In the next year, more faculty, staff, and students will rely on Microsoft Teams Calls to make and receive campus phone calls. The new service, powered by Microsoft Teams, responds to the diverse communication and collaboration needs of the campus community, replacing the aging campus phone system. The transition to Microsoft Teams Calling started earlier this year and will continue in 2023.  

• Faculty and staff will keep their UMass Amherst phone numbers, which will be available on campus or remotely. 
• Phone calling will be added to Microsoft Teams, a platform that is already in use at UMass Amherst and available through Microsoft 365 for most computers and mobile devices. 

Convenient, Accessible & Integrated: Three Benefits of Microsoft Teams Calls 

Microsoft Teams Calls provides a superior user experience with numerous benefits suitable for flexible work arrangements, on campus and remotely.  

• Convenient and easy to use: Microsoft Teams meets you where you are: you no longer need to be on campus to make and receive a call at your campus phone number. Make, receive, and forward calls with fewer clicks and a more intuitive interface. You can create groups for recurring group calls, connect with colleagues by looking up their names, and easily switch from audio to video calling.  
• Live captioning, transcription and other accessibility features: With Teams Calls, you can enable live captioning for audio calls, use voicemail transcription, get transcripts sent to your email, and more.  
• Integrated communication and productivity: Everything you need for communication and collaboration is now in one place. You can access your Microsoft email, calendar, meetings, chat, online storage as well as the features of the traditional desk phone, such as voicemail, in one location for an easier and more productive experience. 

Microsoft Teams Calls Transition