Teams calls

Dear @James, Dara L.,PhD,MS, 

Thank you for sharing your concern. I understand that your team would like to place direct phone calls to research participants from Microsoft Teams, without relying on mobile phones or scheduling a Teams meeting. 

To make direct outbound calls to external phone numbers, your organization must enable a capability called Teams Phone. By default, Teams supports internet-based calling only, so enabling this feature will allow calls to regular phone numbers. 

Below is a clear overview of what your IT administrator needs to set up: 

Step 1: Assign Teams Phone licenses 

Your IT administrator will need to assign the Teams Phone license to each user who needs to make or receive external calls. This license is included in Microsoft 365 E5 or can be added to other subscription plans. 

Teams Phone licensing - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn 

Step 2: Select the method for connecting Teams to the public phone network 

Your organization can choose one of the following connectivity options. Each option includes its own configuration steps within the Teams admin center. 

• Option 1: Microsoft Calling Plans 

Your IT admin purchases Calling Plan licenses. 

Numbers are provided directly by Microsoft. 

Numbers are assigned to users in the Teams admin center. 

• Option 2: Operator Connect 

Your IT admin selects a certified telecom operator inside the Teams admin center. 

The operator provides phone numbers and manages connectivity. 

Numbers are assigned to users once available. 

• Option 3: Direct Routing 

Your IT admin connects an approved Session Border Controller (SBC). 

Existing phone numbers or SIP trunks are linked to Teams. 

Numbers are assigned after configuration. 

Step 3: Get and assign phone numbers 

After the PSTN method is selected, your IT admin will obtain phone numbers and assign them to users in the Teams admin center under Voice and Phone Numbers. The user accounts must also be enabled for Enterprise Voice. 

Set up Teams Phone in your organization - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn 

Manage phone numbers for users - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn 

Step 4: Configure emergency calling 

Before the feature goes live, your IT admin will need to ensure that emergency addresses and the required regulatory settings are completed for compliance. 

Step 5: What your team will experience 

Once setup is complete, your team can open Microsoft Teams, go to the Calls section and use the dial pad to call external participants directly, just like a traditional phone. 

Use the dial pad to make a call in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Support 

Note: Calling plan availability and calling minute entitlements depend on the country or region. Your IT team can verify coverage in Microsoft’s Country and Region Availability documentation. 

Additional information is available in the following resources: 
What is Teams Phone - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn 

Microsoft Teams Calling Plans - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn 

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I hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions or need further support, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

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Yes, but only if the organization is licensed for Teams Phone (business calling) and not using Teams Free.

Key points based on current behavior:

1. Teams can function as a phone
   Teams supports direct phone calling (PSTN) with features like a dial pad, speed dial, and voicemail when configured as an office phone system:
   • Use Calls on the left side of the app.
   • Select Make a call and enter the participant’s phone number on the dial pad to place a call.
   • You can also call from a chat or from a contact’s profile card using Video call or Audio call.
2. Business license required for phone calling
   Phone calling options (calling external phone numbers) are only available in Teams Business with the appropriate calling/phone license. Teams Free and Teams Free (personal) do not support calling phone numbers directly.
3. What this means for the hospital scenario
   • If the hospital’s tenant has Teams Phone (or equivalent calling plan) assigned to staff, they can call research participants’ phone numbers directly from Teams without scheduling a meeting or using a cell phone.
   • If the tenant is using Teams Free or does not have phone calling licenses, Teams can only call other Teams users (or be used for scheduled/joined meetings), not regular phone numbers.
4. Alternative if phone calling is not enabled
   Without Teams Phone licensing, the only options in Teams are:
   • One-on-one or group Teams calls from chat (participants must join via Teams link/app).
   • Teams meetings where participants join over the internet or dial in if the meeting organizer’s tenant has audio conferencing enabled.

To enable direct phone calls to participants, the hospital’s IT/administration would need to configure Teams Phone and assign appropriate calling licenses to the research staff accounts.

References:

• Switch to Teams from Skype for Business
• First things to know about calls in Microsoft Teams
• Start a call from a chat in Microsoft Teams
• transfer skype to teams - Microsoft Q&A
• transfer of phone numbers from Skype to Teams - Microsoft Q&A