What Is Teams Phone?
Teams Phone is the latest telecommunications service offering from UW-IT. It combines the functionality of Microsoft Teams with the ability to place and receive telephone calls using your campus (221, 352, 543, 616, 685, 692, or 897) phone number through the Microsoft Teams application. This calling functionality works the same as it does on the existing Avaya system, although there are some important differences.
Read on to find out more about the Teams Phone service and how it differs from your current desk phone service, or click here for a short video.
Am I a good fit for Teams Phone?
You are a good fit for Teams Phone if:
- You currently have or are using Microsoft Teams.
- You have, or want, a UW Campus phone number.
- You are a standalone phone user with a direct phone number.
- You have no specialized calling features on your handset.
- You are faculty or staff.
If you are not a standalone phone user, you may still be a good fit for Teams Phone. if:
- You are responsible for answering calls to other people’s phone numbers, AND
- The person whose phone you’re responsible for answering is also willing to move to Teams Phone.
- You currently have a shared line with anyone else, or someone else is responsible for answering your calls, AND
- Everyone else using the shared line is willing to move to Teams Phone.
You may not be a good fit for Teams Phone if:
- You have an agent ID, or are in an Avaya Call Center.
- If you are in a call center, but still want to get rid of your desk phone, you should consider using Avaya Workplace.
- You need access to call recording services. This feature is not available with Teams Phone.
- You need access to call center reporting.
- You are a non-employee student. Teams Phone, like UW Phone Service, is not available for students except in extremely rare circumstances.
- You need a physical phone that can be easily shared by anyone. For example, walk-up phones, or common area phones.
How is Teams Phone different from my desk phone?
Instead of placing or receiving calls with a telephone handset, you’ll use your computer and the Microsoft Teams’ “Calls” panel. If you have a telephone keypad in the “Calls” panel, you have Teams Phone service, and can place and receive calls to telephone numbers the same way you’d do so with a desk phone (except without the need to dial 9 first).
Your voicemails will also come through the Teams app, so you won’t have to dial in to check your voicemails anymore.
You can also download the Microsoft Teams app to your smartphone in order to place and receive calls with your Campus number right through the app, and you’ll also be able to check your campus voicemails there, too.
Can I have a desk phone and also use Teams Phone?
No. You’ll have to choose one or the other. But with Microsoft Teams and the Teams App on your smartphone, you won’t need a desk phone.
How do I receive my campus calls on my cell phone with Teams Phone?
You’ll need to download the Microsoft Teams app from either the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. You can also click here to download the app directly. Once you sign in with your UW NetID, you’ll be able to receive and place campus phone calls directly from the Teams app.
What will I need to use Teams Phone?
You will need a computer or smartphone with Microsoft Teams installed.
- To download the most recent version of Microsoft Teams, click here.
- To download the smartphone version of Microsoft Teams, check your phone’s app store or click here.
If you’re using a laptop, the built-in microphone will work to place and receive calls; however, we highly recommend using a wired or wireless headset for better quality audio. Please note we cannot recommend specific headsets, but you can purchase a compatible one through your usual channels.
You will also need a faculty or staff UW NetID. Your campus phone number will be linked to your UW NetID, so it’s important you have this set up.
Non-employee students are not eligible to use Teams Phone.
How do I switch to Teams Phone?
To switch to Teams Phone, fill out the UW-IT Telecom Help Form. Choose “Phone,” then “Switch Phone Service.” Choose the “Teams” drop down option from the “Switch To Service” menu.
There is currently no charge to switch your phone service from Avaya to Teams.
What if I don’t already have a campus number? Can I use Teams Phone instead of a desk phone?
Absolutely. To place an order for new Teams Phone service, fill out the UW-IT Telecom Help Form. Choose “Phone,” then “New Phone Subscription,” then “New Teams Phone Service” and fill out the form with the required information.
If you do not already have existing phone service, you will be charged the current rates for UW Phone service. There is no setup fee. Please be prepared to provide your worktags.
What if I’m currently using Avaya Workplace? Can I switch to Teams Phone?
