How to Set Up Microsoft Teams Auto Attendant: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Before you begin: You will need Global Administrator permissions in your Microsoft 365 tenant to complete this setup. If you do not have this role, contact your tenant admin.

Step 1: Acquire a Free "Teams Phone Resource Account" License

The first step is to obtain a free license for the resource account that will power your auto attendant.

Navigate to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center at admin.microsoft.com. Go to Billing > Purchase services, search for "Teams Phone Resource", and you will find the Microsoft Teams Phone Resource Account license — it is completely free.

Once added, the license will appear in your account's license list, ready to be assigned to a resource account.

Step 2: Create a Resource Account, Assign License, and Provision a Phone Number

Now that you have the license, the next step is to create the actual resource account and link it to a phone number.

Navigate to the Teams Admin Center at admin.teams.microsoft.com. Go to Voice > Resource account and click Add resource account.

The newly created resource account will initially appear as Unlicensed. This is expected.

Return to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center (admin.microsoft.com). Navigate to Users > Active users, select the resource account user, and assign the free license you acquired in Step 1.

Back in the Teams Admin Center, the resource account status will now update to Licensed.

Now, click Assign/unassign to provision a Direct Routing phone number to this resource account. This number will be the entry point for your auto attendant.

Step 3: Configure Auto Attendant Settings and Call Flows

With the resource account and phone number ready, it is time to configure the auto attendant itself.

In the Teams Admin Center, navigate to Voice > Auto attendants. Click Add, provide a name for your auto attendant, select the correct time zone, and click Next.

Under Call Flow, enter your company's greeting message in the "Add a greeting message" field. Microsoft Teams will automatically convert this text to speech, which will play when a caller connects.

For Call routing options, select "Play menu options" to enable interactive voice response (IVR).

Add a second greeting message to guide callers through the menu. Under Set menu options, assign a dial key (0-9, *, #) to each option and define the destination (e.g., a user, call queue, or another auto attendant).

For Directory search, choose "Dial by extension" (if you have assigned extensions to users) or "Dial by name" (supports English names only).

Advanced settings allow you to define business hours and after-hours routing. For a basic setup, you can leave the default settings.

Under Advanced settings > Resource accounts, click Add to link the resource account you created in Step 2. This connects the phone number to the auto attendant.

✅ Your auto attendant is now live. When customers call your assigned number (e.g., +86 21 33689396), they will hear: "Welcome to CTS China VOIP Consulting. Press 1 for sales, press 2 for support."

Conclusion

Setting up a Microsoft Teams Auto Attendant is a straightforward process that significantly enhances your organization's professional image and call handling efficiency. By following these steps, you have created a fully functional IVR system that guides callers to the right department or individual.

If you need assistance with Auto Attendant configuration, Direct Routing setup, or any other aspect of your Teams Phone System deployment, CTS is here to help. Our team of certified engineers has supported hundreds of global enterprises in deploying Teams Phone System in China. Contact us today to get started.