Using the Call Queue App in Microsoft Teams
Goal
The article explains how to use the Call Queue app in Microsoft Teams to manage and handle calls, provided users have Teams Premium, Teams Phone, and IT admin approval. It covers how team members can opt in/out of queues, make and receive calls, and view call history, while team leads/admins can manage queues, monitor agents, and access real-time and historical analytics. It also includes steps to launch the app, interact with teammates, and outlines key limitations like permission-based access and presence-based routing.
Prerequisites
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Your organization must have both Teams Premium and Teams Phone licenses.
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You need authorization from your IT admin to use the Queues app.
Features and Capabilities
| Role / Type | Can do |
|---|---|
| Team members | Handle incoming calls (PSTN or VoIP), make outgoing calls on behalf of queues or auto attendants assigned to them, opt in/out of queues. |
| Team leads / Admins | Manage call queues, auto attendants; view real-time statistics; generate historic reports; monitor agent status; opt in/out team members. |
Quick Actions
Launch the App
- Once allowed by IT, in Teams click View more apps (left bar).
- Find Queues.
- Pin it to the left side via right-click → Pin for easier access.
View / Opt into Call Queues
- In the Queues app you’ll see available queues (top of the window) that you can opt in to.
- To opt in: select a queue → Opt in. To stop receiving queue calls, Opt out.
- Team leads can opt in/out individual team members directly by hovering over the name.
- If Presence-based routing is enabled, a member must both be opted in and have status set to Available to receive calls.
Interacting with Teammates
- Go to Manage queue → People tab.
- Select a person to chat or call; outbound calls via queues may allow choice of which phone number is used.
Using the Dialpad
- Accessible from bottom-left corner of the Queues window.
- If multiple outbound phone numbers are configured for the org/queue, you’ll see a dropdown above the Call button to pick which number to call from.
Call History
- Under Manage queue → Calls, view past calls (answered, missed, voicemails).
- You can dial back numbers from history using the queue’s associated number.
Real-Time Statistics / Monitoring
- When a queue is selected, an overview is shown under Quick access on the left side.
- For more detailed real-time stats: select Analytics → Real-time tab, then pick queue, auto attendant or agent from dropdowns.
Historic Reports
- Also under Analytics, switch to the Historical tab.
- Choose which queue/auto attendant/agent, choose date-range, then Apply.
- Reports can be exported to Excel.
- Note: historic reports are available for only the past 27 days.
Limitations
- You can only view historic reports for queues/auto attendants that you have permission to access.
- Presence-based routing must be active if calls are to be routed only when users are both opted in and are marked Available.
- Some features (dashboards, reporting) require that the user has appropriate admin or lead permissions.