Setup - Auto Attendant

  • Applies to: Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams

This article is for IT pros and Teams Administrators who want to Auto Attendants.

Planing and licensing review

Planning

Licensing

What's new for Auto attendants in the past six months

  • January 6
    • Teams Admin Center (TAC) no longer overwrites PowerShell only configuration

Steps to create an Auto attendant

To set up an Auto attendant in the Teams Admin Center, expand Voice, select Auto attendants, and then select Add.

Quick setup

Quick setup is for Organizations with simpler call routing needs might not require the full range of configurations offered by the Advanced setup.

Advanced setup is for organizations with more complex routing requirements, or organizations looking to add functionality to call queues that were created through Quick setup.

Quick setup

Quick setup (expand to see instructions)

Step 1: General info for Auto attendant

  1. Type a name for the Auto attendant.
  2. Select the time zone to determine the after hours schedule.
  3. Select the language for system prompts and text to speech greetings.
  4. Select how the Auto attendant receives calls.

After setting the auto attendant's general info, select Next.

Step 2: Select call routing options

  1. Choose a destination to redirect the call to or the menu option to play to the caller.

Once you select your call routing options, select the Submit button at the bottom of the Set up Auto attendant wizard page.

Advanced setup

Step 1 - General info (expand to see instructions)

Step 1: General info

Name

Type a name for the auto attendant in the box at the top.

Teams Phone Agent

See Teams Phone Agent if you want to set up a Teams Phone Agent.

How do callers reach this auto attendant

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

Through a resource account

Select this option if this auto attendant needs to be called directly.

Through a voice app (no resource account needed)

Select this option if this auto attendant is nested behind another Teams Phone Agent, Auto Attendant or Call Queue that has answered the call.

Language

Specify a supported language for this Auto attendant. This language is used for system-generated voice prompts.

Expand to see list of supported languages/locales
Locale Language
ar-EG Arabic (Egypt)
ar-SA Arabic (Saudi Arabia)
hy-AM Armenian (Armenia)
bg-BG Bulgarian (Bulgaria)
ca-ES Catalan (Spain)
zh-CN Chinese (Simplified, PRC)
zh-HK Chinese (Traditional, Hong Kong SAR) │
zh-TW Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan)
hr-HR Croatian (Croatia)
cs-CZ Czech (Czechia)
da-BE Danish (Belgium)
da-DK Danish (Denmark)
nl-NL Dutch (Netherlands)
en-AU English (Australia)
en-CA English (Canada)
en-GB English (United Kingdom)
en-IE English (Ireland)
en-IN English (India)
en-PH English (Philippines)
en-US English (United States)
en-ZA English (South Africa)
et-EE Estonian (Estonia)
fi-FI Finnish (Finland)
fr-BE French (Belgium)
fr-CA French (Canada)
fr-CH French (Switzerland)
fr-FR French (France)
gl-ES Galician (Spain)
de-AT German (Austria)
de-CH German (Switzerland)
de-DE German (Germany)
el-GR Greek (Greece)
he-IL Hebrew (Israel)
hi-IN Hindi (India)
hu-HU Hungarian (Hungary)
id-ID Indonesian (Indonesia)
is-IS Icelandic (Iceland)
it-IT Italian (Italy)
ja-JP Japanese (Japan)
kn-IN Kannada (India)
ko-KR Korean (Korea)
lt-LT Lithuanian (Lithuania)
lv-LV Latvian (Latvia)
mr-IN Marathi (India)
nb-NO Norwegian Bokmål (Norway)
fa-IR Persian (Iran)
pl-PL Polish (Poland)
pt-BR Portuguese (Brazil)
pt-PT Portuguese (Portugal)
ro-RO Romanian (Romania)
ru-RU Russian (Russia)
sk-SK Slovak (Slovakia)
sl-SI Slovenian (Slovenia)
sr-RS Serbian (Serbia)
es-ES Spanish (Spain, International)
es-MX Spanish (Mexico)
sv-SE Swedish (Sweden)
ta-IN Tamil (India)
th-TH Thai (Thailand)
tr-TR Turkish (Turkey)
uk-UA Ukrainian (Ukraine)
ur-PK Urdu (Pakistan)
vi-VN Vietnamese (Vietnam)
Voice inputs

Enable Voice inputs if you want menu options to become speech-recognition keywords.

