Teams: Start a chat/channel conversation
About
With the Microsoft Teams integration, you can start Teams chats and channel conversations directly from your Jira issue. Enhance your efficiency e.g. by clarifying support tickets with customers through chat, or by triaging tickets with your team via channel conversations.
Customers and team members who do not have access to the Jira issue can still participate in the conversation through Microsoft Teams. Messages, regardless of where they are initiated, are instantly visible in both tools.
Preset Teams: start a chat/channel conversation
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Feature details
Jira administrators can configure ready-to-use chat and channel conversations for users via our Presets for Teams.
By selecting the most suitable Preset, the user is provided with pre-filled message text, designated participants, content-sharing options, and integrated automations (including Jira comments). However, some of these settings, can be adjusted by the user (e.g. content of the message via “Templates”).
This approach streamlines communication by eliminating the need for the user to create a chat/conversation framework from the beginning.
Preset chats and channel conversations come with pre-configured content. However, messages can be edited directly within the description field, or replaced with an alternative template (from options available).
When initiating a Microsoft Teams chat or channel conversation, you can customize the sharing settings to control who can access the chat history within the ticket. Especially when the message contains sensitive information, this feature comes in handy.
Typically, in JSM projects, it makes sense to share the chat history with other agents to ensure that no important information gets lost.
🔐 Private: This respects all Teams default permissions, e.g. only members of the chat can access chat contents.
👫 Shared: This gives read-only access to all Jira users or JSM agents that have access to this issue, and are logged in with Microsoft Teams.
🗣 Shared & allow joining: This gives read-only access to all Jira users or JSM agents that have access to this issue, and are logged in with Microsoft Teams. In addition, if a user wants to participate in the chat, they can simply join the chat on their own.
Enhance real-time communication across Jira and Microsoft Teams. Initiate chats or channel conversations directly within Jira via MS Teams, and receive instant replies from MS Teams displayed directly within the Jira issue.
All messages and information are instantly accessible in both tools, enabling seamless participation and conversation tracking within MS Teams, even for non-Jira users.
With our Teams integration, all conversation is saved in the Jira issue. Switch between different chats or channel conversations (if access is granted) and join conversations, look up for important information or quickly answer back to a customer. Even meeting chats are available here.
As soon as a ticket is resolved or whenever there any changes to the Jira issue, our Teams app will post updates on these changes right to MS Teams.
For JSM projects this will be our Teams portal app. For Software projects, is our Smart Connect for Jira app. Learn more about our notifications here.
Feature configuration
We provide primary configuration options at the admin level (refer to: admin configuration) as well as several minor configurations for individual users (refer to: user configuration).
Presets for Teams allow administrators to preconfigure settings for chats and channel conversations, streamlining the process for team members. This enables users to easily select the most appropriate Preset for their specific use case.
User configuration
When utilizing Jira with the Teams integration, users have the ability to customize the chat appearance settings. Additional actions can be executed through the menu located at the top of the chat window.
MS Teams chats
Add chat participants
To add more participants to the chat, click on the “persons symbol” located in the top bar of the chat window.
This allows you to invite additional team members and share information more effectively.
Backup chat to attachments
To backup selected chats as a static PDF in the Jira issue, click on the “menu symbol” located in the top bar of the chat window. Retain a record for audits, with the option to include keywords or an AI summary of the discussion as an internal comment.
The attachment will remain accessible in Jira, even if the chats are deleted in Teams.
Unlink chat
Select a message and click on the “menu symbol”.
If a conversation was created by mistake or is no longer necessary, you have the option to unlink it.
Compact view of chats
Click on the “menu symbol” in the top bar of the chat window.
Similar to MS Teams, we offer a compact view of chats and conversations, displaying information clearer and more concise for users.
Compact view of chats
(set a default)
Go to your Microsoft 365 settings in Jira (top right hand corner) and set the default, if the compact view of chats should always be on or off.
Single chat message: create a new issue
Select a message and click on the “menu symbol”.
Choose the “+-icon” and create a new issue based on a single chat message.
Single chat message: add a Jira comment
Select a message and click on the “menu symbol”.
Choose the “bubble-icon” and turn a single chat message into a Jira comment to share and highlight specific information. This comes in handy for users not being involved in the chat.
MS Teams conversations
Backup conversation to attachments
Click on the “menu symbol” in the top bar of the MS Teams (conversations) window.
Jira issues can be backed up as PDFs for audits; add keywords as internal comments. Attachments remain accessible even after Teams conversations are deleted in Teams.
Unlink conversation
Select a message and click on the “menu symbol”.
You can unlink a conversation, if it was created by mistake or is no longer needed.
Create new issue
Select a message and click on the “menu symbol”.
Choose the “+-icon” and create a new issue based on a single chat message (reply).
Chat participants
When using our Teams feature, the chat functionality works for all team members in your company.
In certain situations, it may be necessary to engage in a chat with external or guest users. Below, you will find more information on steps you can take.
External users
Creating a chat with external users (Business Accounts on Office 365) works the same way as with internal users. Just enter the email address of the external contact when creating a chat.
Please note: We’re not able to check in advance, if a chat with the user will be possible. There are a few requirements for this to work (see below).
Requirement: Check user availability
In order to start a chat with an external user, certain requirements need to be met:
The external contact has a MS Teams account for their email address
Permissions: the organization of the external contact needs to allow chats with your organization
Permissions: Your organization needs to allow chats with the external organization
Follow instruction to check, if a chat is possible:
Start a chat in MS Teams
Open a new chat in Microsoft Teams and enter the email address of the contact.
After clicking on “search externally”, you can receive two messages (see below).
Option 1: error message
Meaning, the user has no Teams account for this email address at all.
Option 2: error message
Your organization or the external users organization has restricted external chats. See below for help on this.
Guest users
Please note: Chatting with guest users is currently not supported, due to limitations on the Microsoft Teams side.
Workaround
To bypass this limitation in Microsoft Teams, you can first create the chat and then add the guest user afterward. This issue has been identified as a known bug on Microsoft's end, and we are hopeful for a resolution in the near future.
Please note: Even when you are using our workaround the Microsoft Graph API (the API used to create chats) is notoriously known for not handling guest / external users correctly sometimes.
Admin configuration
Main configurations are done via our Presets for Teams 🚀
Teams Presets include the following configuration options:
Chat title and message (preconfigured text message for chats & conversations)
Participants
Chat access (sharing options)
Requirements & information
The chat functionality is automatically enabled when the Jira administrator activates the Teams feature in the admin settings. For more admin relevant details, please refer to the activation guide.
To fully utilize the features of the Teams integration, including the ability to search and share issues within a channel, please login to Jira Cloud from MS Teams first.
To start channel conversations, you first need to install our Microsoft Teams - Smart Connect app (free). This installation ensures a secure connection between MS Teams and Jira.
Configure where in your Jira issue you want to access our Teams integration: General settings | Appearance
Useful links
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/communicate-with-users-from-other-organizations
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/manage-external-access
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/guest-access
Further information as well as the technical reference on shared office items can be found here: Sharing access to Microsoft 365 items