Managing Teams Phone and Chorus

Information about managing calls and people between the two phone systems: Teams Phone and Chorus

Notice: Telephony replacement project

In response to BT switching off analogue lines between January 2026 and January 2027, the Telephony Replacement project is currently advising on and coordinating the replacement of centrally managed analogue and critical phone lines as well as managing the transition of Chorus VoIP (digital) lines to Microsoft Teams Phone (formerly referred to as Telephony over Teams at the University). For more information see the Telephony replacement project webpage.

 

The University is moving all its Chorus telephony to Microsoft Teams Phone during the 2025-6 academic year. There are already approximately 3500 Teams Phone users at the University. 

During this transition period, Chorus and Teams Phone will be running simultaneously.  The two systems are completely separate and a University phone number is either on the Chorus phone system or on Teams, it can’t be on both at the same time.

 

You will retain your existing University phone number when you move to Teams Phone.

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  • If you have a desk phone that you use to make and receive calls, then you are very likely to be on Chorus
  • If you have a dial pad when you go the "calls" section of Teams, then you have Teams Phone

You can make calls between the two systems and you can use 5-digit internal extension numbers to call between a Chorus phone and a Teams Phone number.

You can transfer calls between a Chorus phone and Teams Phone, but the way you do this depends on which system you are using:

There are two separate voicemail systems for Chorus and Teams Phone.

Group working allows people to answer each other’s phones or have a call go to anyone in the group.

Everyone in a group must either have a Chorus desk phone or have Teams Phone, you cannot have a Hunt group or a Pickup group containing members in both systems.

There are similar options for group working in Chorus and using Teams Phone, although they are called different things:

Description Chorus Teams Phone
Answer calls on behalf of colleagues Pickup group Call group
Make and answer calls on behalf of a manager Executive Assistant working Call delegation
Answer an enquiries line staffed by multiple team members Hunt group Call queue

 

There is guidance for setting up group working in both systems:

The transition to Teams Phone is being managed by the Telephony Replacement project in collaboration with departments, faculties and colleges. 

  • Your phone number might be removed, if you do not need to make or receive external phone calls – this decision will be made by your college or department
  • You don’t need a physical desk phone to make calls on Teams Phone, and the project is not supplying these for individual phone users.  However, your college or department might make these available to you

The project will provide a limited number of common area line handsets for locations such as lodges, receptions and laboratories.

 

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