For example, callers can say "One" to select the menu option mapped to key 1, or they can say "Sales" to select the menu option named "Sales."

If you choose a language that doesn't support voice inputs, this option isn't available.

Operator (optional)

Tip

Configuring an Operator is recommended.

Specify the destination for calls to the operator.

The auto attendant directs callers to the Operator when callers don't make any selection from the menu or when a call processing error occurs (for example, a call transfer to an invalid phone number). Setting the Operator also gives callers the option to break out of the menus and speak to a designated person.

Note

Make sure to also set up an Operator key on the menu options otherwise the Operator feature isn't enabled.

After setting the Operator, select the Next.

Step 2 - Call handling hours (expand to see instructions)

Step 2: Call handling hours

Time zone

Specify the time zone for this auto attendant.

The time zone is used for calculating business hours if you XXXXX
create a separate call flow for after hours.

Business and after hours
  • If business hours aren't changed, the Business-hours call flow is followed from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (09:00-17:00), and the After-hours call flow is followed outside of these hours, every day of the week.
  • Business hours can be set with multiple breaks in time during the day
  • Any time of day that isn't set as business hours are considered after-hours.
  • You can set different incoming call-handling options and greetings for after-hours.
  1. Next to the weekday in the table, adjust the Start at and End at times.
  2. If needed, select + (add new time) to specify multiple sets of hours for a given day, for example, to specify a lunch break.

The routing options for Business-hours call flow and After-hours call flow are configured in the next 2 steps.

After setting the Business and after hours times, select Next.

Previous steps:
Step 3 - Business-hours call flow (expand to see instructions)

Step 3: Business-hours call flow

Important

On November 1, 2025 Changes to licensing required for Auto attendant and Call queue outbound PSTN calling occurred.

Greeting options

Select the greeting option that callers hear during business hours.

  • No greeting - no greeting is played.
  • Play an audio file - upload a prerecorded audio file.
  • Add a greeting message - enter the text for the greeting.

If you select Play an audio file you can use the Upload file button to upload a recorded greeting message saved as audio in .WAV, .MP3, or .WMA format. The recording can be no larger than 5 MB.

If you select Type a greeting message, the system reads the text that you enter (up to 1,000 characters) in the language selected in step 1.

Call routing options

Select what happens to the call after the greeting is played.

  • Disconnect - the call is disconnected.
  • Redirect call - the call is redirected to one of the call routing destinations.
  • Play menu options - the call is presented with a list of options to choose from.

The routing options for Redirect call

  • Person in the organization - a person in your organization who can receive voice calls.
  • Voice app - Choose the Auto Attendant or Call Queue when choosing this destination. The call priority can be set when the destination is a Call Queue.
  • Resource account - Choose the resource account associated with the Teams Phone Agent, Auto Attendant or Call Queue when choosing this destination.
  • External phone number - any phone number. See Outbound calling line identification (number).
  • Voicemail - the voice mailbox associated with a Microsoft 365 Group that you specify.
    • In Microsoft 365 admin center, enable Let people outside the organization email this team for the Microsoft 365 group that you specify.

The routing options for Play menu options are:

Auto attendants can redirect calls, based on callers' input, to one of the following destinations:

  • Operator - the operator defined for the Auto attendant.
  • Person in the organization - a person in your organization who can receive voice calls.
  • Voice app - Choose the Auto attendant or Call queue when choosing this destination.
  • Resource account - Choose the resource account associated with the Teams Phone Agent, Auto Attendant or Call Queue when choosing this destination.
  • Voicemail - the voice mailbox associated with a Microsoft 365 Group that you specify.
    • In Microsoft 365 admin center, enable Let people outside the organization email this team for the Microsoft 365 group that you specify.
  • External phone number - any phone number. See Outbound calling line identification (number).
  • Announcement (Audio file) - Play an audio file. The system plays the announcement, and then returns to the Auto attendant menu. See Supported audio file formats.
  • Announcement (Typed) - Type in a message. Text you want the system to read. You can enter up to 1,000 characters. The system plays the announcement, and then returns to the Auto attendant menu.

