03 — Implement & Configure Teams Phone 30–35%

🗺 Domain Overview 

mindmap
  root((Domain 3 30–35%))
    Phone Policies
      Dial Plans
      Calling Policies
      Call Park
      Caller ID
      IP Phone Policies
      Mobility Policies
      Voicemail Policies
      Call Hold Policies
      Outbound Restrictions
      Inbound Blocking
      Unassigned Numbers
      Compliance Recording
      Shared Calling
    Auto Attendants & Call Queues
      Resource Accounts
      Licenses & Numbers
      Routing Methods
      Business Hours & Holidays
      Music on Hold
      Caller ID for CQ
      Voice Applications Policies
      Callback
      Queues App
    Emergency Calling
      Emergency Addresses
      Call Routing Policies
      Emergency Policies
      LIS Configuration
      Dynamic Emergency Calling
    License & Number Assignment
      Phone Standard License
      Calling Plans
      Number Assignment
      Bulk Assignment
      Policy Packages
      Group Policy
    Calling Features
      Cloud Voicemail
      Group Call Pickup
      Call Forwarding
      Simultaneous Ring
      Call Delegation
      Private Lines
    Direct Routing
      SBC Connectivity
      PSTN Gateways
      PSTN Usage Records
      Voice Routes
      Voice Routing Policies
      LBR & LMO
      Trunk Translation
      SBA Policies

📋 3.1 Create and Configure Teams Phone Policies

Dial Plans

Dial plans normalize phone numbers dialed by users into E.164 format:

Component Purpose
Normalization rules Regex-based rules that convert dialed digits to E.164 (e.g., “91234” → “+441234”)
Tenant dial plan Custom dial plan created by admin — appended to service (country) dial plan
Service dial plan Microsoft-provided country-specific dial plan (auto-assigned based on usage location)
Effective dial plan Combination of service + tenant dial plan — tenant rules are evaluated first 
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# Create a tenant dial plan
New-CsTenantDialPlan -Identity "UK-DialPlan"

# Add a normalization rule
$rule = New-CsVoiceNormalizationRule -Identity "UK-DialPlan/4DigitExtension" `
    -Pattern '^(\d{4})$' `
    -Translation '+4420$1' `
    -IsInternalExtension $true

Set-CsTenantDialPlan -Identity "UK-DialPlan" -NormalizationRules @{Add=$rule}

# Assign to user
Grant-CsTenantDialPlan -Identity user@domain.com -PolicyName "UK-DialPlan"

⚠️ Exam Caveat:

  • Tenant dial plan rules are evaluated before service dial plan rules
  • E.164 format is always +[country code][number] — e.g., +14255551234
  • Dial plans do NOT route calls — they only normalize the dialed number; voice routing policies handle routing

Calling Policies

Setting Purpose
AllowPrivateCalling Enable/disable 1:1 PSTN and VoIP calls
AllowCallForwardingToUser Allow forwarding to another Teams user
AllowCallForwardingToPhone Allow forwarding to PSTN number
AllowVoicemail Control voicemail behavior (AlwaysEnabled, AlwaysDisabled, UserOverride)
AllowCallGroups Enable call group pickup
AllowDelegation Enable call delegation (boss/admin)
AllowWebPSTNCalling Allow PSTN calling from Teams web client
PreventTollBypass Block toll bypass for Location-Based Routing
BusyOnBusyEnabledType What happens when user is already on a call (busy signal, voicemail, etc.)

Call Park Policies

Call Park lets users put a call on hold and retrieve it from any Teams device using a code:

Setting Purpose
AllowCallPark Enable/disable call park for users
CallPickupInOrder Who can retrieve a parked call
ParkTimeoutSeconds How long before a parked call rings back (default: 300 seconds)

Caller ID Policies

Setting Purpose
CallingIDSubstitute What caller ID is shown: LineUri (user’s number), Anonymous, Service number, Resource account
EnableUserOverride Whether users can change their own caller ID
BlockIncomingCallerID Block caller ID for incoming calls
CompanyName Display company name instead of number for outbound PSTN calls

