Setting up Operator Connect

It’s easy to get setup with Microsoft Teams Operator Connect. Follow this step-by-step guide to get everything up and running quickly.

Required setup steps

1. Prepare for setup

To get ready for Operator Connect, you’ll need:

• Teams Phone licences for each user. If you have Microsoft 365 E5, Teams Phone is already included. If you’re on any other plan, you’ll need to purchase a Teams Phone add on licence. To check and assign licenses, see Prerequisites and licensing for Operator Connect.
• ‘Teams Only’ mode enabled. Operator Connect requires the tenant and users to be in ‘Teams Only’ mode. It will not function in Skype for Business coexistence mode.
• Administrator permissions. You must have the appropriate administrator roles (typically Teams Administrator or Global Administrator) to configure Operator Connect. See administrator permissions.

2. Enable BT as your provider

See Enabling BT as your Operator Connect provider.

3. Pre-migration Teams preparation (only for users moving from Calling Plans or Direct Routing)

If you’re moving from another telephony solution, you’ll need to adjust existing licences and policies in Microsoft Teams to ensure Operator Connect can be enabled successfully.

If you’re moving from direct routing

You’ll need to change your online routing policy. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the Teams Admin Centre.
2. Select Voice, then Voice routing policies.
3. Select Edit.
4. Under PSTN usage, select Add PSTN usage.
5. Select BT from the list.
6. Select Add, then Save.

If you’re moving from a calling plan

You’ll need to remove your calling plan licence first. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Centre.
2. Select Users, then Active users.
3. Select the user you’re moving to Operator Connect.
4. Go to Licenses and apps.
5. Find the Calling Plan licence you currently have and untick it.
6. Scroll down and select Save changes.

4. Configure your emergency locations

Before you can activate BT Operator Connect, you’ll need to make sure your emergency locations are set up correctly. These locations tell emergency services where a caller is physically based if someone places a call from Microsoft Teams.

Microsoft automatically creates your first emergency location using the address you used when you purchased your service. If this default address isn’t correct, or if you have multiple offices, you can easily update it or add new locations. For guidance on how to do this and more information, see Setting up emergency calling in Operator Connect.

5. Confirm your number port

Soon after you’ve received confirmation of your port in date and time, you’ll join a port in call. This call acts as a final verification step – you’ll confirm that you want your numbers transferred, and we’ll complete the porting process into your tenant.

During the call, you’ll be asked to assign numbers to users and test inbound and outbound calling. If both directions work as expected, your numbers have successfully ported, and you’ll receive a port completion confirmation email. For more information on assigning numbers to users, see Getting and assigning new phone numbers from BT in Operator Connect.

6. Update policies (only for users moving from Calling Plans or Direct Routing)

If you’ve moved from direct routing

If you're migrating from direct routing, you’ll need to add the new BT Operator Connect routing policy to your users. To do this:

1. In the Teams Admin Centre, go to Users.
2. Select the user you want to apply the policy to.
3. Select Policies then Voice routing policy.
4. Choose the BT policy you just updated.

If you’ve moved from a calling plan

If you’re migrating from a calling plan, you’ll need to add the new BT Operator Connect routing policy to your users. To do this:

1. In the Teams Admin Centre, go to Users.
2. Select the user you want to apply the policy to.
3. Select Policies then Voice routing policy.
4. Choose the BT policy you just updated.

You have now completed all required setup steps and should be able to make calls with Operator Connect successfully.

The steps below are optional, but we recommend completing them as part of your setup process.

Recommended optional steps

Assign numbers to users

Once your numbers have been ported to Microsoft Teams, you’ll be able to begin assigning them to users.

1. Log in to the Teams Admin Centre.
2. In the left navigation, select Voice, then Phone numbers.
3. On the Phone numbers page, select an unassigned number in the list, then select Edit.
4. In the Edit pane, under Assigned to, search for the user by display name or username, and then select Assign.

You can also use PowerShell to assign numbers to users to users in bulk. To do this see Microsoft’s guidance on Using PowerShell to assign phone numbers.

If you need to order additional numbers, follow our detailed guidance in Getting and assigning new phone numbers.

Set up Auto Attendants and Call Queues

Once your number is provisioned and assigned, you may want to configure an auto attendant or call Queue (CQ) to help manage and route incoming calls.

• Create an Auto Attendant. An Auto Attendant answers calls, plays greetings, provides menu options and routes callers to the appropriate destination.
• Set up a Call Queue. A Call Queue distributes incoming calls to available agents and includes features such as hold music, queueing, and overflow handling.

You can configure both Auto Attendants and Call Queues by following the steps outlined in Setting up an Auto Attendant and Call Queue.

Set up other Teams features

Teams includes a wide range of additional calling features that you may want to enable once Operator Connect is in place. Common features used by Operator Connect customers include:

• Voicemail. Configure cloud voicemail so users can receive, manage, and customise voicemail greetings.
• Call forwarding. Allow users to forward calls to another number, voicemail, or a colleague.
• Delegation and Shared Line Appearance. Enable assistants or team members to make and receive calls on behalf of another user.
• Music on Hold. Customise the audio callers hear while waiting on hold.

For a full list of Teams calling features and configuration guidance, see Setting up optional Microsoft Teams calling features.

You’re all set

You’ve now completed the recommended steps to set up Operator Connect, and you should be able to make, receive, and route calls without issue.

If you need help managing Operator Connect or troubleshooting issues, refer to our Guide to Operator Connect or contact our support team for assistance.