Note

When redirecting calls to a Person in the organization, that person must be voice enabled.

For details on enabling voice, see Assign Teams add-on licenses to users.

Play menu options
Force listen

Set up the greeting and menu options

  • Play an audio file - upload a prerecorded audio file.
  • Add a greeting message - enter the text for the greeting.

If you select Play an audio file you can use the Upload file button to upload a recorded greeting message saved as audio in .WAV, .MP3, or .WMA format. The recording can be no larger than 5 MB.

Set menu options

For dialing options, assign the 0-9, * (asterisk) and # (pound) keys on the telephone keypad to one of the call routing destinations.

Key mappings don't have to be continuous. It's possible to create a menu with keys 0, 1, and 3 mapped to options, while the number 2 key isn't used.

If you configured an operator in Step 1, make sure to map a key to it here. If the operator isn't set to any key, the voice command "Operator" is also disabled.

For each menu option, specify the following settings:

  • Dial key - the key on the telephone keypad to access this option. If voice inputs are available, callers can also say this number to access the option.
  • Voice command - defines the voice command that a caller can give to access this option, if voice inputs are enabled. It can contain multiple words like "Customer Service" or "Operations and Grounds."
    • For example, the caller can press 2, say "two," or say "Sales" to select the option mapped to the 2 key.
    • This Voice command text also plays in the service confirmation prompt, such as "Transferring your call to sales."
  • Destination - the specific routing location for this option.

If you assign dial keys to destinations, we recommend that you choose None for Directory search. Dial keys are matched before directory searches are performed. If a caller uses dial keys assigned to specific destinations, the system routes the call immediately. The caller is transferred before they finish entering the full name or extension. We recommend that you create a separate Auto attendant for directory search and have your main Auto attendant link to it with a dial key.

If you didn't assign dial keys, then choose an option for Directory search.

  • Dial by name - If you enable this option, callers can say the user's name or type it on the telephone keypad. Any online user or any user hosted on-premises using Skype for Business Server, is an eligible user and can be found with Dial by name.
  • Dial by extension - If you enable this option, callers can connect with users in your organization by dialing their phone extension. Any online user or any user hosted on-premises using Skype for Business Server, is an eligible user and can be found with Dial by extension. (You can set who is and isn't included in the directory on the Dial scope page.)

Note

If you want to use both the Dial by name and Dial by extension features, you can assign a dial key on your main Auto attendant to reach an Auto attendant enabled for Dial by name. Within that Auto attendant, you can assign the 1 key (which has no letters associated with it) to reach the Dial by extension Auto attendant.

For more information, see the Dial by name or number reference.

After setting the business-hours call flow options, select Next.

Previous steps:
Step 4 - After-hours call flow (expand to see instructions)

Step 4: After-hours call flow

Important

On November 1, 2025 Changes to licensing required for Auto attendant and Call queue outbound PSTN calling occurred.

Greeting options

Select the greeting option that callers hear during business hours.

  • No greeting - no greeting is played.
  • Play an audio file - upload a prerecorded audio file.
  • Add a greeting message - enter the text for the greeting.

If you select Play an audio file you can use the Upload file button to upload a recorded greeting message saved as audio in .WAV, .MP3, or .WMA format. The recording can be no larger than 5 MB.

If you select Type a greeting message, the system reads the text that you enter (up to 1,000 characters) in the language selected in step 1.

Call routing options

Select what happens to the call after the greeting is played.

  • Disconnect - the call is disconnected.
  • Redirect call - the call is redirected to one of the call routing destinations.
  • Play menu options - the call is presented with a list of options to choose from.

