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Teams Voice External Calling

Work anywhere using Microsoft Teams Voice to make and receive external phone calls.

Characters symbolising external calling.

 

The External Calling Project is delivering Microsoft Teams Voice, which will allow colleagues at the University to make and receive external calls within Microsoft Teams.

The following video will introduce you to the project and showcases the benefits of Microsoft Teams Voice.

What does this change mean for me?

When the change is initiated for your area, it will mean you can make external calls on a Teams-enabled device, such as your laptop, desktop, tablet or mobile.

This provides greater flexibility to make and receive all your calls from any  location. There will be no need to provide personal mobile phone numbers to students or external contacts.

Existing landline phone handsets at the University will no longer work and will be removed as part of the project. The project will be ensuring that all phone equipment is disposed of correctly via the IT Services Recycling Facility.

A handset-free workstation will provide a more hygienic work environment with associated health benefits.

Teams Voice is also integrated with Microsoft 365 (M365) and has many features that work with other M365 applications, and the accessibility options that it offers.

Once the functionality is enabled, using external calling through Teams is simple and straightforward, and we will provide lots of guidance to do this.

Why are we moving all phone calls to Microsoft Teams Voice?

The project is essential work to future-proof the University and to deliver our vision of a digital university.

One of the significant drivers for this change is that BT has announced it will switch off the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), so that old analogue copper phone lines and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) lines will no longer operate after December 2025.

To prepare for this, and to modernise and improve the University’s telecoms offering, we are moving all phone calls to Microsoft Teams Voice (External Calling) which is a cloud-based service that can be used anywhere on any device.

What is the timeline for the rollout?

The main rollout is currently underway and will be gradual, based on phone number order. It is being delivered in stagescalled 'sprints' and involves migrating phone numbers from the old supplier (Vodafone) to the new Manchester-based supplierFourNet 

If you do not currently have a phone number, if you are based in the UK and have a relevant staff Microsoft 365 (M365) licence, you will also be included within the rollout and assigned number.  

As the project works through the migration, we are ensuring that the information about our colleagues, regarding who has what phone number, is being collated, updated, and validated to confirm that the right phone number gets allocated to the right colleague within Teams.

  • Sprint 3 moved phone numbers in the range: 0161 200 8700 - 0161 200 8999 - this was completed in January.
  • Sprint 4 moved phone numbers in the range: 0161 275 1200 - 0161 275 1799 - this was completed in March.
  • Sprint 5 moved phone numbers in the range: 0161 275 2400 - 0161 275 2999 - this was completed in April.
  • Sprint 6 is expected to include phone numbers in the ranges: 0161 306 0xxx, 0161 306 2xxx, 0161 306 3xxx, 0161 306 4xxx - planned for around late July (to be confirmed).

For a more updated timeline, please visit our Teams Voice SharePoint page.

When we are ready to provide you with Teams Voice you will be contacted directly with your individual transfer details.

I am new to Teams, where can I access training?

We would recommend familiarising yourself with Teams before the change is initiated for your area.

The project has lots of useful training resources to help support you with this, including:

You can also watch our recently recorded ‘Microsoft Teams Voice’ training session: 

FAQs for External Calling (Teams Voice)

We have put together a series of FAQs to provide you with some further detail about the project and what this means for you. 

How do I contact the project?

If you cannot find a response to your query or have a question about how this project will impact you, please contact: Teams.Voice@manchester.ac.uk.

If you need general IT help and support, contact our IT Support Centre either online through the IT Services website, or call 0161 306 5544.

 

 

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