Absolutely; in fact, there’s a good chance you’re a good fit for Teams Phone if you’re only using Avaya Workplace.
Fill out the UW-IT Telecom Help Form. Choose “Phone,” then “Switch Phone Service.” Choose the “Teams” drop down option from the “Switch To Service” menu. Please also indicate you have no desk set to pick up.
What happens when I submit my request to switch to Teams Phone?
Once your request is submitted, within the next 24-48 hours, our analysts will deactivate your Avaya phone service, which will make your phone number briefly unavailable while it is transitioned to Teams Phone. All of your voicemail messages will also be deleted, so please be sure to back up any voicemail messages using Web PhoneManager that are important before submitting your request.
The analyst will then associate your campus number with Teams Phone, which only takes a few minutes. Once that process is complete, they’ll email you to let you know. If we can’t switch you over for any reason, your analyst will let you know what next steps to take.
After one week, someone will be dispatched to collect your Avaya desk set. You should unplug it and set it aside as soon as you’re converted to Teams Phone or 911 will have a more difficult time determining your location.
You will need to restart Microsoft Teams to see the changes take effect. It may take up to 5 minutes before you see the dial pad in the “Calls” panel in Teams.
Please note that if you have the Microsoft Teams app installed on your smartphone and you’re signed into Teams, you will not be able to test call yourself to see if it’s working; you’ll instead be directed to voicemail. This is intended behavior and indicates that your Teams Phone service is set up successfully.
You can find the getting started guide here.
What if I don’t like Teams Phone? Can I switch back to my desk phone?
You can absolutely switch back at any time. Use the same form for switching to Teams but select the “Avaya” drop down option from the “Switch to Service” menu.
Are there any costs for switching to Teams Phone or back to my desk phone?
There is currently no charge to switch to Teams Phone. We won’t collect your desk phone for a week, so you’ll have plenty of time to try out all the features and get comfortable with your new service.
If you decide to switch back to Avaya after your phone’s been collected, we will charge you a standard dispatch fee to bring you a new handset ($147). Please be prepared to provide your worktags.
Teams Phone service is provided as part of UW Phone Service. For more information on UW Phone Service pricing, please visit the Service Catalog entry.
Can I use Teams Phone with a Shared UW NetID?
No. Teams Phone is only available for personal UW NetIDs.
How are emergency (911) calls handled with Teams Phone?
When you’re on campus connected via wired or WiFi, your location is determined automatically.
When you’re off campus, with Teams Phone, just like with Avaya Workplace, you’ll need to set your location manually. Unlike Avaya Workplace, however, you will not have to register with the UW-IT Emergency Location Management portal. Simply set your location from within the Teams application’s “Calls” tab.
What if I’m a student employee? Am I eligible to use Teams Phone?
You may be eligible to use Teams Phone if you meet all the criteria mentioned above for being a good fit for Teams Phone and you’re a student employee. To use Teams Phone on your campus work number, you’ll need to purchase the UW Microsoft Advanced Service Level service. This step must be completed before submitting your request.
Please note that if you lose your Microsoft 365 license, you will also lose access to Teams Phone.
What if I’m a student? Am I eligible to use Teams Phone?
No. Teams Phone service, like UW Phone Service, is not available to students at large. You must be faculty, staff, or a student employee to use UW Phone Service.
What if I’m using the UW Google service? Am I eligible to use Teams Phone?
Yes; all UW faculty and staff have access to Microsoft Teams. You’ll need to download the app to your computer and/or smartphone and sign in with your NetID to use Teams Phone. However, you will be assigned a campus phone number; we will not import numbers from Google.
What if I’m part of UW Medicine? Am I eligible to use Teams Phone?
This service is only available for campus numbers that have the prefix of 221, 352, 543, 616, 685, 692, or 897. If you are in UW Medicine, the UW Medical Center or Harborview, you may still be eligible for Teams Phone through UW Medicine IT. Please contact the follow support groups:
UWMC: Teleserv@uw.edu or call 206-598-6970
UW Medicine: comtech@uw.edu or call 206-520-2020
HMC Telecom: hmctelco@uw.edu or call 206-744-4357