This article guides you in setting up Microsoft Softphone and gives you information on using it from your device.

Before the move to Softphone

Why are you taking away my desk phone?

As part of our Organisational Excellence Strategic Plan, we are upgrading our IT systems to support mobile and flexible working. One of the key changes is replacing our MX One telephone system, now 25 years old, with a new softphone service provided by Microsoft Teams.

We are providing staff with a desk phone alternative - PC/laptop phones via Teams, also called Softphone. These new phones allow staff to make and receive calls just like the previous desk phones. They also allow for remote and flexible working.

I do not use a PC and Microsoft Teams in my day-to-day work, will I still need to use Softphone?

iSolutions can provide handsets to University departments in circumstances where:

• Staff do not use PCs and Microsoft Teams e.g. kitchens
• Staff are not office based e.g. lab or workshop without a PC/laptop

You will not need any training to use these phones.

I do not have a phone number, what do I do?

As part of the move to Softphone, if you do not have an extension number, you will be assigned one. If you need help or further information, please contact your Telephony Liaison Officer.

What equipment do I need to use Softphone?

You need to be logged onto your University IT account and have access to Microsoft Teams.

If you require a headset to use with your PC or laptop, you can request this from your Line Manager. The cost of standard headsets will be covered by the Softphone rollout.

If you need an amplified headset, please:

1. Discuss this with your Line Manager
2. Obtain approval before ordering via the procurement process.

Can I keep my phone number?

If you are moving over to Softphone and already have a telephone number, you will keep this number.

If you are moving over to Softphone and do not have a telephone number, you will be issued one.

I have a call divert set up on my extension, will this be carried over to Softphone?

No, any call diverts set up on an extension will be removed when migrated to Teams Softphone. You can easily set up a call divert in the calls section in Teams: to do that, follow the ‘How to use Microsoft Teams Softphone’ knowledge base article.

Many of our faculty phones are there for emergency purposes. Is Softphone replacing our old emergency phones?  

There is sometimes a misunderstanding of what the University telephony system is providing. The old phone system has a mix of hard-wired analogue and IP phones. All the phones in labs, offices, and teaching spaces across the university have always been routed via the network. None of the older, standard phones have been emergency phones.

The new Teams Softphone service will provide greater resilience, and the change to Teams telephony should reduce single points of failure, not increase them. Some emergency lines exist for some services, such as lifts and accessible toilets. These are managed separately by Estates & Facilities; they are out of scope for the Teams Softphone service and will continue to work in the same way.

What will happen to our phones if the university network goes down?

The phones will stop working; this is nothing new. However, the new phones will be on the network and not dependent on the MX One system or hard-wired to it. The MX One system is over 25 years old and hosted in B54, which will be decommissioned because it has been subject to leaking and flooding, which puts an increased risk to the old phone system. Please be reassured that the university’s network is highly resilient and will be upgraded further as part of the network replacement project with new equipment.

My mobile phone does not work in my building so I cannot use this as a backup to raise emergency calls.

We understand that some mobile phone networks have different signal strengths around campus. Please be reassured that if your network is unavailable and a signal is available on another network, your phone will use this alternative network to connect to the emergency services. All 999 calls are free.

Why are we reducing the number of handsets in shared spaces, for example, corridors and labs?

As we replace the old phone system, we are also looking at opportunities to reduce the number of physical phones in buildings. All staff will now have access to Teams phones, and those in common spaces, such as a lab, will be shared. Health and safety is always a priority, so all labs where it isn’t always appropriate to use PCs will be provided with a handset. You can request more than one shared phone if a lab is very big.

Why cannot I have my own extension number in the lab?

Lab phones will now be location phones; the extension will be associated with the room, not a person. This means the phone will stay active even if a person leaves the university.

What if a phone is being used as an alarm for a piece of equipment such as a freezer?

This is out of scope, but if a phone is attached to equipment for alerts to notify staff that the equipment is failing, technicians need to consider alternative alarms/alerts for the equipment.

What if I have a disability which means I can only use a desk phone?

A desk phone will be provided.

What about Cordless phones? Can we have these instead?

In a place where staff need to be moving around a lot, for example, a children’s nursery, they could be useful; however, there is an additional cost, and they are not as safe because they require charging and putting back where staff can find them. Each request for these cordless phones will be considered individually and must be backed up by reasonable justification.

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After the move to Softphone

What happens to my desk phone?

Softphone will replace your desk phone therefore you just need to unplug your phone from the floor or wall port and:

• Place it in one of the phone collection boxes, or,
• Place it in the designated storage location

We will let you know where the phone collection boxes or storage locations are.

If your phone has more than one cable plugged into it, please do not unplug it as it’s most likely connected to another device – for example, a printer or a PC. We will disconnect your phone on your behalf to ensure there is no disruption to the other device. Please let your Line Manager know if this is the case.

If you would rather not disconnect the desk phone yourself, please let your Line Manager know and we will arrange to have it removed.

Why are calls not coming through to me?

It could be that your telephone number and location are not up to date.

For calls to be routed correctly, please check your telephone number and location in Subscribe are correct. If you are still having issues with Softphone, please contact ServiceLine.

Can I pair my hearing aid or other Bluetooth headphones with Softphone?

If you use a hearing aid, you can pair this with your PC, enabling you to make and take calls through Teams. Both your hearing aid and PC will need to have a Bluetooth connection to do this.

Likewise, if you have your own Bluetooth headphones or headset which you prefer to use, you can pair them with your PC.

You can pair your hearing aid or headphones under ‘Settings’ on your PC. 

My Softphone has been activated, but my call forwarding or hunt group is not working. What should I do?

If you have a call forward or a call queue set up on your desk phone, it will be cancelled, and you will need to recreate this in Teams. In Teams, 'hunt groups' are referred to as 'call queues'.

The Microsoft 365 Support Centre gives guidance on how to do this.

A new starter will be joining my team, how do I set them up with Softphone?

Once your team has moved over to Softphone, you will need to ensure your new starter has a telephone extension. If a new number is needed, please make a telephony request in the Service Portal. The ‘Request Type’ is ‘Telephone Extensions’ and complete the details.

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Connecting with people on Softphone (FAQs)

How to share my telephone number with other people

For Softphone to work, each person needs their own number in Teams. 

If you share a phone number, then you may be allocated a different number. You will be told this number once you have been moved to Teams Softphone. If you have a specific reason why you need to keep your number, please tell your manager who will liaise with the project team.

Will I get Teams calls outside of my usual working hours?

Within Teams, you can set your working hours so you are not disturbed outside these hours. Find full guidance in the knowledge base article “Setting up Quiet Times on Teams”.

Will I be able to make international calls?

With the rollout of the Softphone, all staff will have the ability to make international calls via Teams.  Common area phone in reception areas will be restricted to internal calls and 3 digit numbers such as 999 only.  

When making a call, can the person I am calling view my phone number?

No, the person you are calling cannot view your phone number. The number presented to the caller is known as the Call Line Identity (CLI), the University’s main switchboard number.

Can other people get hold of my phone number and call me directly?

Your phone number will not be published unless you set your contact details as public in Subscribe. When calling people, they will not be able to view your phone number, only the University’s main switchboard number. 

If I set ‘Quiet Hours’ in the Teams Mobile app, will it also stop external call notifications?

Yes, it will stop all call notifications in the Teams Mobile app.

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Related content

How to use Microsoft Teams Softphone

"Getting to know Teams Softphone" (video)

M365 Support Centre - Softphones

Teams Softphone

Telephone Liaison Officer (TLO) list

Telephony Liaison Officer (TLO) guide

Telephony Requests form

Computer Peripheral Purchasing form