New features to calling functionality in Microsoft Teams

Microsoft is releasing several improvements to calling functionality in Microsoft Teams. These features will require administrator action to enable.

These features are not available for GCC organizations.

After these changes roll out to your organization, you’ll see the following new features:

Shared Line Appearance – Handle multiple calls on a specific number called a shared number. This feature can configure any enterprise voice enabled user with a shared number with multiple lines to respond to multiple calls. A set of users can set themselves up for shared line appearance, by being in a delegation relationship, which can be set up via Teams client settings.

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Call Park – Place a call on hold in the cloud rather than on your phone, for you or someone else to retrieve from another endpoint in your organization using a unique code. This feature requires admin action to enable. You can enable this feature using PowerShell cmdlets and by setting the TeamsCallParkPolicy’s AllowCallPark Setting.

Group Call Pickup – Users can answer incoming calls from their colleagues from their own phones. This increases the availability of a user’s line by enabling other users to answer an incoming call. A user can set up a call group using the Teams client call settings. A user in a call group can manage the notifications coming via group call using the Teams client notification settings.

Location-Based Routing (In Preview) – LBR makes it possible to restrict the routing of calls between VoIP endpoints and PSTN endpoints based on the location of the parties in the call. It also enforces call authorization rules on whether or not calls can be routed to PBX or PSTN endpoints based on the caller’s geographic location. LBR requires administrator action to enable. You can enable this feature using PowerShell cmdlets and with the TeamsCallingPolicy’s PreventTollBypass setting.

These features will begin rolling out in mid-December, and Microsoft anticipate rollout completion by the end of January 2019. PowerShell cmdlets will be required to enable Location-Based Routing and Call Park.

When these features roll out to your organization, the following feature documentation will be updated with the instructions and cmdlets necessary to enable these features:

– Shared Line Appearance

– Group Call Pick up

– Location Based Routing setting will be added to the TeamsCallingPolicy

– New Call Park cmdlets documentation will be added here

After the rollout begins, in order to enable Location-Based Routing and Call Park, you will need to take action in PowerShell. Microsoft will update the documentation with the necessary cmdlets and actions necessary to enable when the rollout begins in mid-December.

READ: CLASS AND LECTURE MEETING TEMPLATES NOW AVAILABLE IN MICROSOFT TEAMS

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