What is the Microsoft Teams Queues App?
The Microsoft Teams Queues App is a new native app integrated into the Microsoft Teams client that enhances the existing Teams Queues functionality. It provides a centralized experience where team members can opt-in or out of call queues based on their availability. When users are opted-in, they can receive inbound calls and make outbound calls using queue or auto-attendant telephone numbers directly from the app. Team leads, managers and supervisors benefit from call queue metrics, real-time monitoring, reports, and administration that wasn’t previously possible unless using the Teams Admin Center (or not available at all, depending on the feature).
Why is the Microsoft Teams Queues App important?
Two keys reasons:
- More Efficient Administration: Previously, almost all administrative tasks related to call queues required access to the Microsoft Teams Admin Center (and the necessary admin permissions to access the TAC). Now, administrators have more flexibility to delegate certain call queue administrative tasks to non-admin users (team leads, supervisors, managers) who can access these new settings via the Queues App in the Teams client.
- Better Monitoring & Reporting: Until now, there was a bit of a feature gap between Teams Queues and your average call center solution. Teams Queues were effectively fancy hunt/ring groups but didn’t stack up to what would traditionally be called a “queue” or ACD. With the addition of the Teams Queues App, the gap has been bridged, adding meaningful features to allow Teams Queues to hold their own against a typical call center queue or ACD.
Features of the Microsoft Teams Queues App
The new Microsoft Teams Queues App is packed with features that enhance its functionality, making it a valuable tool for businesses looking to improve their customer service operations. Below are some of the key features that make the Queues App interesting.
Easier Call Handling
One of the best new features of the Microsoft Teams Queues App makes it easier for users as well as non-administrator team leads, supervisors and managers to manage call handling among team members.
- Opt-In and Opt-Out: Team members can choose to opt-in or opt-out of call queues based on their availability, right from the Teams Queues App. Non-admin team leads, supervisors and managers can be delegated the ability to opt-in/opt-out on behalf of their team members as well.
- Call Distribution: Prior to the Teams Queues App, changing the call distribution method required administrative access to the Teams Admin Center, making it difficult for team leads, supervisors and managers to make adjustments in real-time depending on the needs of the business. The Teams Queues App makes this adjustment possible from within the Teams Client, without needing access to the TAC.
Real-Time and Historical Reporting
Prior to the Teams Queues App, data driven decisions replied upon the reporting available within the Teams Admin Center (which doesn’t provide comprehensive reporting data for Queues) or knowledge of Power BI to pull data from Teams and create your own reports (some templates are available). The Teams Queues App bridges a gap in this area:
- Real-Time Metrics: Users can access real-time data on various metrics familiar to call queue or ACD supervisors:
- Number of waiting calls
- Average time to answer
- Longest waiting time
- Call abandonment rates
- Number of Abandoned, Overflow, Time Out and No Agent calls
- Historical Reports: Similar data to the list above, allowing line of business employees to identify trends over time, such as peak call times or common customer inquiries.
- Auto Attendants: While the new app is called the “Teams Queues App” and is certainly Queues focused, it’s important to note that the new reporting capabilities also include Auto Attendant statistics, including insights into which Auto Attendant menu options are being used, which can help drive business decisions.
User Experience Enhancements
The Queues App integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft tools, enhancing the overall user experience.
- CRM Integration: Integration with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems allows team members to access customer information during calls, allowing for personalized interactions. This context can significantly enhance the customer experience.
- Use of Copilot: The Teams utilizes AI-powered Copilot features that summarize call notes and provide real-time suggestions during conversations, helping team members stay focused on the customer rather than getting bogged down in note-taking.
Call Management Controls
The Teams Queues App enhances several controls that allow users to handle calls effectively. Activities like transferring calls have been a basic feature from the beginning, but are now included in a more efficient user experience.
- Call Transfer: Team members can easily transfer calls to other colleagues or departments, ensuring that customers receive the assistance they need without unnecessary delays.
Roadmap Items:
While not available as part of the initial release, the following features have long been requested and have been publicly acknowledged to be part of a future release.
- Monitoring and Whispering: Supervisors can monitor live calls and use whispering features to guide team members without the customer hearing. This is particularly useful for training purposes.
- Barge-In Feature: When immediate intervention is necessary, supervisors can barge into calls to assist or resolve issues directly.
How to Access the Queues App
Before benefiting from the new capabilities of the Microsoft Teams Queues App, it’s important to understand the prerequisites.
- Licensing Requirements: To utilize the Teams Queues App, you must have a valid subscription to Microsoft Teams Phone and Teams Premium.
- Enabling the App: Once licensing is confirmed, administrators can enable the Queues App within the Teams Admin Center. This process typically involves:
- Navigating to the Teams Apps section.
- Selecting Setup policies.
- Adding the Queue App to the appropriate policy for users or teams who will be utilizing it.
Upcoming Features for the Queues App
As Microsoft continues to innovate, exciting features are on the roadmap for the Teams Queues App. In addition to monitor and barge (mentioned above), the following features have been mentioned or confirmed for a future release:
- Enhanced Historical Analysis: Future updates may include more robust historical reporting tools to allow organizations to analyze trends in call volumes, customer wait times, and team performance metrics.
- Advanced Monitoring Tools: Microsoft is likely to introduce more sophisticated monitoring tools that provide supervisors with real-time insights into call queues, including visual dashboards that display key performance indicators (KPIs) at a glance.
- Integration with AI and Machine Learning: As AI technology advances, we expect deeper integration of AI-powered features within the Queues App. This could include predictive analytics to forecast call volumes or AI-driven chatbots to handle basic inquiries before routing calls to specific human agents based on load.
Final Thoughts About the Microsoft Teams Queues App
There is a lot of excitement about the Teams Queues App. The feature gap that has so far been a thorn in the side of technology decision makers, causing them to consider expensive third party solutions which may be overkill, has been a hard pill to swallow. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, customer have been forced to settle or over-provision. The Teams Queues App is a compelling solution to gain needed features in a reasonable way.
Ultimately, the Microsoft Teams Queues App is more than just a call management tool; it represents a shift towards a more integrated approach to customer engagement. By harnessing its capabilities, businesses can benefit from stronger relationships with their customers, and increased satisfaction and loyalty.
If you haven’t already explored Microsoft Teams as your communications and collaboration platform, now is the perfect time to start. Consider how it can fit into your organization’s communication strategy and enhance your customer service operations, then reach out to discuss how processFlow Consulting can help with the complete implementation life-cycle, from licensing to ongoing maintenance and support.
Book an introductory call today
For those already using Teams, now is a good time to review your current practices against the latest Teams enhancements and best practices to identify opportunities for improvement. Reach out today to discuss how processFlow Consulting can help with the complete Teams life-cycle.
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