The routing options for Redirect call

  • Person in the organization - a person in your organization who can receive voice calls.
  • Voice app - Choose the Auto Attendant or Call Queue when choosing this destination. The call priority can be set when the destination is a Call Queue.
  • Resource account - Choose the resource account associated with the Teams Phone Agent, Auto Attendant or Call Queue when choosing this destination.
  • External phone number - any phone number. See Outbound calling line identification (number).
  • Voicemail - the voice mailbox associated with a Microsoft 365 Group that you specify.
    • In Microsoft 365 admin center, enable Let people outside the organization email this team for the Microsoft 365 group that you specify.

The routing options for Play menu options are:

Auto attendants can redirect calls, based on callers' input, to one of the following destinations:

  • Operator - the operator defined for the Auto attendant.
  • Person in the organization - a person in your organization who can receive voice calls.
  • Voice app - Choose the Auto attendant or Call queue when choosing this destination.
  • Resource account - Choose the resource account associated with the Teams Phone Agent, Auto Attendant or Call Queue when choosing this destination.
  • Voicemail - the voice mailbox associated with a Microsoft 365 Group that you specify.
    • In Microsoft 365 admin center, enable Let people outside the organization email this team for the Microsoft 365 group that you specify.
  • External phone number - any phone number. See Outbound calling line identification (number).
  • Announcement (Audio file) - Play an audio file. The system plays the announcement, and then returns to the Auto attendant menu. See Supported audio file formats.
  • Announcement (Typed) - Type in a message. Text you want the system to read. You can enter up to 1,000 characters. The system plays the announcement, and then returns to the Auto attendant menu.

Note

When redirecting calls to a Person in the organization, that person must be voice enabled.

For details on enabling voice, see Assign Teams add-on licenses to users.

Play menu options
Force listen

Set up the greeting and menu options

  • Play an audio file - upload a prerecorded audio file.
  • Add a greeting message - enter the text for the greeting.

If you select Play an audio file you can use the Upload file button to upload a recorded greeting message saved as audio in .WAV, .MP3, or .WMA format. The recording can be no larger than 5 MB.

Set menu options

For dialing options, assign the 0-9, * (asterisk) and # (pound) keys on the telephone keypad to one of the call routing destinations.

Key mappings don't have to be continuous. It's possible to create a menu with keys 0, 1, and 3 mapped to options, while the number 2 key isn't used.

If you configured an operator in Step 1, make sure to map a key to it here. If the operator isn't set to any key, the voice command "Operator" is also disabled.

For each menu option, specify the following settings:

  • Dial key - the key on the telephone keypad to access this option. If voice inputs are available, callers can also say this number to access the option.
  • Voice command - defines the voice command that a caller can give to access this option, if voice inputs are enabled. It can contain multiple words like "Customer Service" or "Operations and Grounds."
    • For example, the caller can press 2, say "two," or say "Sales" to select the option mapped to the 2 key.
    • This Voice command text also plays in the service confirmation prompt, such as "Transferring your call to sales."
  • Destination - the specific routing location for this option.

If you assign dial keys to destinations, we recommend that you choose None for Directory search. Dial keys are matched before directory searches are performed. If a caller uses dial keys assigned to specific destinations, the system routes the call immediately. The caller is transferred before they finish entering the full name or extension. We recommend that you create a separate Auto attendant for directory search and have your main Auto attendant link to it with a dial key.

If you didn't assign dial keys, then choose an option for Directory search.

  • Dial by name - If you enable this option, callers can say the user's name or type it on the telephone keypad. Any online user or any user hosted on-premises using Skype for Business Server, is an eligible user and can be found with Dial by name.
  • Dial by extension - If you enable this option, callers can connect with users in your organization by dialing their phone extension. Any online user or any user hosted on-premises using Skype for Business Server, is an eligible user and can be found with Dial by extension. (You can set who is and isn't included in the directory on the Dial scope page.)

Note

If you want to use both the Dial by name and Dial by extension features, you can assign a dial key on your main Auto attendant to reach an Auto attendant enabled for Dial by name. Within that Auto attendant, you can assign the 1 key (which has no letters associated with it) to reach the Dial by extension Auto attendant.

