Source record · tier 2 current vendor documentation

Setup - Call Queue - Microsoft Teams

Publisher: Microsoft
URL: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/aa-cq-setup-call-queue
Published: 2026-08-31
Updated: unknown
Accessed: 2026-09-24
HTTP status: 200
License: Microsoft Learn terms of use; source repository license not verified in this run; no-redistribution; short excerpts and locators only

Source notes citing this source

Only a Global or Teams Administrator can fully manage a call queue that uses a Teams channel or a Shifts schedule group; other admin roles must be the channel's creator or owner or a team member to add it. in context
To be offered callback, a caller's number must be a publicly dialable, non-premium E.164 number; the offer comes after the music on hold finishes, and the call timeout must be long enough for eligibility, the request and the callback to complete. in context
Conference mode shortens the time to connect a caller after an agent accepts; Teams users need it to consult or transfer with call queues, agents must be in TeamsOnly mode, and it is unsupported for calls from a Direct Routing gateway enabled for Location-Based Routing. in context
Each call queue exception (overflow, timeout, no agents) can disconnect the call or redirect it to a routing destination such as a person, shared voicemail, another voice app or an external number. in context
A known issue: with longest idle routing, the no-agents treatment does not work when New Calls Only is selected and new calls queue; All Calls works as expected. in context
Choosing longest idle automatically enables presence-based routing; when there are fewer queued calls than available agents, only the two longest-idle agents are offered calls. in context
A call queue built on a Teams channel can take up to 24 hours to become fully operational, and a user newly added to a group can take up to eight hours to receive their first call. in context
The no-agents exception fires when no agent is opted in (presence-based routing off) or when no agent is logged in or all are Appear Offline (presence-based routing on); it can apply to all calls (default) or new calls only. in context
Each call queue has a setting that controls whether agents may opt out of taking calls (Microsoft recommends turning it on); an opted-out agent gets no queue calls whatever their presence. in context
Call queue overflow triggers when Maximum calls in the queue is reached; that limit defaults to 50, can be set from 0 to 200, counts only calls still waiting, and at 0 the greeting cannot play. in context
With presence-based routing on, only agents whose status is Available are offered calls; it works with any routing method, and Skype for Business client agents are excluded while it is enabled. in context
Microsoft's recommended call queue settings are conference mode on, round robin or longest idle routing, presence-based routing on, and an agent alert time of at least 20 seconds. in context
Call queues offer four routing methods: attendant (ring all agents at once), serial (ring agents one by one in list order), round robin (equalise call counts) and longest idle (the Available agent idle the longest). in context
The call timeout, the maximum time a call can wait before being redirected or disconnected, can be set from 0 seconds to 45 minutes. in context
A call queue that uses a Teams channel for agents can take up to 24 hours to become fully operational. in context
Only a Global Administrator or Teams Administrator can fully manage a call queue that has a Teams channel or Shifts schedule group assigned; other roles must be the channel's creator or owner, or a member of the team, to add it. in context
If a private channel is assigned to a call queue, calls go to every member of the team rather than only the channel's members, and assigning a private channel can fail. in context
To take agents from a Teams channel, select Choose a team, then Add a channel, pick the team and channel and Apply; up to 200 agents can be added this way, and only standard channels are fully supported. in context
Conference mode is required when Teams users need to consult or transfer calls with call queues, and it is not supported for calls routed to the queue from a Direct Routing gateway enabled for Location-Based Routing. in context
Every call queue that answers calls directly must have a resource account with a Resource Account license, and one call queue can have several resource accounts. in context
Call queues are created in the Teams admin center under Voice > Call queues > Add, using Quick setup for simple needs or Advanced setup for more complex routing. in context
Microsoft provides an admin diagnostic, run from the Microsoft 365 admin center with the resource account entered in Username or Email, that checks tenant, policy and resource account configuration to confirm an auto attendant or call queue can receive calls. in context
Call queue Overflow, Timeout and No Agents exceptions can each disconnect or redirect, and a Voice app redirect can point straight at an auto attendant or call queue rather than its resource account. in context
If a team, group or shift has more than 200 members, only the first 200 Enterprise Voice enabled members in alphabetical order become agents of the queue. in context
A user newly added to a group used for queue membership can wait up to eight hours for their first queue call. in context
Choosing Longest idle routing automatically enables presence-based routing, and agents whose presence is not Available receive no queue calls. in context
The No Agents exception fires when no agents are opted in (presence-based routing off), or when no agents are logged in or all appear offline (presence-based routing on), and it can apply to all calls or only new calls. in context
Maximum calls in the queue defaults to 50 and can be 0 to 200, with a setting of 0 preventing the greeting from playing; the call timeout can be 0 seconds to 45 minutes. in context
Microsoft's recommended call queue settings are Conference mode On, Routing method Round robin or Longest idle, Presence-based routing On and an Agent alert time of at least 20 seconds. in context
Text-to-speech greetings must be typed in the language selected for the voice app, because the system does not translate; typed greetings can be up to 1,000 characters. in context