Voicemail Policies

Setting Purpose
EnableTranscription Voicemail-to-text transcription
EnableTranscriptionProfanityMasking Mask profanity in transcripts
MaximumRecordingLength Maximum voicemail duration (default: 300 seconds)
EnableEditingCallAnswerRulesSetting Allow users to configure call answer rules
PrimarySystemPromptLanguage Language for system prompts
ShareData Share voicemail and transcription data for service improvement

Other Phone Policies

Policy Purpose
IP Phone policies Control sign-in mode (UserSignIn, CommonAreaPhoneSignIn), hot desking
Mobility policies Control IP video and WiFi calling on mobile devices
Call hold policies Configure custom Music on Hold (audio file)
Outbound call restrictions Control who can make international/premium calls
Inbound call blocking Block calls from specific number patterns
Unassigned number routing Route calls to unassigned numbers (announcement, auto attendant, user)
Compliance recording Record calls for regulatory compliance via certified partner solutions
Shared Calling policies Define shared phone number behavior for frontline workers

⚠️ Exam Caveat:

  • Dial plans normalize, voice routing policies route — these are two separate steps
  • Caller ID policies can show the user’s number, a service number, a resource account number, or anonymous
  • Compliance recording requires a certified third-party solution — it cannot be done natively in Teams
  • BusyOnBusy setting controls whether a second incoming call goes to voicemail, gets a busy signal, or is presented to the user

📞 3.2 Create and Configure Auto Attendants and Call Queues

Resource Accounts

Every auto attendant and call queue needs a resource account:

Step Action
1 Create a resource account (application instance) in Teams Admin Center or PowerShell
2 Assign a Teams Phone Resource Account license (free)
3 Assign a phone number if the AA/CQ needs to be reachable from PSTN
4 Associate the resource account with the auto attendant or call queue 
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# Create resource account for auto attendant
New-CsOnlineApplicationInstance `
    -UserPrincipalName mainline-aa@domain.com `
    -DisplayName "Main Line Auto Attendant" `
    -ApplicationId "ce933385-9390-45d1-9512-c8d228074e07"

# Create resource account for call queue
New-CsOnlineApplicationInstance `
    -UserPrincipalName sales-cq@domain.com `
    -DisplayName "Sales Call Queue" `
    -ApplicationId "11cd3e2e-fccb-42ad-ad00-878b93575e07"

Call Queue Routing Methods

Method Behavior
Attendant routing All agents ring simultaneously
Serial routing Agents ring one at a time in a fixed order
Round robin Agents ring one at a time in rotating order
Longest idle Agent who has been idle longest rings first

Call Queue Features

Feature Description
Overflow What happens when queue is full (voicemail, redirect, disconnect)
Timeout What happens when no agent answers within time limit
Callback Callers can request a callback instead of waiting in queue
Call priorities Priority routing across multiple call queues
Music on Hold Default or custom audio file played while waiting
Conference mode Reduces connect time when agent answers (pre-establishes connection)
Opt-in/out Agents can opt in/out of receiving queue calls

Auto Attendant Configuration

Component Details
Business hours greeting Custom audio or text-to-speech greeting during business hours
After hours greeting Greeting played outside business hours
Holiday greeting Greeting for configured holiday dates
Menu options DTMF (dial pad) options routing to users, call queues, other AAs, external numbers
Dial by name Directory search by voice or DTMF
Operator Designated person or group for “press 0” routing

Voice Applications Policies

Control who can manage auto attendants and call queues without being a full Teams admin:

Setting Purpose
Auto attendant management Allow specific users to create/edit auto attendants
Call queue management Allow specific users to create/edit call queues
Authorized users Define who can manage specific AAs/CQs

Queues App

Feature Description
Purpose Teams app for agents and supervisors to manage call queue interactions
Agent view See queue status, answer/transfer calls, opt in/out
Supervisor view Monitor agents, view real-time queue statistics
Configuration Enabled via voice applications policy

⚠️ Exam Caveat:

  • Resource accounts need a Teams Phone Resource Account license (free) — but need a Calling Plan or Virtual User license for a phone number
  • Toll-free numbers on resource accounts require Communication Credits
  • Callback in call queues lets callers hang up and get called back when an agent is available
  • Auto attendants support nested routing — AA → AA → CQ is a valid configuration
  • Conference mode in call queues should be enabled for faster call connection (reduces ring time)