For more information, see the Dial by name or number reference.

After setting the after-hours call flow options, select Next.

Previous steps:
Step 5 - Holidays call flow (expand to see instructions)

Step 5: Holidays call flow (optional)

Important

On November 1, 2025 Changes to licensing required for Auto attendant and Call queue outbound PSTN calling occurred.

The auto attendant can have a different call flow for each Holiday you configure.

On the Holiday call settings page, select Add.

Name

Type a name for the holiday in the box at the top.

Holiday

From the Holiday dropdown, choose the holiday you want to use.

Greeting options

Select the greeting option that callers hear during business hours.

  • No greeting - no greeting is played.
  • Play an audio file - upload a prerecorded audio file.
  • Add a greeting message - enter the text for the greeting.

If you select Play an audio file you can use the Upload file button to upload a recorded greeting message saved as audio in .WAV, .MP3, or .WMA format. The recording can be no larger than 5 MB.

If you select Type a greeting message, the system reads the text that you enter (up to 1,000 characters) in the language selected in step 1.

Call routing options

Select what happens to the call after the greeting is played.

  • Disconnect - the call is disconnected.
  • Redirect call - the call is redirected to one of the call routing destinations.
  • Play menu options - the call is presented with a list of options to choose from.

The routing options for Redirect call

  • Person in the organization - a person in your organization who can receive voice calls.
  • Voice app - Choose the Auto Attendant or Call Queue when choosing this destination. The call priority can be set when the destination is a Call Queue.
  • Resource account - Choose the resource account associated with the Teams Phone Agent, Auto Attendant or Call Queue when choosing this destination.
  • External phone number - any phone number. See Outbound calling line identification (number).
  • Voicemail - the voice mailbox associated with a Microsoft 365 Group that you specify.
    • In Microsoft 365 admin center, enable Let people outside the organization email this team for the Microsoft 365 group that you specify.

The routing options for Play menu options are:

Auto attendants can redirect calls, based on callers' input, to one of the following destinations:

  • Operator - the operator defined for the Auto attendant.
  • Person in the organization - a person in your organization who can receive voice calls.
  • Voice app - Choose the Auto attendant or Call queue when choosing this destination.
  • Resource account - Choose the resource account associated with the Teams Phone Agent, Auto Attendant or Call Queue when choosing this destination.
  • Voicemail - the voice mailbox associated with a Microsoft 365 Group that you specify.
    • In Microsoft 365 admin center, enable Let people outside the organization email this team for the Microsoft 365 group that you specify.
  • External phone number - any phone number. See Outbound calling line identification (number).
  • Announcement (Audio file) - Play an audio file. The system plays the announcement, and then returns to the Auto attendant menu. See Supported audio file formats.
  • Announcement (Typed) - Type in a message. Text you want the system to read. You can enter up to 1,000 characters. The system plays the announcement, and then returns to the Auto attendant menu.

Note

When redirecting calls to a Person in the organization, that person must be voice enabled.

For details on enabling voice, see Assign Teams add-on licenses to users.

Play menu options
Force listen

Set up the greeting and menu options

  • Play an audio file - upload a prerecorded audio file.
  • Add a greeting message - enter the text for the greeting.

If you select Play an audio file you can use the Upload file button to upload a recorded greeting message saved as audio in .WAV, .MP3, or .WMA format. The recording can be no larger than 5 MB.

Set menu options

For dialing options, assign the 0-9, * (asterisk) and # (pound) keys on the telephone keypad to one of the call routing destinations.

Key mappings don't have to be continuous. It's possible to create a menu with keys 0, 1, and 3 mapped to options, while the number 2 key isn't used.

If you configured an operator in Step 1, make sure to map a key to it here. If the operator isn't set to any key, the voice command "Operator" is also disabled.

