Setting up the team inbox

Why this exists

A team inbox only helps if the right shared mailboxes are connected and the right people can see them. This set-up is done once by an admin: connect your centre's mail account, choose the mailboxes and decide who sees each. After that the front desk team works from one place.

An admin connects your centre's Outlook mailboxes once, then chooses which ones the team shares.

Before you start

• The team inbox must be switched on for your centre. If the settings page says inboxes can be connected once it is switched on, ask your centre's admin to arrange it.
• You need the inbox.manage permission (admins and super admins have it). Connecting may ask for two-step sign-in.
• You need your Microsoft 365 global administrator, either yourself or your IT person.

1. Connect Microsoft 365

1. Open Settings > Inboxes.
2. If you are the Microsoft 365 global administrator, press Connect now (I'm the administrator) and approve the Microsoft screen.
3. If not, use Send this link to your IT person. The link lasts 7 days and works once. They sign in with their Microsoft 365 administrator account and approve.

2. Choose the mailboxes

1. Tick the mailboxes the team should share. Not listed? Type its address and press Check and add.
2. Mark one as the contact inbox. Texts, calls and portal messages go there.
3. Press Save mailboxes.

A new mailbox is visible only to people who manage inboxes until you choose who sees it.

3. Choose who sees each inbox

1. Under Who sees this inbox, choose roles and add people by name.
2. Press Save who sees it.

People who manage inboxes always see every inbox. Parents and students never do.

Good to know

• If you share a person's own mailbox, everyone you give access to reads and replies from that person's email. Make sure they agree.
• Disconnect stops new mail arriving and replies from the connected inboxes. Messages already in the team inbox stay.
• The Microsoft connection can reach every mailbox in your Microsoft 365 by default. Your IT team can limit it to the chosen mailboxes; the settings page has the steps under For your IT team (optional).

Related

• The team inbox
• Assigning, comments and passing to a tutor