🚨 3.3 Configure Emergency Calling

Emergency Calling Components 

flowchart TD
    USER["Teams User\ndials 911/112"]
    NET["Network Detection\n(subnet, WAP, switch)"]
    LIS["Location Information\nService (LIS)"]
    ELOC["Emergency Location\n(address + place)"]
    POLICY["Emergency Calling\nPolicy"]
    ROUTE["Emergency Call\nRouting Policy"]
    PSTN["PSTN\n(911/112 center)"]
    SEC["Security Desk\nNotification"]

    USER --> NET
    NET --> LIS
    LIS --> ELOC
    USER --> POLICY
    POLICY --> SEC
    ELOC --> ROUTE
    ROUTE --> PSTN

Emergency Address Configuration

Component Description
Emergency address Civic address (street, city, state, country) — must be validated
Place Location within an address (floor, wing, building)
Validated address Address confirmed with PSTN provider (required for Calling Plans)

Location Information Service (LIS)

LIS maps network elements to emergency locations:

Network Element Example
Subnet 10.10.10.0/24 → “Building A, Floor 3”
Wireless Access Point (WAP) BSSID → “Building B, Floor 1”
Ethernet switch Chassis ID → “Building C, Floor 2”
Switch port Specific port → “Building C, Floor 2, Room 201”

Emergency Calling Policy

Setting Purpose
Notification mode How security desk is notified (Teams chat, conference in, etc.)
Notification group Who receives emergency call notifications
External location lookup mode Whether to use external location services
Emergency numbers Configure emergency dialing strings (e.g., 911, 112, 999)

Emergency Call Routing Policy (Direct Routing)

Setting Purpose
Emergency dialing string Number pattern that triggers emergency routing (e.g., 911)
Emergency dial mask Alternative patterns that map to the emergency string (e.g., 933)
PSTN usage Which PSTN usage record (and therefore which SBC/gateway) routes the emergency call

⚠️ Exam Caveat:

  • Dynamic emergency calling requires LIS to be configured with network data (subnets, WAPs, switches)
  • For Calling Plans, emergency addresses must be validated — Direct Routing addresses are not validated by Microsoft
  • Security desk notification is configured in the emergency calling policy, not the routing policy
  • Emergency call routing policies are only needed for Direct Routing — Calling Plans and Operator Connect handle routing automatically
  • The emergency dial mask (e.g., 933) can be used for testing without actually calling emergency services

🔢 3.4 Assign Teams Phone Licenses, Numbers, and Policies

License Assignment Flow 

flowchart TD
    USER["User"]
    TPL["Teams Phone\nStandard License"]
    PSTN["PSTN Connectivity"]
    CP["Calling Plan\nLicense"]
    OC["Operator Connect\n(operator provides)"]
    DR["Direct Routing\n(no additional license)"]
    NUM["Assign Phone\nNumber"]
    POL["Assign Calling\nPolicies"]

    USER --> TPL
    TPL --> PSTN
    PSTN --> CP
    PSTN --> OC
    PSTN --> DR
    CP --> NUM
    OC --> NUM
    DR --> NUM
    NUM --> POL

Phone Number Assignment

Method Tool Best For
Individual Teams Admin Center One-off assignments
Bulk (PowerShell) Set-CsPhoneNumberAssignment Large-scale deployments
CSV import Teams Admin Center Medium-scale batch 
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# Assign a phone number (Calling Plan)
Set-CsPhoneNumberAssignment -Identity user@domain.com `
    -PhoneNumber "+14255551234" `
    -PhoneNumberType CallingPlan

# Assign a phone number (Direct Routing)
Set-CsPhoneNumberAssignment -Identity user@domain.com `
    -PhoneNumber "+14255551234" `
    -PhoneNumberType DirectRouting

# Bulk assignment via CSV
Import-Csv "users.csv" | ForEach-Object {
    Set-CsPhoneNumberAssignment -Identity $_.UserPrincipalName `
        -PhoneNumber $_.PhoneNumber `
        -PhoneNumberType $_.NumberType
}

Policy Assignment Methods

Method Scope Tool
Direct Individual user TAC or PowerShell
Group Security group or M365 group TAC or PowerShell
Batch CSV of users PowerShell
Policy package Role-based bundle TAC or PowerShell
Global (default) All users without explicit assignment TAC or PowerShell

