MS Teams Call Queue & Auto Attendant Explained

MS Teams Call Queue & Auto Attendant Explained
 

When Virtual Front Desk is integrated with Microsoft Teams through Azure Communication Services (ACS), you can import Microsoft Teams call queues and auto attendants just like regular users. This guide explains the difference between the two, when to use each, and what we recommend for most Virtual Front Desk setups.

How the call flow works

When a visitor presses a button on a station:

Visitor → Virtual Front Desk → Azure Communication Services → Microsoft Teams

From that point, Microsoft Teams decides who receives the call.

Option 1: Call queue

A call queue distributes incoming calls among several users in Microsoft Teams. It makes sure that:

• calls go only to available users,
• calls are distributed fairly (round robin, longest idle and other methods),
• overflow rules can be applied, and
• hold music and queue logic are supported.

Use a call queue when:

• several receptionists or agents can answer,
• you want routing based on each user’s availability (presence),
• you need answering that scales as more people join, or
• you want enterprise-grade call distribution.

Example: a lobby station has a button labeled “Customer Service”. When a visitor presses it, Virtual Front Desk calls the call queue’s resource account in Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft Teams sends the call to an available agent.

Option 2: Auto attendant

An auto attendant is a voice menu. It answers the call and plays a greeting such as “Press 1 for Sales, press 2 for Support”, then routes the call based on the caller’s keypad or voice choice.

Use an auto attendant when:

• you are routing a public phone number,
• you need different routing during and after business hours,
• you need language selection, or
• you want menus with several levels.

With Virtual Front Desk, an auto attendant makes sense if you want the station to behave exactly like your company’s main phone number, if IT manages central time-based routing, or if you are connecting to an existing, complex phone system.

Call queue or auto attendant?

For most Virtual Front Desk setups, we recommend a call queue.

Licensing requirements

Both call queues and auto attendants require:

• a Microsoft Teams resource account,
• a license assigned to that resource account (the free Microsoft Teams Phone Resource Account license), and
• proper voice routing (Calling Plan, Operator Connect or Direct Routing) if public phone numbers (PSTN) are involved.

If calls stay internal and do not use public phone numbers, a calling plan may not be required. Always confirm licensing requirements with your Microsoft administrator.

Set it up in Virtual Front Desk

1. Create the call queue or auto attendant in the Microsoft Teams admin center.
2. In Virtual Front Desk, import it from User management > Users > Microsoft Teams integration, like a regular user.
3. Edit the imported entry and turn on This is a Call Queue or Auto Attendant.
4. On your station, select it on a Video call user button.

For the complete setup, read Microsoft Teams integration for video calls, call queue & auto attendant.

Tip: Virtual Front Desk groups also include a built-in call queue. For a simple setup without a Microsoft Teams call queue, read Groups and call queue.