With Choose users and groups, up to 20 agents can be added individually and up to 200 through groups, which can be distribution lists, security groups, Microsoft 365 Groups or Teams teams. in context
Callback is offered only after the hold music finishes playing, so a call timeout shorter than callback eligibility plus the music length prevents callback; with default music (two minutes long), a 60-second eligibility and 120-second timeout never offers callback. in context
The call queue setup page's Assign calling ID note still lists 'a Calling Plan license and a phone number assigned' as one way to satisfy the licensing for a caller-ID resource account, which conflicts with the licensing reference's statement that Calling Plan licenses stopped being supported for on-behalf-of outbound PSTN calls on 1 November 2025. disputed in context
When a call queue's agents are supplied by a Teams channel, the queue can take up to 24 hours to become fully operational, and only standard channels are fully supported. in context
Conference mode is required if Teams users need to consult or transfer calls with call queues. in context
Conference mode is not supported for calls routed to the queue from a Direct Routing gateway that is enabled for Location-Based Routing. in context
With conference mode, agents can hear the queue's music on hold for up to two seconds when first joining the call. in context
With conference mode, agents' Teams accounts must be in TeamsOnly mode; agents who do not meet the requirement are left out of the call routing list. in context
Admins can run a call queue diagnostic in the Microsoft 365 admin center by entering the queue's resource account, and it reports tenant, policy and resource account configuration problems that stop the queue from receiving calls. in context
Every Teams call queue that directly answers calls must have an associated resource account, and every resource account must be assigned a Microsoft Teams Phone Resource Account license. in context
If a team, group or shift assigned to a call queue has more than 200 members, only the first 200 Enterprise Voice enabled members in alphabetical order are added as agents; individually added users are capped at 20. in context
A user newly added to a group that supplies call queue agents can take up to eight hours to receive their first call from the queue. in context
When presenting a call to an agent conflicts with Location-Based Routing restrictions, the agent gets a call toast but cannot answer, and this continues until another agent answers, the caller hangs up or the queue times out. in context
Selecting Longest idle automatically enables presence-based routing even though the toggle shows Off and greyed out, and when there are fewer queued calls than available agents only the two longest-idle agents are offered calls. in context
Known issue: with Longest idle routing, the No Agents treatment does not work when set to New Calls Only and new calls are queued, while All Calls works as expected. in context
The No Agents exception triggers when no agents are opted in (presence-based routing off), or when no agents are logged in or all agents are set to Appear Offline (presence-based routing on); otherwise calls are queued. in context
Without presence-based routing, multiple queued calls are presented to agents simultaneously regardless of presence, producing multiple call notifications to agents. in context
An agent who has opted out of taking calls receives no queue calls regardless of their availability status. in context
Maximum calls in the queue defaults to 50 and can be set from 0 to 200; the limit counts only calls waiting to be answered, and at 0 the greeting message cannot play. in context
With presence-based routing, only agents whose status is Available are in the routing list; agents in any other status get no queue calls until they return to Available. in context
Microsoft documents that with presence-based routing an agent may receive a queue call shortly after becoming unavailable, or see a short delay before receiving calls after becoming available. in context
Known issue: when a private channel is assigned to a call queue, calls are distributed to all members of the team rather than only the private channel's members, and assigning a private channel can fail. in context
Microsoft's recommended call queue settings are conference mode On, routing method Round robin or Longest idle, presence-based routing On, and agent alert time of at least 20 seconds. in context
Agents using the Skype for Business client are excluded from the routing list when presence-based routing is enabled, so Microsoft advises against enabling it if any agents use Skype for Business. in context
Known issue: special characters in the greeting message used when redirecting to Voicemail (shared) are not spoken by the system. in context
Inference: when one agent misses queue calls that other agents receive, the documented causes that are specific to one agent (Enterprise Voice enablement, TeamsOnly mode, opt-out state, presence under presence-based routing, the 200-member cutoff, and group sync delay of up to eight hours) are more likely than resource account or tenant faults, which would affect every agent. inferred in context
Inference: in a presence-based queue where every agent is Busy or Away but at least one is signed in and not Appear Offline, calls are held until the Call Timeout expires rather than triggering No Agents, so a short timeout pointing to voicemail makes calls appear to go straight to voicemail. inferred in context
The call queue Call Timeout (maximum wait time) can be set from 0 seconds to 45 minutes, after which the call is redirected or disconnected according to the timeout exception setting. in context
Transfer mode (conference mode disabled) is in legacy mode, and Microsoft says a Message center post will be made at least three months before its scheduled removal date. in context

Cite this source record

APA

WarmTransfer. (2026, August 31). Setup - Call Queue - Microsoft Teams. WarmTransfer. https://warmtransfer.net/knowledge/sources/ms-learn-aa-cq-setup-call-queue

BibTeX

@misc{warmtransfer-ms-learn-aa-cq-setup-call-queue,
  title  = {Setup - Call Queue - Microsoft Teams},
  author = {{WarmTransfer}},
  year   = {2026},
  url    = {https://warmtransfer.net/knowledge/sources/ms-learn-aa-cq-setup-call-queue},
  note   = {Microsoft, accessed 2026-09-24}
}