⚠️ Exam Caveat:

  • PhoneNumberType must match the connectivity method: CallingPlan, DirectRouting, or OperatorConnect
  • Bulk phone number assignment via PowerShell uses Set-CsPhoneNumberAssignment, not the deprecated Set-CsUser
  • Policy precedence: Direct > Group > Global default
  • Policy packages assign multiple policy types at once (calling, meeting, messaging) — useful for role-based deployment

🔧 3.5 Configure and Manage Calling Features

Cloud Voicemail

Feature Details
Storage Exchange Online mailbox
Transcription Automatic speech-to-text (configurable via voicemail policy)
Greeting Custom recorded or text-to-speech
Call answer rules Configure in Teams client — forward to voicemail, custom greeting per caller
Deposit only Voicemail receives messages but user cannot configure settings (useful for shared mailboxes)

Call Forwarding & Simultaneous Ring

Feature Description
Call forwarding Route incoming calls to another user, phone number, or voicemail
Simultaneous ring Ring multiple endpoints at the same time (Teams + mobile, etc.)
Unanswered timeout If not answered within X seconds, forward to next destination
Controlled by Calling policy (admin can allow/restrict) + user configuration

Call Delegation

Concept Description
Delegate An assistant who can make/receive calls on behalf of another user
Delegator The boss/executive whose calls are managed
Permissions Make calls, receive calls, change settings on behalf of delegator
Configuration User configures in Teams client; admin enables via calling policy

Group Call Pickup

Feature Details
Purpose Allow a group of users to answer each other’s calls
Configuration User creates a call group in Teams settings
Ring order All at once or in order
Enabled by AllowCallGroups in calling policy

Audio Conferencing (for Phone Users)

Feature Details
Dial-in Users join meetings by dialing a conference bridge number
Dial-out Meeting calls out to a PSTN number to add a participant
Operator Auto attendant integration for conference bridge

Private Lines

Feature Details
Purpose A second phone number for a user that bypasses delegates and call forwarding
Use case Executive wants a direct line that skips the assistant
Configuration PowerShell only — assign via Set-CsPhoneNumberAssignment with -PhoneNumber for the private line

⚠️ Exam Caveat:

  • Cloud Voicemail is stored in Exchange Online — user needs an Exchange mailbox
  • Call delegation must be enabled in the calling policy AND configured by the user in Teams client
  • Private lines bypass call forwarding, delegates, and simultaneous ring — calls go directly to the user
  • Group call pickup and call delegation are different features — pickup is peer-based, delegation is boss/admin

🌐 3.6 Configure and Manage Direct Routing

Direct Routing Architecture 

flowchart LR
    TEAMS["Microsoft Teams\n(Cloud)"]
    SBC["Session Border\nController (SBC)"]
    TRUNK["SIP Trunk"]
    PSTN["PSTN\nCarrier"]
    PBX["Legacy PBX\n(optional)"]

    TEAMS -->|"TLS 5061\n(SIP signaling)"| SBC
    TEAMS -->|"UDP/TCP\n(Media)"| SBC
    SBC --> TRUNK
    TRUNK --> PSTN
    SBC -.->|Optional| PBX

SBC Configuration 

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# Create PSTN gateway (SBC)
New-CsOnlinePSTNGateway -Fqdn "sbc01.domain.com" `
    -SipSignalingPort 5061 `
    -Enabled $true `
    -MaxConcurrentSessions 100 `
    -MediaBypass $true `
    -GatewaySiteId "LondonSite"

# Verify SBC connectivity
Get-CsOnlinePSTNGateway -Identity "sbc01.domain.com"

Voice Routing Configuration

The voice routing chain in Direct Routing:

flowchart LR
    USER["User dials\na number"]
    DP["Dial Plan\n(normalize)"]
    VRP["Voice Routing\nPolicy"]
    PU["PSTN Usage\nRecord"]
    VR["Voice Route\n(regex match)"]
    GW["PSTN Gateway\n(SBC)"]
    PSTN["PSTN"]

