Create a Call queue in Microsoft Teams

Call queues route callers to people in your organization who can help with a particular issue or question. Calls are distributed one at a time to the people in the queue, who are known as agents.

Call queues provide:

  • A greeting message.
  • Music while people are waiting on hold in a queue.
  • Call routing - in First In, First Out (FIFO) order - to agents.
  • Handling options for queue overflow and timeout.

Before you follow the procedures in this article, be sure you've read Plan for Teams Auto attendants and Call queues and followed the getting started steps.

What's new for Call queues in the past six months

  • November 22

    • Callback functionality is now available through Teams admin center.
  • November 5

  • September 16

    • Callback functionality is available through PowerShell cmdlets.
    • Conference mode is now supported for Skype for Business clients and calls that are routed to the queue from Skype for Business Server.

Steps to create a Call queue

The steps to set up a Call queue includes:

  1. Set up general information
  2. Set the greeting and music
  3. Set up call answering
  4. Choose and assign agents
  5. Set up call exception handling
  6. Set up authorized users

The steps outlined in the article create Call queues using the Teams admin center. For instructions to create Call queues using PowerShell, see Creating Call queues with PowerShell cmdlets.

Follow these steps to set up your Call queue

Step 1: Set up general information

To set up a Call queue, in the Teams admin center, expand Voice, select Call queues, and then select Add.

Type a name for the Call queue in the box at the top.

Add an existing resource account

Before you can create and manage resource accounts, you must do the following actions:

All Call queues that directly answer calls must have an associated resource account. All resource accounts must be assigned a Microsoft Teams Phone Resource Account license. If you wish, you can assign several resource accounts to a Call queue.

Nested Auto attendants and Call queues that receive calls from an auto attendant or call queue that has already answered the call don't require a resource account.

For details on how to create resource accounts and ready them for use with auto attendants or call queues, see Manage Teams resource accounts.

Agents see the resource account name or call queue name when they receive an incoming call.

Assign a calling ID (optional)

Assign outbound caller ID numbers for the agents by specifying one or more resource accounts with a phone number. Agents can select which outbound caller ID number to use with each outbound call they make. Within the Calls App, agents can use their Call Queue (CQ) / Auto Attendant (AA) number or their own personal Direct InWard Dial (DID).

Note

The resource account used for calling ID purposes must have a Microsoft Teams Phone Resource Account license and one of the following assigned:

  • A Calling Plan license and a phone number assigned
  • An Operator Connect phone number assigned
  • An online voice routing policy (phone number assignment is optional when using Direct Routing)
  1. Under Assign calling ID, select the Add button.
  2. On the Add accounts pane, search for one or more resource accounts you want to allow agents to use for outbound caller ID purposes.
  3. Select the Add button next to the resource account with an assigned phone number.
  4. Select the Add button at the bottom of the pane.

If you don't have a resource account with an assigned phone number, you must create a resource account. For more information, see Create a Teams resource accounts.

After you create this new resource account for calling ID, you still need to:

Set the Service level threshold

This feature is in private preview.

Service level measures the efficiency and responsiveness to incoming customer requests within a specific Service level threshold.

You can set the threshold target to any value from 0 to 40 minutes (2,400 seconds). The value must be less than the value set for Call timeout. Setting the value to blank (empty) disables the service level metric calculation for the call queue.

Note

Service level metrics are not currently available in Queues app.

Service level metrics are not currently available in historical reporting.

Set the Call queue language

Choose a supported language.

This language is used for system-generated voice prompts and voicemail transcription, if you enable them.

After you select a language, select the Next button at the bottom of the Add a Call queue page.

The following settings are recommended:

  • Conference mode to On
    • Conference mode will be the only option available for Call queues after June 2025
  • Routing method to Round robin or Longest idle
  • Presence-based routing to On
  • Agent alert time: to a minimum of 20 seconds

Extra functionality available through PowerShell cmdlets

Caution

These configuration options are currently only available through PowerShell cmdlets and they don't appear in Teams admin center. If these options are configured through PowerShell, any changes to the Call queue through Teams admin center erases these settings.

Additional messaging

The Overflow, Call timeout, and No Agents exception redirect options for Person in organization and Voicemail personal support additional prompting just like the other redirect options.

For more information, see:

New-CsCallQueue (For new call queues) Set-CsCallQueue (For existing call queues)
-OverflowRedirectPersonTextToSpeechPrompt -OverflowRedirectPersonTextToSpeechPrompt
-OverflowRedirectPersonAudioFilePrompt -OverflowRedirectPersonAudioFilePrompt
-OverflowRedirectVoicemailTextToSpeechPrompt -OverflowRedirectVoicemailTextToSpeechPrompt
-OverflowRedirectVoicemailAudioFilePrompt -OverflowRedirectVoicemailAudioFilePrompt
-TimeoutRedirectPersonTextToSpeechPrompt -TimeoutRedirectPersonTextToSpeechPrompt
-TimeoutRedirectPersonAudioFilePrompt -TimeoutRedirectPersonAudioFilePrompt
-TimeoutRedirectVoicemailTextToSpeechPrompt -TimeoutRedirectVoicemailTextToSpeechPrompt
-TimeoutRedirectVoicemailAudioFilePrompt -TimeoutRedirectVoicemailAudioFilePrompt
-NoAgentRedirectPersonTextToSpeechPrompt -NoAgentRedirectPersonTextToSpeechPrompt
-NotAgentRedirectPersonAudioFilePrompt -NotAgentRedirectPersonAudioFilePrompt
-NoAgentRedirectVoicemailTextToSpeechPrompt -NoAgentRedirectVoicemailTextToSpeechPrompt
-NoAgentRedirectVoicemailAudioFilePrompt -NoAgentRedirectVoicemailAudioFilePrompt

Hiding authorized users

Hidden authorized users are authorized users who shouldn't appear on the list of supervisors for the agents who are members of a particular call queue.

