While Teams is best known for its video calling feature, Maastricht University holds a licence that allows staff to make regular calls to both internal and external phone numbers, including mobile numbers. In theory, this means employees are no longer tied to their offices in university buildings and can be reached anywhere (provided they have an internet connection and the Teams app). But in practice, it seems people have actually become harder to reach, said council member Raymond Luja, professor at the Faculty of Law, during a recent University Council meeting. “I get the feeling a lot of people aren’t using Teams properly. Can the outside world even reach us anymore?”
It’s a concern shared by other UM employees, as Observant found. However, reliance on Teams varies widely by role. Academic staff in particular say they haven’t noticed much of a difference compared to the days of desk phones, as they rarely make calls anyway. “We mostly communicate via email, or else WhatsApp”, many say. Even after two years, UM employees have yet to get into the habit of making calls via Teams. “It just doesn’t occur to me most of the time.” Few seem worried about being reachable. “People who need me know how to find me.” Some of those who do need to make regular calls tend to stick to using their mobile numbers, such as Facility Services staff who spend a lot of time out and about rather than behind a computer screen.
Missing calls
And what about those who do use Teams? Not everyone is impressed. “If you’re on your laptop, you have to get your headset to connect first, or you won’t be able to hear anything.” And: “Instead of a telephone ringing on your desk, you now get a fairly subtle notification in the corner of your screen. I miss calls all the time.” Some complain about technical issues. “I often can’t hear what the other person is saying. Sometimes I just start a Zoom meeting instead.” This workaround won’t be an option for much longer, though: from 1 August, UM will discontinue Zoom to cut costs. All online meetings – including teaching sessions – and video calls will have to go through, you guessed it, Teams.
There are more fundamental objections, too. “Shouldn’t we, as a university, be trying to be making ourselves less dependent on Big Tech?” Some are reluctant to install the Teams app on their mobile phones. “It just blurs the line between work and personal life even more.”
Others argue that many of the problems stem from a lack of knowledge. “Those technical issues are often easy to fix once you know your way around Teams a bit”, says one secretary. According to a receptionist, “A lot of people don’t know how to forward calls or set up voicemail.” A facility manager adds that some employees aren’t even aware they have their own phone numbers in Teams. “It’s a shame, as the faculty pays Microsoft around €5 a month per number.”
Doubts
“The manuals and instructions that were made available during the transition to Teams have faded into the background a bit over the years”, says Alex Gelissen, telecoms manager at the ICT Service Centre. “It would be good to share this information again on a regular basis. Because the reachability of employees depends on their knowledge about the app. People who encounter problems can always report to the ICTS Service Desk.”
That said, he points out, “There’s actually quite a lot of calling going on via Teams. A recent check confirmed it – we had our doubts, too.” However, he can’t say whether call volume has gone up or down compared to before. “We don’t have any data from the days of desk phones.”