    USER --> DP --> VRP --> PU --> VR --> GW --> PSTN
Component Purpose
PSTN Usage Record Links voice routing policies to voice routes
Voice Route Matches dialed number pattern (regex) and routes to specific SBC(s)
Voice Routing Policy Assigned to users — determines which PSTN usage records are available
PSTN Gateway The SBC definition in Teams (FQDN, port, settings) 
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# Create PSTN usage record
Set-CsOnlinePstnUsage -Usage @{Add="US-Domestic"}

# Create voice route
New-CsOnlineVoiceRoute -Identity "US-Domestic-Route" `
    -NumberPattern "^\+1(\d{10})$" `
    -OnlinePstnGatewayList "sbc01.domain.com" `
    -OnlinePstnUsages "US-Domestic" `
    -Priority 1

# Create voice routing policy
New-CsOnlineVoiceRoutingPolicy -Identity "US-VoicePolicy" `
    -OnlinePstnUsages "US-Domestic"

# Assign to user
Grant-CsOnlineVoiceRoutingPolicy -Identity user@domain.com -PolicyName "US-VoicePolicy"

SBC Requirements

Requirement Details
Public IP SBC must have a public IP (or NAT) reachable from Microsoft
TLS certificate Trusted CA certificate with SBC FQDN in CN or SAN
SIP signaling TLS port 5061
Media ports UDP — configurable range (typically 49152–53247)
DNS Public DNS A record pointing to SBC public IP
Certification Must be on the Microsoft certified SBC list

Advanced Direct Routing Features

Feature Purpose
Location-Based Routing (LBR) Prevents toll bypass — routes calls based on user’s physical location
Local Media Optimization (LMO) Keeps media traffic local within branch offices
Media bypass Routes media directly between user and SBC, bypassing Microsoft cloud
Trunk translation rules Manipulate SIP headers (called/calling number) between Teams and SBC
On-network conferencing PSTN participants in Direct Routing conferences connect via local SBC
Survivable Branch Appliance (SBA) Maintains calling during internet outages at branch offices

Trunk Translation Rules

Rule Purpose
CalledNumberTranslationRule Modify the called (destination) number sent to the SBC
CallingNumberTranslationRule Modify the calling (source) number sent to the SBC
Use case Strip/add country code, convert between E.164 and local format 
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# Create a trunk translation rule
New-CsOnlinePSTNGateway -Fqdn "sbc01.domain.com" `
    -OutboundCallingNumberTranslationRulesList @{Add="StripPlusRule"} `
    -OutboundCalledNumberTranslationRulesList @{Add="AddCountryCode"}

Troubleshooting Direct Routing

Tool Purpose
SBC Health Dashboard Teams Admin Center → Voice → SBCs → health status
Call Analytics Per-user call details and diagnostics
CQD Tenant-wide call quality metrics
SBC logs Vendor-specific SBC logging and diagnostics
Teams Admin Center diagnostics Built-in connectivity test for SBC

⚠️ Exam Caveat:

  • Voice routing chain: Dial Plan (normalize) → Voice Routing Policy (user) → PSTN Usage → Voice Route (pattern match) → SBC
  • Media bypass and LMO reduce latency and bandwidth but have specific network requirements
  • LBR is for regulatory compliance — prevents users from making PSTN calls that would bypass local toll charges
  • SBC certificates must be from a trusted public CA — self-signed certificates are not supported
  • SBA policies define which SBAs are available at which sites for failover during internet outages

📝 Quick-Reference Scenarios

Scenario Answer
Users dial 4-digit extensions to reach internal colleagues Tenant dial plan with normalization rules
Outbound calls must show company main number, not user’s number Caller ID policy with CallingIDSubstitute = Service number
Need to record all calls for regulatory compliance Compliance recording policy with certified partner solution
Auto attendant needs to be reachable from PSTN Resource account needs phone number + Virtual User or Calling Plan license
Call queue agents need to opt in/out of receiving calls Enable opt-in/out in call queue settings
Emergency calls must route based on office location Dynamic emergency calling with LIS (subnets, WAPs)
Branch office needs calling during internet outage Survivable Branch Appliance (SBA)
Direct Routing SBC not connecting Verify TLS certificate, DNS, port 5061, and certified SBC status
PSTN calls need to route to different SBCs based on destination Voice routes with number pattern matching + multiple SBCs
Users should not be able to make international calls Outbound call restrictions policy or voice routing policy limiting routes

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