Teams calls

 How to make a call

The Calls icon on Teams

From the menu bar on the left, select the Calls button

The Make a Call bar in Teams  Under the Make a Call section, type in the name of the person you want to call. If you need to make a group call, you'll need to add all of the names of the people you want in the call.  
The Video and Audio Call option buttons in Teams  Select the telephone icon for an audio call or the video icon for a video call.

Please note that your University Teams account is unable to make calls to telephone numbers. 

Making calls to external contacts 

You will only be able to make calls to external contacts if they have an email address that is linked to a Teams account. 

How to make a call from a chat

 You can also make one-on-one and group calls directly from a chat.

Head to your chat list and select the individual or group you would like to contact.

The Audio Call button in Teams Select the telephone icon for an audio call 
The Video call button in Teams Select the video icon for a video call

How to answer a call 

The incoming call notification on Teams

The Audio Call button in Teams Use the telephone icon to answer using audio
The Video call button in Teams Use the video icon to answer using video
The Reject a call icon on Teams Use the hang up icon to reject the call

Using the call tool bar 

The Calls tool bar on Teams

*the more actions tab opens up an additional menu bar: 

The more actions menu on Teams calls

 

How to place a call on hold

The three dot 'more actions' button in Teams Select the more actions button on the call tool bar
The Hold option in the Teams calls menu Select the hold option

To continue with your call, select Resume
The On hold screen with resume button on Teams

Teams will notify you if you have been put on hold. 

The notification that you have been placed on hold in Teams

 

How to make multiple calls

You can make multiple calls at once. 

Place your current call on hold, then make another call.

You can also take multiple calls at once. 

The incoming call when on a call notification on Teams

Select the telephone icon in the incoming call window (bottom right of your screen). 

The contact on the original call will automatically be put on hold

How to add a contact to an existing call 

The contact icon in the calls tool bar on Teams Select the contact icon in the call tool bar
The invite a contact menu in a call on Teams Add the name(s) of the contact(s) you want to add to the call. They will then be invited into the call and can accept or reject depending on their availability. 

How to transfer a call 

The three dot 'more actions' button in Teams Select the more actions button in the call tool bar
The transfer a call button in Teams Select the transfer button
The transfer a call menu in Teams

Type in the contacts name and click transfer.

You can also check with the person you are transferring the call to before transferring. 

The three dot 'more actions' button in Teams Select the more actions button in the call tool bar. 
The consult then transfer button in Teams Select the Consult then transfer button. 
The choose a person to consult before transferring a call menu in Teams Type in the name of the contact you want to consult, and press Consult.
The consult before transferring screen in Teams

You will then be able to talk to your contact before you transfer the call. 

If they can accept the transfer, click Transfer

If they can't accept the transfer, click Stop consulting - this will take you back to the original call. 

Managing contacts

Your contacts list will be made up of people you regularly contact through calling Teams but you can also add and remove people yourself.

The Calls icon on Teams Select Calls from the menu bar on the left
The calls menu on Teams with contacts highlighted Select Contacts
The add contact button in Teams Select the Add contact button
The add contact menu in Teams Type the name of the contact you want to add and click Add. You will need to use their name rather than their phone number
The remove contact button in Teams To remove a contact, click the three dots by their name in your contacts list and select Remove contact

Your contacts are not the same as your chat list - your contacts are people you call, while your chat list is people you talk to via chat. 

 

How to set up and use speed dial

Speed dial in Teams is a useful way of easily accessing and calling contacts you speak to often. 

The Calls icon on Teams Select Calls from the menu bar on the left
The speed dial menu in Teams Select Speed dial
The add speed dial option in Teams Select Add speed dial 
The add contact to speed dial for Teams Type the name of the contact you want to add. You will need to use their name, rather than their number
The final menu to add a speed dial contact in Teams Click Add

You can also set up a group in your speed dial contacts, such as your team, department, or a study group.

The add speed dial option in Teams Select New group from the speed dial menu 
The speed dial group menu in Teams Type the contact group name and press Create
The speed dial group contact menu in Teams To add members, select the three dots by the group name and select Add a contact to this group. You can also use this menu to Rename the group or to Delete the group 

To remove a contact from your speed dial list or from a speed dial group, select the three dots in their name card (find this in your speed dial menu) and choose either Remove from speed dial or Remove from this group

The remove contact from speed dial menu in Teams

How to view your call history

The Calls icon on Teams Select Calls from the menu bar on the left
The call history menu on Teams Select History. This will take you to a list of all your past calls 
The call back or chat menu in call history in Teams You can Call back or Chat with contacts by selecting the three dots and choosing your required option

 

How to use voicemail in Teams

If a call is not answered you will automatically be directed to voicemail.

To leave a voice message stay on the call until you are forwarded to voicemail and leave your message after the tone. 

You will be notified by Teams when you receive a voicemail – to retrieve your voicemail select the option from the Calls menu.              

The voicemail notification in Teams

To play back your voicemail click the play button. Teams will also send you, where possible, the transcribed version of the message. In addition you will also receive a copy of the message in Outlook.

The voicemail playback options in Teams

Please note that if you delete the voice message from your Outlook inbox then Teams will also automatically remove it from your list in Teams. If you require the message then do not remove it from your inbox.

How to use video calls

Although you aren't required to use your video on calls, it is a good way of communicating with your colleagues as you can see body language and facial expressions. 

The video call icon in Teams To enable video call, select the Video icon
The video off icon in Teams When your video is off, you will see the Video off icon

How to change your background on video calls

You can blur or change your background on video calls. This is useful if you would rather people weren't able to see your actual backdrop, or if you are anywhere where confidentiality or anonymity of people in the background is important. 

The three dot 'more actions' button in Teams Select the more actions button in the calls tool bar
The show background effects menu in Teams Select Show background effects
The background effects menu in Teams

You can choose one of the Teams backgrounds and click Apply and turn on video

To blur your background, choose the second option (background blur) and click Apply and turn on video

You can also upload your own picture to use as a background. To do this, click +Add new (at the top of the menu) and upload your image. The images you upload can be found at the bottom of the menu. Select the one you want and click Apply and turn on video 

 

How to share your screen

Sharing your screen is an easy way to present during a call. 

The screen share icon in Teams Select the screen share icon in the call tool bar
The screen share options menu in Teams Choose the document or screen you wish to present 
The screen share end icon To end screen share, select the end screen share icon

During a screen share, you can allow a contact to take control of your screen using the Give control button at the top of the window. This is useful for investing any problems you might have with your computer, and copresenting. 

The Give control option in screen share in Teams

You can take back control at any point by clicking the Cancel control button

The cancel control option in screen share in Teams

To take control of a contact's screen, click the Request control button when they are sharing their screen with you. 

The request control option in screen share in Teams

Your contact will be asked to grant you permission to control their screen. They can choose to Allow or Deny, or Stop presenting, which would stop you being able to take control. 

The notification that a contact wants to take control of your screen in Teams

You will receive the following message if your request to take control has been denied.

The notification that a contract has denied your screen share request in Teams