manage user voice settings

User Voice settings in Microsoft Teams are integral to maintaining a productive and organized digital environment for communication, especially when preparing for the MS-700 Managing Microsoft Teams exam, which tests a candidate’s ability to manage Teams settings. Managing user voice settings involves configuring several aspects to allow for proper communication within Teams. These settings include call policies, voice routing, and dial plans, all of which help in tailoring the Teams experience to the organization’s and the individual’s needs.

Call Policies

Call policies in Microsoft Teams control what features users can access during a call or meeting. For instance, a Teams administrator can use call policies to decide who can make, receive, and transfer calls. Policies can be used to disable the ability for users to forward calls or to restrict calls to internal communication only.

Example of setting a call policy:

Set-CsTeamsCallingPolicy -Identity “Tag:DisallowForwarding” -AllowCallForwardingToPhone $False -AllowSimultaneousRing $False

This command will modify the DisallowForwarding policy to prevent users from forwarding calls or having simultaneous ringing to a phone.

Voice Routing

Voice routing in Microsoft Teams refers to the configuration of how voice traffic is directed through various networks and services. In terms of managing Teams for an organization, this is crucial for setting up Direct Routing, which allows for the integration of third-party telephony services with Teams.

Voice routing elements include:

• PSTN Usage records – define scenarios for call routing.
• Voice Routes – specify the path that calls should take based on number patterns.
• Voice Routing Policies – collect PSTN Usages and apply them to users.

A voice route table comparison:

The above table compares two voice routes: LocalRoute which handles the call routing for local US numbers, and InternationalRoute for international calls.

Dial Plans

Dial plans in Microsoft Teams are a set of normalization rules that translate dialed phone numbers into an alternate format for call authorization and routing. They are essential for enterprises that have specific dialing habits or when integrating with traditional telephony systems.

Dial plan components:

• Normalization rules – actual patterns and translations that normalize dialed numbers.
• Tenant Dial Plan – globally applied rules.
• User Dial Plan – can override tenant rules for specific users.

Example of a normalization rule within a dial plan:

New-CsTeamsNormalizationRule -Parent Global -Name “5DigitExtensionDialing” -Pattern “^\d{5}$” -Translation “+1425555$1”

This normalization rule enables users to dial five-digit extensions by automatically mapping them to a full phone number format.

Managing User Voice Settings Effectively

As an MS-700 Managing Microsoft Teams exam candidate or a Teams administrator, it is critical to understand how to manage voice settings effectively. Here are the steps to manage user voice settings:

1. Identify the organization’s requirements – Evaluate the needs and calling patterns of your organization.
2. Design a Dial Plan – According to the identified requirements, design and apply normalization rules that fit the organization’s dialing habits.
3. Configure Call Policies – Establish call policies that align with the company’s communication policies and user needs.
4. Setup Voice Routing – Plan and implement voice routing that supports the infrastructure, whether using Microsoft Calling Plan or Direct Routing.
5. Assign Policies to Users – Allocate the created policies to users in the Teams admin center or via PowerShell based on their roles and needs.

Understanding and managing user voice settings within Teams not only ensures efficient communication but also prepares candidates for scenarios they might encounter on the MS-700 exam. It empowers them to implement and troubleshoot voice features that enhance the Teams experience for all users within the organization.