# 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

<figure><img src="/files/LXVQsThAhCAIZgL9QLIt" alt="Incoming call card"><figcaption><p>This is what you'll see when a call comes in</p></figcaption></figure>

***

## 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&#x20;

**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/getting-started/pages/9yEoVs1RzwsoOjsaXuWg#id-4.-create-email-templates-for-common-responses) for common scenarios.&#x20;

### 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)](/feature-categories/call-management.md) 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**](/getting-started/quick-start-guide.md) – The 5-minute version
* [**Feature Categories**](/feature-categories/administration-and-configuration.md) – Comprehensive documentation on all features
* [**FAQs**](/troubleshooting-and-support/faqs.md) – Answers to common questions
* [**Contact Support**](/troubleshooting-and-support/support.md) – We're here for you


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