If your organization uses Microsoft Teams Direct Routing or is considering investing in the solution, it is a good idea to understand the call transfer problems that may occur while using the solution.
If you do not understand the issues that affect call transfer in a Microsoft Teams Direct Routing solution, you may not be prepared when problems arise.
Coeo knows how important a reliable phone solution is to an organization and has delivered Microsoft Teams Direct Routing solutions to thousands of customers.
We want you to know the problems that can affect call transfers in a Direct Routing solution so you can resolve the issues when they arise.
By the end of this article, you will know what Microsoft Teams Direct Routing is, what a call transfer is, and the problems you may experience with call transfers.
What is Microsoft Teams Direct Routing?
Microsoft Teams Direct Routing allows your organization to make and receive phone calls over the internet using the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN).
Microsoft Teams Direct Routing takes Microsoft Teams telephony and enables a third-party provider to manage the service for you.
Customers can connect their existing on-premise telephone service to the Microsoft Teams Phone System using SBCs and a Microsoft-certified provider such as Coeo, to move their phone system to the cloud.
A Session Border Controller (SBC) is a dedicated software or hardware device that controls how phone calls are initiated, conducted, and terminated on a voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.
This tool helps transfer your phone system from traditional phone lines to the internet and will also help secure your voice network.
What is a call transfer?
A call transfer allows you to transfer the person on the other end of your call to someone else in your organization.
If you are on the phone with a customer and need to transfer them to a different department to get their problems solved or questions answered, you can do so while on the call with them.
There are additional call transfer features a Direct Routing solution will provide. Some of these features include:
● Ring back
The ring back feature allows the customer to automatically return to your phone if the transfer is unsuccessful.
In short, if the person or department you are transferring the call to is busy or does not answer, they can automatically transfer back to your phone.
● Consult then transfer
Another call transfer feature you can use with your Direct Routing solution is the consult then transfer feature.
This feature puts the caller on hold while you call or message the department or person you want to transfer them to.
With this feature, you can consult with the department or person to determine if they are available to talk to the caller or if they are the best resource for their needs.
After confirming, you can transfer the caller if they are the best resource for them.
Problems that affect Microsoft Teams Direct Routing call transfers
While Microsoft Teams Direct Routing has call transfer features that benefit your organization, there are still problems that may arise when using this feature. Some of these problems include:
● Inability to transfer calls to external numbers
One of the main problems with call transfers while using Direct Routing is that you may not be able to transfer calls to external users outside of Microsoft Teams or outside of your organization.
If you are experiencing issues with external transfers from your Microsoft Teams Auto Attendant but are able to transfer to internal users successfully, there is a workaround you can try if you are unable to resolve the issue with Microsoft or your Direct Routing provider.
To avoid the external transfer issue with Microsoft Teams Direct Routing, you can create a temporary Microsoft Teams user to blind transfer any call to the external number.
After doing this, transfer the call to the new Teams user created instead of configuring the auto attendant to directly transfer to the external number.
This should solve the problem of not being able to transfer to external numbers.
● Calls drop before the transfer is complete
If your calls drop before the call transfer is complete, the issue may occur because the SIP proxy fails to receive the “202 Accepted” response or because the “SIP Bye” response arrives too early from the SBC.
To resolve this issue, make sure that your SBC sends the "SIP 202 Accepted" response and make sure "SIP Notify" messages are sent to provide an update about the progress of the transferred call.
● No ringing when the call is being transferred
If there is no ringing when transferring a call, make sure that the SIP Refer method is supported by the SBC when calls are being transferred.
Without the SIP Refer, there will be no ringing sound when transferring calls.
Next steps to problems with Direct Routing call transfers
Now you know what Microsoft Teams Direct Routing is, what call transfers are, and what the problems are that affect Microsoft Teams Direct Routing call transfers.
This will help you prepare for these issues when they arise or help you solve the issues if you are currently dealing with them.
If your organization does not understand the problems with Direct Routing call transfers, you may not know how to resolve the issues when they arise.
Coeo knows how important a reliable phone solution is to an organization and has delivered Microsoft Teams Direct Routing to improve the phone services of thousands of customers.
We want to make sure you understand the problems that can arise with call transfers using Direct Routing so your organization is prepared if they happen in your solution.
If you would like to speak with our team to learn more about Microsoft Teams Direct Routing or ask any questions you may have you can schedule an appointment. 
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