Hidden authorized users aren't visible to Queues app users.

For more information, see:

New-CsCallQueue (For new call queues) Set-CsCallQueue (For existing call queues)
-HideAuthorizedUsers -HideAuthorizedUsers

Nested Auto attendants and Call queues

Nested Auto attendants and Call queues, or auto attendants and call queues that don't directly answer phone calls, no longer require a Resource Account and associated licensing.

Existing configurations that use Resource Accounts will continue to function and remain fully supported. A combination of both methods can be used at the same time.

When call queue Exception handling occurs, the Voice app destination for Overflow, Timeout, and No Agents can refer to an auto attendant or call queue directly instead of the Resource Account for that auto attendant or call queue.

For more information, see the following documentation:

New-CsCallQueue (For new call queues) Set-CsCallQueue (For existing call queues)
-OverflowActionTarget -OverflowActionTarget
-TimeOutActionTarget -TimeOutActionTarget
-NoAgentActionTarget -NoAgentActionTarget

PowerShell Example

Overflow to another Auto attendant or Call queue

To modify an existing call queue, use the Set-CsCallQueue cmdlet, as shown in the following examples:

Overflow

Set-CsCallQueue -Identity <CallQueue GUID> -OverflowAction Forward -OverflowActionTarget <Auto Attendant or Call Queue GUID>

Timeout

Set-CsCallQueue -Identity <CallQueue GUID> -OverflowAction Forward -TimeOutActionTarget <Auto Attendant or Call Queue GUID>

No Agents

Set-CsCallQueue -Identity <CallQueue GUID> -OverflowAction Forward -NoAgentActionTarget <Auto Attendant or Call Queue GUID>

Resources for complex scenarios

Call queue feature compatibility

Feature Teams Desktop1 Teams Web Teams Mobile App2 Teams Phone Mobile3 Skype for Business IP Phones Standard Call Queues Channel Based Call Queues Comment
Agent Routing Methods
Attendant Routing Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Default
Longest Idle4 Y Y Y Y N Y Y Y Recommended
Round Robin Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Recommended
Serial Y Y Y Y Y Y Y5 Y5
Agent Routing Options
Presence Based Routing4 Y Y Y Y11 N Y Y Y Default
Agents can opt out Y Y Y Y11 Y8 Y8 Y Y Default
Transfer Modes
Conference Mode6 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Default
Transfer Mode Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Collaborative Calling
Channel Based Queues Y N N N N N N/A Y9 Agents on non-supported devices can still answer calls however they won't have the collaborative calling user interface
Dynamic caller ID
Standard Call queue Y Y Y N N N Y N/A
Channel based Call queue Y N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Y
PSTN Connectivity Methods See Note 10
Calling Plans Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Direct Routing Y Y Y Y N12 Y Y7 Y
Operator Connect Y Y Y Y N Y Y7 Y
Miscellaneous
Call toast shows Resource Account Name Y N Y N Y Y Y
Click-to-call Y N N N N N Y Y
Compliance recording Not fully supported
Location based routing N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Not supported

Notes

  1. Microsoft Teams Windows client, Microsoft Teams Mac Client, Microsoft Teams on Virtualized Desktop Infrastructure.
  2. Microsoft Teams iPhone app, Microsoft Teams Android app.
  3. Teams Phone Mobile Cellular Phone Dialer.
  4. Selecting Longest Idle for the agent routing method automatically enables Presence based routing.
  5. It's not possible to set the order the agents are presented with calls when using a group or channel for membership.
  6. Conference mode isn't supported if phone calls are routed to the queue from a Direct Routing gateway that's enabled for Location-Based Routing.
  7. Microsoft Teams Phone only.
  8. Through the User Settings Portal page at https://aka.ms/vmsettings.
  9. Only standard channels are supported.
  10. Transferring calls between PSTN connectivity methods isn't supported.
  11. Performed through Team Phone Mobile app or see #8.
  12. Call queues that are assigned a direct routing number don't support Skype for Business clients, Lync clients, or Skype for Business IP Phones as agents. The Teams client is only supported with a co-existence mode of Teams Only.

Supported clients

The following clients are supported for call agents in a Call queue:

  • Skype for Business desktop client 2016 (32-bit and 64-bit versions)
  • All IP phone models supported for Microsoft Teams.
  • Mac Skype for Business Client (version 16.8.196 and later)
  • Android Skype for Business Client (version 6.16.0.9 and later)
  • iPhone Skype for Business Client (version 6.16.0 and later)
  • iPad Skype for Business Client (version 6.16.0 and later)
  • Microsoft Teams Windows client (32-bit and 64-bit versions)
  • Microsoft Teams Mac client
  • Microsoft Teams on Virtualized Desktop Infrastructure (Windows Virtual Desktop, Citrix, and VMware)
  • Microsoft Teams iPhone app
  • Microsoft Teams Android app

Call Queue Diagnostic Tool

If you're an administrator, you can use the following diagnostic tool to validate that a Call queue is able to receive calls:

  1. Select Run Tests, which populates the diagnostic in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.

  2. In the Run diagnostic pane, enter the Resource Account in the Username or Email field, and then select Run Tests.

  3. The tests return the best next steps to address any tenant, policy, and resource account configurations to validate that the Call queue is able to receive calls.

Plan for Teams Auto attendants and Call queues

Here's what you get with Microsoft Teams Phone.

Getting service phone numbers.

Country and region availability for Audio Conferencing and Calling Plans.