to voicemail and can be listened to through the shared mailbox. If no message is left, then no one can see the call history.  

Voicemail is set up to be sent to a shared mailbox, you will be able to retrieve voice messages through the email. Voicemail is not able to be retrieved from the phone set

Please submit a ticket request with the information you wish to set. 

If you have an existing SFU number it will remain the same.

Go to Calls → History → find the number you want to block → click the … (More options) next to it → select Block. 

For North America: dial +1 + area code + phone number 

For international calls: dial +011 + country code + phone number 

Please note that long-distance usage is monitored per user. If usage is unusually high, your departmental phone administrator may be notified. 

Please submit a ticket through Service Desk. 

If your MS Teams phone is going straight to voicemail, it is usually due to an active "Do Not Disturb" status.

If you're having trouble hearing others in your MS Teams calls and meetings, check your speaker or have them check their microphone. If you’re the only one who can’t hear them, there might be an issue with your speaker. See HERE for Tips for Checking your speaker settings in Teams 

Please try signing out of MS Teams and then signing back in.

In most cases, yes. If your laptop still has battery power, MS Teams Phone will continue to work just like any other application running on your device. However, you will also need an active Internet connection.

Like other Internet-based applications, MS Teams Phone requires a network connection to function. If your Wi-Fi is unavailable, you can try connecting through another network, such as a mobile hotspot or a wired Internet connection.

You can continue to use whatever audio setup you currently use for standard MS Teams or Zoom meetings—whether that is your laptop's built-in speaker and microphone, standard headphones, or an existing headset.

While not required, some users prefer specialized MS Teams-certified headsets, which include integrated buttons to pick up or hang up calls directly from the device.

Headsets are funded by individual departments and should be ordered following your standard equipment procurement process.

Handset are required to be teams-certified and setup by central IT.  They are funded by individual departments. To order a physical handset, please submit a request ticket.  

Please submit a service request ticket .