Microsoft Teams SmartCommunicator Quick Start Guide

This guide describes how to set up and use the SmartCommunicator app. Learn more about:

Before You Begin Set Up SmartCommunicator Launch the App Send and Receive Texts

Send and Receive Calls Save a New Contact Error Codes Tips

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Overview

Super-charge your Microsoft Teams experience with the SmartCommunicator. This app allows you to streamline communications by combining two tools your team is already using: Microsoft Teams and IntelePeer.

Use SmartCommunicator to simplify your team’s communication workflow, increasing efficiency and productivity. For example, if your team is already using Microsoft Teams but using personal mobile devices to carry out business functions, SmartCommunicator provides key voice and SMS features within Teams, centralizing communications with other apps they're already using.

 

Getting Started with SmartCommunicator

Before You Begin

You'll need to have a few elements in place prior to setting up the SmartCommunicator app:

• An IntelePeer Account: Your team must have direct routing or Operator Connect through IntelePeer and all numbers used with the app must be 10DLC registered.

• A Microsoft Teams Account: Your team should already have the Microsoft Teams desktop app installed.

  Note: We support Microsoft Direct Routing and Microsoft Operator Connect customers.

• Administrator access to your Microsoft Teams Account: The Teams Administrator is responsible for assigning phone numbers within Teams, adding the SmartCommunicator app, and granting access for team members to use it.

 

Set Up SmartCommunicator

1. Fill out and submit the SmartCommunicator - Customer Onboarding form.

   • Existing customers should reach out to your Account Manager to receive the form. If you are not an existing customer, get in touch with us here.

   • Once your onboarding is complete, you will receive a notification email from smartcommunicator@intelepeer.com and you can move on to the following steps.

2. The Teams Administrator assigns your IntelePeer phone numbers to the team members who will use the app via the Microsoft Teams admin center:

   1. Log into the Microsoft Teams admin Center.

   2. From the menu on the left, click the Users drop-down, then select Manage Users. All of the team members associated with your Teams account are listed.

   3. Click on a team member's name to open the details page.

   4. In the General Information section of the Account tab, click the Edit button.

   5. The Assign phone number pop-up appears:

      • Phone number type should be set to "Direct Routing" or "Operator Connect", as appropriate.

      • Add one of the available IntelePeer Microsoft Teams Bundle phone numbers to the Assign phone number field.

        Note: Make sure the phone number you assign to each team members has not already been assigned to someone else. And the number assignments must exactly match the numbers provided in the SmartCommunicator - Customer Onboarding form.

      • Click Apply.

   6. Repeat steps 3-5 for each team member who will be using the SmartCommunicator app.

• The number assignments will go into effect immediately.

3. The Teams Administrator adds the SmartCommunicator app, and manages access to it, within the Microsoft Teams admin center:

   1. Log into the Microsoft Teams admin center.

   2. Add the SmartCommunicator app.

   3. Grant permissions to the app.

   4. Update the Permission policies to grant team members access to SmartCommunicator.

      • Use Global permission to give everyone access or create a new policy group to give access to a subset of members.

   5. Pin the app (optional but recommended).

• Check out this page for more information about adding an app to Microsoft Teams, and check out this page for more information about managing team accesses via policies.

 

Using SmartCommunicator

Launch the App

Select the SmartCommunicator icon from the app bar on the far left.

Any previous SMS conversations appear on the left, and you can toggle between text messages or calls.

 

Send and Receive Texts

To start a new SMS conversation:

1. From the Text Messages menu, click the chat icon.

   

2. From the New SMS menu you can find a contact by name or number:

• Find a contact by name: Click the magnifying glass icon to search for a specific name, then click the chat icon.

  

• Find a contact by number: Click the dial pad icon, enter a phone number, and click the chat icon.

  

3. The new blank SMS chat box opens.

   

4. Type your SMS in the text box, then click the send icon or hit the enter key.

   

   Note: SMS is limited to text only. You cannot include any images or video at this time.

 

To continue a previous SMS conversation:

1. From the Text Messages menu, scroll through your previous conversations, or click the magnifying glass icon to search for the contact's name or a key word in a message.

2. Click on the previous conversation to open the SMS chat box with that contact.

   

3. Type your SMS in the text box, then click the send icon or hit the enter key.

 

When you receive SMS messages, you'll see a notification to the right of Text Messages and the conversation will be outlined in blue.

The notification number represents how many contacts have sent you a new message (e.g., if you receive three messages from one contact the notification number will remain "1", but if you receive one message from three contacts the notification number is "3".)

Click on the conversation to view the new message(s) and respond.

 

Send and Receive Calls

To initiate a phone call:

1. Select the Call menu option.

   

   Your Recent Calls history appears on the left and the dial pad on the right.

   

2. You have three options:

   • Click the blue phone icon to the right of any recent contacts to initiate a new call.

     

   • Use the search bar (above the dial pad) to find the contact's name or phone number.

     

   • Or, use the dial pad to enter a new phone number.

3. Click the blue phone icon, and then click Start Call.

   

 

When you receive a call, a pop-up notification appears in the corner of your screen.

Click the Accept Call button, on the left, to open the call window.

 

 

Save a New Contact

You can create a new SmartCommunicator contact via the Text Messages or Recent Calls menu:

Text Messages

1. Click the chat icon.

2. From the New SMS menu, click the dial pad icon. The dial pad appears.

   

3. Click the plus sign button.

   The New Contact form appears (you may need to scroll down to view the form).

   

4. Enter the Contact Name and Contact Number.

5. Click Save or Save and SMS to immediately open a chat box with the contact.

 

Recent Calls

1. From the dial pad on the right, click the plus sign button.

   

   The New Contact form appears.

   

2. Enter the Contact Name and Contact Number.

3. Click Save or Save and Call to immediately dial the contact.

 

Errors

For more information, check out the Error Codes page.

 

Tips

• By default, new Teams apps are added to the bottom of the app bar (the menu on the far left). We recommend pinning the SmartCommunicator app to the top of the app bar so your team members can easily find it. Check out this page for more detailed information.

  Note: After you change the default app order, it will take a few minutes to propagate to all accounts.

• We recommend using the SmartCommunicator app with the desktop version of Microsoft Teams.

 

For more information about Microsoft Teams, check out:

• Microsoft Teams Admin Documentation

• Getting Started with Microsoft Teams Policies

• Manage Team Apps

• Pinning Apps