For each menu option, specify the following settings:

  • Dial key - the key on the telephone keypad to access this option. If voice inputs are available, callers can also say this number to access the option.
  • Voice command - defines the voice command that a caller can give to access this option, if voice inputs are enabled. It can contain multiple words like "Customer Service" or "Operations and Grounds."
    • For example, the caller can press 2, say "two," or say "Sales" to select the option mapped to the 2 key.
    • This Voice command text also plays in the service confirmation prompt, such as "Transferring your call to sales."
  • Destination - the specific routing location for this option.

If you assign dial keys to destinations, we recommend that you choose None for Directory search. Dial keys are matched before directory searches are performed. If a caller uses dial keys assigned to specific destinations, the system routes the call immediately. The caller is transferred before they finish entering the full name or extension. We recommend that you create a separate Auto attendant for directory search and have your main Auto attendant link to it with a dial key.

If you didn't assign dial keys, then choose an option for Directory search.

  • Dial by name - If you enable this option, callers can say the user's name or type it on the telephone keypad. Any online user or any user hosted on-premises using Skype for Business Server, is an eligible user and can be found with Dial by name.
  • Dial by extension - If you enable this option, callers can connect with users in your organization by dialing their phone extension. Any online user or any user hosted on-premises using Skype for Business Server, is an eligible user and can be found with Dial by extension. (You can set who is and isn't included in the directory on the Dial scope page.)

Note

If you want to use both the Dial by name and Dial by extension features, you can assign a dial key on your main Auto attendant to reach an Auto attendant enabled for Dial by name. Within that Auto attendant, you can assign the 1 key (which has no letters associated with it) to reach the Dial by extension Auto attendant.

For more information, see the Dial by name or number reference.

Repeat the procedure as needed to add more hoildays.

After setting the holidays call flow options, select Next

Previous steps:
Step 6 - Dial scope (expand to see instructions)

Step 6: Dial scope (optional)

The dial scope defines which users are available in the directory when a caller uses dial-by-name or dial-by-extension. The default of All online users includes all users in your organization that are Online users or hosted on-premises using Skype for Business Server.

You can include or exclude specific users by selecting Custom user group under Include or Exclude and choosing one or more Microsoft 365 groups, distribution lists, or security groups. For example, you might want to exclude executives in your organization from the dialing directory.

If a user is in both lists or if they're hidden from the Exchange GAL, they're excluded from the directory.

Note

It might take up to 36 hours for a new user to have their name listed in the directory.

After setting the Dial scope options, select Next.

Previous steps:
Step 7 - Authorized users (expand to see instructions)

Step 7: Authorized users (optional)

Authorized users specifies the users who are authorized to make changes to this Auto Attendant. The capabilities that the users have are determined based on the Teams voice applications policy that is assigned to the user.

Select Add, search for the user, select Add, and then select Add.

Important

A user needs a Voice Applications policy that allows at least one type of configuration change and must be an authorized user for at least one auto Attendant or call Queue.

A user can't make any configuration changes if:

  • The user has a policy assigned but isn't assigned as an authorized user to at least one Auto attendant or Call queue.
  • The user is assigned as an authorized user to at least one Auto attendant or Call queue but doesn't have a policy assigned.

For more information, see Setup authorized users.

After setting the Authorized users option, select Submit.

Previous steps:

Extra functionality available through PowerShell cmdlets

Important

These configuration options are currently only available through PowerShell cmdlets and they don't appear in Teams admin center.

Dial by name improvements

When a dial by name search returns multiple people with the same name, the results can now be enhanced by appending additional information after the name. Enhancing the results makes it easier for callers to reach the correct person.

The default is to only say the name. However, the office or department information can now be added as part of the results.

For more information, see New-CsAutoAttendant -UserNameExtension.

PowerShell

For instructions on creating Auto Attendants using PowerShell, see Auto attendants with PowerShell.

Auto Attendant Diagnostic Tool

As an administrator, you can use the following diagnostic tool to validate that an Auto attendant is able to receive calls:

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

    Run Tests: Teams Auto Attendant

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

The tests identify tenant, policy, or resource account configurations that are preventing the Auto attendant from receiving calls and also provide steps to fix any problems identified.

  • Last updated on