Operator Connect through Teams forwarding

What it is for

With Operator Connect the public phone number stays with the operator, who delivers it directly into Microsoft Teams, not to the EasyUC SBC. So that a call to such a number still reaches an EasyUC script, EasyUC offers the call entry Operator Connect through Teams forwarding.

The path: the caller dials the Operator Connect number. It is assigned to a Teams service account that immediately forwards every call to a Direct Routing pilot number. The pilot number is in EasyUC’s voice route, so the call arrives at the SBC over the trunk. The SBC reads from the call’s History-Info which number was originally dialled and maps the call to the right script.

The script can be an ACD script or the queue of an attendant console. A Microsoft Teams Auto Attendant is not involved. EasyUC can check the required settings on the service account and set them itself through Teams PowerShell.

Prerequisites

• Licence module teams. Without this module the EasyUC Teams workspace does not appear.
• Role EasyUC Teams with the sub-permissions SCRIPTS (ROLE_APP_TEAMS_SCRIPTS) and SCRIPTS bearbeiten (ROLE_APP_TEAMS_SCRIPTS_EDIT).
• Direct Routing with the EasyUC SBC is running for this tenant, and at least one script is reachable from Teams.
• EasyUC is signed in to Teams PowerShell or an app registration is stored.
• An Operator Connect number that can be assigned to a user. A service number for resource accounts is not suitable.
• For each Operator Connect number, a dedicated Teams service account with a Teams Phone licence and Enterprise Voice, to which the number is assigned.
• The calling policy of the service account allows forwarding to phone numbers. EasyUC does not check this point; verify it in Teams.
• A free Direct Routing number as the pilot number. It is not assigned to any user or resource and does not fall under any rule for unassigned numbers.
• The tenant’s global voice routing policy does not contain EasyUC’s PSTN usage.

Step by step: Set up a script with Operator Connect numbers

1. Open the script in the script form or create it with Create IVR.
2. Tick Reachable via MS Teams and select the Teams tenant.
3. Under Call entry, select the card Operator Connect through Teams forwarding. It carries the note not documented by Microsoft.
4. Under Operator Connect numbers, pick a number from the list Add a number from the inventory and click the plus icon. If it is missing from the inventory, click Add a number by hand and enter the OC number.
5. For each number, check the field Teams service account (UPN). EasyUC takes the account from the inventory; you can change it by hand.
6. Repeat this for further numbers. At most 10 numbers per script are allowed.
7. Under Pilot number (Direct Routing), enter the pilot number or click one of the Suggestions. Suggestions carry the labels free, shared or used by this script so far.
8. Click Save. EasyUC adds the pilot number to the voice route, never the Operator Connect numbers.

Step by step: Check and set up forwarding

1. Open the tenant page and check that Routes in Teams shows Up to date. Otherwise click Update routes. Only then is the pilot number in the pattern of the voice route.
2. Open the script again and click Check now. Through the PowerShell service EasyUC reads whether user, number, policy, forwarding and pilot match. Nothing is changed.
3. Read the check items under Pilot number and trunk and, per number, through the Check items icon. The status per number is OK, Note, Error or not checked.
4. In the row of a number, click Set up forwarding.
5. Leave Assign the policy (EasyUC voice routing policy) and Set forwarding (immediately to the pilot number) ticked.
6. If Replace the existing forwarding appears, the account already forwards elsewhere. Tick it only if that forwarding may be overwritten.
7. Click Preview and read Planned steps. If a step is marked blocked, nothing is run.
8. Click Run and confirm the prompt “EasyUC now changes the settings of … in Microsoft Teams. Continue?”.
9. Wait for “The setup is complete.” Note the box State before with the earlier forwarding and policy for a later rollback.
10. Click Check now again. All check items should show OK.
11. Call the Operator Connect number from the mobile network. In the call history, From shows your mobile number and To shows the Operator Connect number with the addition “via pilot …”.

Step by step: Set up forwarding by hand or roll it back

1. In the script, click Manual setup guide. EasyUC shows the seven steps with the values of this script.
2. In the Teams admin center, assign the service account a voice routing policy with the EasyUC usage. Never change the Global policy.
3. In the Teams client of the service account or in the Teams admin center, set up immediate forwarding to the pilot number.
4. Verify with Check now.
5. To roll back, reset the forwarding of the service account to the state from State before and assign the earlier policy again.
6. Switch the script to another call entry or delete it. With a shared pilot number, switching it off is not enough.
7. On the tenant page, click Update routes so that a pilot number that is no longer used disappears from the voice route.

Fields and options

Check the result and narrow down errors

• Success: Check now shows all check items as OK, and the test call to the Operator Connect number reaches the script. In the call history, To shows the Operator Connect number with “via pilot …”.
• “Please save the script first. Checks and setup use the saved state.” Save the script before you check.
• “The EasyUC gateway in Teams sends no History-Info (ForwardCallHistory is off). Without it the SBC cannot match a forwarded Operator Connect number.” Click Update routes on the tenant page or switch on ForwardCallHistory at the PSTN gateway in Teams.
• “The number … is the Teams device of an attendant console. A transfer to it would run back into EasyUC through the forwarding (call loop). Please use a dedicated service account.” Use a different account.
• “The Operator Connect number and the pilot number must differ so that no call loop arises.” Choose another pilot number.
• “The number … is already used in this tenant (script …).” The number belongs to another script.
• “At least one step is blocked. Nothing is run.” Read the reason at the step, usually a foreign policy or an existing forwarding.
• “The PowerShell service for Microsoft Teams is not reachable.” Check service and sign-in on the tenant page.
• Check item Global policy without the EasyUC usage as a note: EasyUC’s PSTN usage is attached to the Global policy. This is not recommended for this path.
• The user or an administrator can change the forwarding at any time. Repeat Check now regularly. The checklist of the attendant console rates a check older than 7 days as a note.
• Limits: each Operator Connect number needs a licensed service account. How many calls run at the same time over one user number has not been tested.