# Best Practices – Call Life Cycle This guide walks you through every step of a call, from preparation to follow-up, so you can handle calls with confidence and consistency. *** ## Before Your First Call: Quick Prep ### 1. Make Sure You're Signed In * Open **Easy Calling** in Microsoft Teams * You should see the dashboard with "Incoming Calls" and "Call History" sections * If you don't see anything, check with your team lead – you may need to be added to a call queue ### 2. Check Your Headset * Test your audio by making a quick Microsoft Teams test call * Make sure your microphone isn't muted * Keep your headset nearby so you're ready ### 3. Know Your Queue Ask your team lead or check the dashboard: * **Which call queue** are you assigned to? (e.g., "Support Line," "Sales," "Main Reception") * **What hours** are you expected to handle calls? * **Who can you transfer to** if you need help? *** ## When a Call Comes In: What You'll See ### The Incoming Call Notification When someone calls your queue, you'll see **two things happen**: 1. **A Microsoft Teams notification** pops up (like a regular Teams call) 2. **A call card appears** in your Easy Calling dashboard **The call card shows:** * **Caller's phone number** * **Caller's name** (if found in your directory or CRM) * **Caller's company** (if available) * **Which queue** the call came through * **How long they've been waiting** * **Action buttons**: View Details | Request Call | Direct Transfer | Transfer to Voice App | Reject Call | Force Cleanup
Incoming call card

This is what you'll see when a call comes in

*** ## Answering Your First Call ### Step 1: Click "Answer" You have two ways to answer: * Click **"Answer"** in the Easy Calling dashboard, OR * Click **"Accept"** in the Microsoft Teams call notification **Pro Tip:** Most agents find it easier to answer directly from the notification – it's faster and feels more natural. ### Step 2: Greet the Caller Once connected, greet them professionally: **Good example:** "Thank you for calling \[Your Company], this is \[Your Name]. How can I help you today?" **Why this matters:** A warm greeting sets a positive tone and immediately makes the caller feel heard. ### Step 3: Check the Caller Information Panel While you're speaking, look at the **caller information panel** in Easy Calling. It shows: * **Contact Details**: Name, company, email, phone * **Call Notes Area**: A text box for typing notes * **Quick Actions**: Buttons for creating tasks, sending emails, etc. * **Call Timer**: Shows how long you've been on the call **What to do with this information:** * If you recognize the company, reference past interactions * Start typing notes about the call right away * Keep an eye on the timer (helpful for managing call length) *** ## During the Call: Taking Notes **Why take notes?** Because you (or your teammates) might need to reference this call later. Good notes help with follow-ups and ensure nothing falls through the cracks. ### How to Take Good Call Notes **Type in the notes section while you're speaking.** Here's a simple format: ``` Caller: [Name or description] Reason for call: [Brief summary] Action taken: [What you did] Follow-up needed: [Yes/No - what needs to happen next] ``` **Example:** ``` Caller: Sarah from Acme Corp Reason for call: Question about invoice #12345 Action taken: Explained payment terms, sent email with invoice copy Follow-up needed: No - issue resolved ``` **Pro Tip:** Don't worry about perfect grammar or spelling – just capture the key points. You can clean it up after the call ends. *** ## Ending the Call ### Step 1: Summarize Next Steps Before you hang up, quickly recap what will happen next: **Good example:** "Okay Sarah, just to confirm – I've sent you a copy of invoice #12345 to your email. You should receive it in the next few minutes. Is there anything else I can help with today?" **Why this matters:** It ensures both you and the caller are on the same page, reducing follow-up confusion. ### Step 2: Thank Them End on a positive note: **Good example:** "Thank you for calling \[Your Company]. Have a great day!" ### Step 3: Hang Up Click **"End Call"** in Teams, just like any normal call. *** ## After the Call: Quick Follow-Up **The call ended – now what?** This is where Easy Calling shines. ### Option 1: Send a Follow-Up Email If you promised to send information: 1. Click the **envelope icon** on the call card in your call history 2. An email draft opens with the caller's email address pre-filled 3. Type your message and click **"Send"** **Pro Tip:** You can [create email templates](https://docs.easycalling.easyplatform.app/user-guides/tips-and-tricks#id-4.