Calendar-aware routing and booking
3CTel reads free/busy from Outlook calendars. A ring group can skip someone in a meeting, and the AI receptionist can offer appointment times that are actually open, then write the booking back to the calendar.
Productivity
Your Outlook calendar and contacts, working with your phone system.
Most of what a phone system needs to know about your day already lives in Microsoft 365: who is free, who is calling, and where a message should land. This integration reads calendar availability, looks up contacts and delivers voicemail and fax to the right mailbox.
Example
Inbox+ New
AllCallsMessagesMeetingsVoicemails
- Incoming call+1 (416) 555-0198 · CustomerNew9:41
- AI receptionistUnderstands intent9:40
- Smart routingMatching to the best team9:38
- ConnectedSales team · Ext. 20100:189:37
- New messageProduct inquiry9:35
The Microsoft 365 integration connects 3CTel to your tenant through Microsoft's APIs, with consent granted by your administrator. It reads Outlook calendar availability so calls and AI-booked appointments respect real schedules, matches inbound callers to contacts, and delivers voicemail transcripts and received faxes to Outlook mailboxes. It is scoped per account and confirmed before activation.
Last updated:
Integration type
- Integration type
- API integration (configured by 3CTel for your account)
- Availability
- On request — scoped during planning
- What is exchanged
- Inbound call → contact lookup by phone number → caller name on app and handset
- Outlook free/busy → 3CTel routing and AI receptionist availability
- AI receptionist booking → calendar event created in Outlook
- Voicemail → email with audio and transcript to the user's mailbox
- Received fax → PDF attachment to the mailbox you choose
How it is set up
Choose capabilities
Calendar availability, contact lookup, mailbox delivery or all three.
Grant consent
Your administrator approves the listed permissions in the Microsoft 365 admin experience.
Map users and mailboxes
3CTel users are matched to Microsoft 365 accounts and shared mailboxes.
Test and activate
Calls on a temporary number confirm lookup, availability and delivery before switch-over.
Delivered through Microsoft's APIs, with your consent
3CTel connects to Microsoft 365 the way any third-party application does: your administrator grants the connection a defined set of permissions in the tenant, and 3CTel uses those and nothing more. There is no software to install on user machines.
The permissions depend on which capabilities you want. Calendar availability needs read access to free/busy. Contact lookup needs read access to the folders you choose. Voicemail and fax delivery needs only the ability to send email to your users.
Because tenant policies differ, a specialist confirms which capabilities are practical for your organization before anything is activated. The integration is scoped per account, not switched on by default.
Three things it does
Contact lookup on inbound calls
When a call arrives, 3CTel checks the phone number against the contact folders you selected. The caller's name is shown on the app or handset before anyone picks up.
Voicemail and fax into Outlook
Voicemail arrives in the user's mailbox as an audio file with a transcript. Received faxes arrive as PDF attachments in the mailbox or shared mailbox you choose.
AI Receptionist
Answers, understands and books — in English and French.
Learn more: AI ReceptionistOnline Fax
Fax by email and web — without keeping a dedicated phone line alive.
Learn more: Online FaxAppointment booking
Bookings taken by phone, confirmed by text, and handed to a person when needed.
Learn more: Appointment bookingWhat flows where
| Capability | Direction | Data |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar availability | Microsoft 365 → 3CTel | Free/busy blocks for selected users; event details are not read unless you enable booking |
| Appointment booking | 3CTel → Microsoft 365 | A calendar event created by the AI receptionist, with the caller's name and reason |
| Contact lookup | Microsoft 365 → 3CTel | Name and company for a matching phone number, read at call time |
| Voicemail delivery | 3CTel → Microsoft 365 | Audio file, transcript and caller ID sent as an email |
| Fax delivery | 3CTel → Microsoft 365 | Received fax as a PDF attachment to the mailbox you specify |
What you need
- A Microsoft 365 business or enterprise subscription with Exchange Online mailboxes and Outlook calendars. The specialist confirms the specifics against your tenant.
- An administrator with rights to consent to applications, available for one short session.
- A decision about scope: which calendars, which contact folders, and which mailboxes receive voicemail and fax.
This integration does not manage Microsoft licences, migrate mailboxes or replace Teams calling. For calls inside the Teams client, see the Microsoft Teams integration.
Setup
Choose the capabilities
Calendar, contacts, mailbox delivery or all three. The choice sets the permissions requested.
Grant consent
Your administrator approves the connection in the Microsoft 365 admin experience, with the permissions listed on screen.
Map users and mailboxes
Each 3CTel user is matched to a Microsoft 365 account. Shared mailboxes for fax or general voicemail are set here.
Test on a temporary number
Test calls confirm caller names, calendar blocks and message delivery before the real numbers move.
Questions we hear during planning
Can the AI receptionist book into an Outlook calendar?
Yes, where the calendar capability is in scope. The receptionist reads free/busy for the calendar you nominate, offers open times to the caller, confirms the booking and creates the event. Event titles and notes follow a template you approve, so bookings look consistent alongside appointments staff enter themselves.
Does the integration read the contents of our email or meetings?
No. Calendar access is limited to free/busy blocks unless booking is enabled, in which case 3CTel creates events but does not read existing ones. Mail permissions are send-only, used to deliver voicemail and fax. Contact permissions are read-only for the folders you select. The permission list is shown to your administrator before consent.
What if someone leaves the company?
Their 3CTel user is removed or reassigned, and the mapping to their Microsoft 365 account ends with it. Voicemail and fax delivery can be redirected to a manager or a shared mailbox in the same change. Disabling the Microsoft 365 account also stops calendar and contact reads for that user immediately.
Privacy
Data moves only between 3CTel and your Microsoft 365 tenant. Transcripts and fax copies retained on 3CTel follow the retention period agreed with you at setup. Consent can be withdrawn by your administrator at any time, which stops the integration without affecting basic phone service.
Related pages.
AI Receptionist
Answers, understands and books — in English and French.
Learn more: AI ReceptionistOnline Fax
Fax by email and web — without keeping a dedicated phone line alive.
Learn more: Online FaxBusiness Phone
Reliable calling with routing your team will actually use.
Learn more: Business PhoneAppointment booking
Bookings taken by phone, confirmed by text, and handed to a person when needed.
Learn more: Appointment bookingProfessional Services
Partner extensions, assistant coverage and call records for firms that bill their time.
Learn more: Professional ServicesFrequently asked questions.
No. The Microsoft 365 integration works with Outlook calendars, contacts and mailboxes on their own. Teams calling is a separate integration and can be added later.
Yes. Any voicemail box, including the general company box, can deliver to a shared mailbox so a team can pick up messages together.
Yes. The match is made before the call rings, so the name displays on handsets, the desktop app and the mobile app alike.
Pricing is quoted with your plan after scoping. Nothing is billed before the integration is activated and tested with you.
Decide what your phone system should know about your day.
Tell us which calendars, contacts and mailboxes matter. A specialist scopes the permissions, tests the connection and quotes it before activation.