Best Practices – Call Life Cycle

Best practices and guidelines for handling calls throughout the entire call life cycle with Easy Calling

This guide walks you through every step of a call, from preparation to follow-up, so you can handle calls with confidence and consistency.

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Before Your First Call: Quick Prep (2 minutes)

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 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?

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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 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)

• How long they've been waiting

• Which queue the call came through

• Action buttons: Answer | Transfer | Send to Voicemail

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

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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 Teams call notification

Pro Tip: Most agents find it easier to answer directly from the Teams 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)

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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.

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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.

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After the Call: Quick Follow-Up (1 minute)

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: Keep a few email templates saved in your drafts for common scenarios (e.g., "Here's the information you requested").

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

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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

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Handling Difficult Calls: Quick Tips

If the Caller is Frustrated or Upset

1. Stay calm and empathetic: "I understand this is frustrating. Let me see how I can help."

2. Listen first: Don't interrupt–let them explain the full situation

3. Summarize: "So if I understand correctly, [summary of issue]–is that right?"

4. Offer a solution: "Here's what I can do..." or "Let me connect you with someone who can resolve this."

Remember: You're not expected to solve every problem yourself. If a call is escalating, transfer to a supervisor or team lead.

If the Caller is Speaking Another Language

1. Check if another agent on your team speaks that language

2. Transfer the call to them

3. If no one's available, say: "I apologize, I don't speak [language]. Let me find someone who can assist you."

Pro Tip: Ask your team lead to create a quick reference card with common phrases in languages your customers speak.

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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:

• Easy Calling bot: Call is tracked and logged in history (recommended for business calls)

• Native Teams: Opens standard Teams calling window (for private calls)

1. Enter the number: Type the phone number or select from recent calls

2. Add a note (optional): Add context like "Following up on support ticket #123"

3. 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) documentation.

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Checklist for Easy Calling

Before the Call

• Easy Calling dashboard is open

• Headset is on and working

• I know which queue I'm assigned to

Answering the Call

• Click "Answer" (or accept in 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

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Need More Help?

• Quick Start Guide – The 5-minute version

• Feature Categories – Comprehensive documentation on all features

• FAQs – Answers to common questions

• Contact Support – We're here for you