Body
Questions
- How do I let someone else answer my Teams calls?
- How do I add a delegate in Microsoft Teams?
- How do I give someone access to make calls on my behalf in Teams?
- How does call delegation work in Teams Calling?
- My delegate can't receive my calls — what do I need to check?
- Can my assistant answer calls on my Teams line?
- How do I remove or change a delegate in Teams?
Environment
This article applies to Bowdoin College faculty and staff who want to share their Teams Calling line with a delegate — a person who can make and receive calls on their behalf. Both the person adding the delegate and the delegate must have Teams Calling enabled on their accounts.
- Desktop app: macOS (Sequoia 15.x, Tahoe 26.x) and Windows 11 — delegates can be added from the desktop app and desk phone only
- Desk phone: Teams-compatible Poly phone
- Mobile app: Delegates cannot be added from the Teams mobile app, but once set up, delegates receive calls on all their devices
- Related: To ring multiple colleagues simultaneously without full delegation, see Configure Teams Calling for an Office Environment in the Related Articles section.
Resolution
Important — Two steps required: Adding a delegate alone is not enough. You must also configure your call forwarding to route calls to your delegates (Step 2 below), or calls will continue ringing only your own devices.
Step 1 — Add a delegate
Desktop app (Mac or Windows):
- Click the ellipsis (…) next to your profile picture in the upper-right corner of Teams.
- Click Settings.
- On the General tab, scroll down to the Delegation section.
- Click Manage delegates.
- Click Add delegate and search for the person by name.
- Choose the permissions for your delegate:
- Make calls — they can place calls on your behalf
- Receive calls — they can answer incoming calls to your number
- Change call and delegate settings — they can modify your calling settings
- Click Save.
Desk phone (Poly):
- Tap your account icon in the upper-right corner of the phone screen.
- Tap Settings, then tap Manage delegates.
- In the Add a delegate field, search for the person and tap their name.
- Set the appropriate permissions, then save.
Step 2 — Forward calls to your delegates
After adding a delegate, you must update your call forwarding settings so that incoming calls are sent to your delegate(s).
Desktop app (Mac or Windows):
- Click the ellipsis (…) next to your profile picture and select Settings.
- Click Calls in the left menu.
- Under Call answering rules, find Forward my calls.
- Select My delegates from the dropdown.
Tip: You can view which people have made you a delegate by going to Settings > General > Manage delegates and reviewing the list. Your own delegates appear in a separate tab.
Additional Help
If you need further assistance, you have several options:
- Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
- Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
- In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
- Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.
Additional Resources