-create-email-templates-for-common-responses) for common scenarios. ### Option 2: Create a Task If you need to do something later: 1. Click the **task icon** on the call card 2. Choose **Microsoft Planner** (shared team tasks) or **To-Do** (personal tasks) 3. The task is created with: * Caller's name and number * Your call notes * A link back to the call record **Why this is helpful:** Nothing gets forgotten. If you need to call someone back tomorrow or check on an order, the task keeps it on your radar. ### Option 3: Save as Contact If this is someone you'll talk to regularly: 1. Click the **person icon** on the call card 2. The contact is saved to your personal address book 3. Next time they call, you'll instantly see their name *** ## What If... (Common Scenarios) ### Scenario 1: The Caller Asks for Someone Specific **What they say:** "I need to speak with John in Sales." **What you do:** 1. Click **"Transfer"** on the call card 2. Select **"Direct Transfer"** 3. Search for "John" and click his name 4. Click **"Transfer"** **What happens:** John gets a call notification, and once he answers, the caller is connected to him. You're done! **Pro Tip:** Before transferring, you can say: "Let me transfer you to John now. Please hold for just a moment." *** ### Scenario 2: The Caller Has a Question You Can't Answer **What they say:** "I need help with \[something outside your expertise]." **What you do:** 1. Say: "Let me connect you with someone who can help with that." 2. Click **"Transfer"** → **"Transfer to Voice App"** 3. Select the appropriate queue (e.g., "Technical Support" or "Billing") 4. Click **"Transfer"** **What happens:** The call is routed to the correct team, and someone with the right expertise will answer. **Pro Tip:** Add a note before transferring: "Caller needs help with \[topic]." This helps the next agent understand the context immediately. *** ### Scenario 3: The Caller Wants a Callback **What they say:** "Can someone call me back later?" **What you do:** 1. Say: "Absolutely. What's the best number to reach you, and when would you like us to call?" 2. Type their callback request in the notes 3. Click **"Create Task"** after the call 4. Assign the task to yourself or the appropriate team member 5. Set a due date/time for the callback **Why this works:** The callback request is documented and tracked. No more sticky notes or hoping you remember. *** ### Scenario 4: You Accidentally Decline a Call **Don't panic!** The call doesn't disappear. **What happens:** * If other agents are available, the call rings for them * If no one's available, it goes to voicemail (if configured) * The call still shows in your call history as "Missed" **What you should do:** * Check your call history to see if the call was answered by someone else * If it went to voicemail, listen to it and call them back * Let your team lead know if this happens frequently–there may be a technical issue *** ## Making Outbound Calls Sometimes you'll need to call customers back or make proactive outreach calls. Easy Calling makes this easy with a built-in dialpad. ### How to Make an Outbound Call 1. **Open the dialpad**: Look for the dialpad icon in Easy Calling dashboard 2. **Choose calling mode**: * **As Call Queue:** Call is tracked and logged in history (recommended for business calls) * **As yourself (Native Teams)**: Opens standard Teams calling window (for private calls) 3. **Enter the number**: Type the phone number or select from recent calls 4. **Add Comment** (optional): Add context like "Following up on support ticket #123" 5. **Click "Call"**: The call initiates immediately ### When to Use Outbound Calling * **Callback requests**: Customer asked you to call them back * **Follow-up calls**: Checking in on a previous issue * **Proactive outreach**: Scheduled customer check-ins * **Transfer follow-up**: Calling a customer back after a dropped transfer **Pro Tip:** Outbound calls made through Easy Calling bot are automatically logged in call history, making it easy to track all customer interactions. > **For more details:** See the [Call Management (Inbound and Outbound)](https://docs.easycalling.easyplatform.app/feature-categories/call-management) documentation. *** ## Checklist for Easy Calling ### Before the Call * [ ] Easy Calling dashboard is open * [ ] Headset is on and working * [ ] Know which queue you are assigned to ### Answering the Call * [ ] Click "Answer" (or accept in Microsoft Teams) * [ ] Greet the caller warmly * [ ] Check the caller information panel ### During the Call * [ ] Take notes in the notes section * [ ] Listen actively and ask clarifying questions * [ ] Keep an eye on the call timer ### Ending the Call * [ ] Summarize next steps * [ ] Thank the caller * [ ] Click "End Call" ### After the Call * [ ] Review and clean up notes if needed * [ ] Send follow-up email if promised * [ ] Create task if action is needed * [ ] Save as contact if appropriate *** ## Need More Help? * [**Quick Start Guide**](https://docs.easycalling.easyplatform.app/getting-started/quick-start-guide) – The 5-minute version * [**Feature Categories**](https://docs.easycalling.easyplatform.app/feature-categories) – Comprehensive documentation on all features * [**FAQs**](https://docs.easycalling.easyplatform.app/troubleshooting-and-support/faqs) – Answers to common questions * [**Contact Support**](https://docs.easycalling.easyplatform.app/troubleshooting-and-support/support) – We're here for you