Microsoft Teams

Overview

The Microsoft Teams Integration enables seamless communication and collaboration between your platform and Microsoft Teams. It allows organizations to streamline workflows, receive notifications, and manage support or operational activities directly within Teams channels. This integration supports both Helpdesk and Collaboration capabilities, ensuring efficient team coordination and real-time updates.

Prerequisites

Ensure the following requirements are fulfilled before initiating the integration:

• An active Microsoft Teams Admin account with appropriate permissions.

• Valid Microsoft Teams credentials.

• Access to TheLoops platform with Admin role privileges.

Best practices

• Install Selectively & Maintain Coverage: Add the bot only to relevant channels and ensure it is installed in all required channels.

• Validate Setup: Verify message syncing after bot installation and always perform a Test Connection post integration

• Use Proper Access: Ensure the user has required Admin/Owner permissions for installation and configuration.

• Leverage Active Session: If already logged into Microsoft Teams, authentication may complete automatically.

• Monitor & Secure: Regularly check integration health, refresh tokens when required, and securely manage credentials.

Setup instructions

Getting started

1

Log in to TheLoops platform using an Admin account.

2

Navigate to Settings → Integrations module.

3

Click on the “+ Add Integration” button to view available integrations.

4

Search for Teams integration and open it.

Basic configuration

1

In the Basic tab, enter a suitable name for the integration.

2

Select the required Capability:

1. Helpdesk

2. Collaboration

3

Click on the Next button.

For Collaboration Capability, all configurations remain the same as Helpdesk. Only the capability selection differs.

Authentication

1

On the Authentication tab, click on the Connect button.

2

An authentication window will open.

3

Enter your Microsoft Teams credentials and click Sign in.

4

Choose “Yes” or “No” for staying signed in, based on your preference.

5

After successful authentication:

1. The integration will be added successfully.

2. A success message will be displayed.

Verification

1

Navigate back to the Integrations module.

2

Verify that the newly added integration appears at the top of the list.

3

Click on the Test Connection icon (beside the delete icon).

4

If the test connection is successful, a confirmation message will be displayed, indicating that the integration is configured correctly.

Installation of TheLoops Bot on Microsoft Teams

Overview

The Microsoft Teams Bot (TheLoops Bot) enables real-time communication between Microsoft Teams and the platform. Functionally similar to a webhook, the bot listens to channel activities and securely syncs messages and events to the platform for further processing and visibility.

Key Behavior

• TheLoops Bot must be installed at the channel level within Microsoft Teams.

• For multiple channels, the bot needs to be installed separately in each channel where synchronization is required.

• Once installed, the bot enables real-time synchronization of messages and events from that specific channel to the platform.

• The integration ensures that relevant conversations and updates are captured without manual intervention.

Installation Guidance

To install the bot in a Microsoft Teams channel, refer to the official installation guide: How to Guide: Installation of IFSLoops bot on Teams

• Follow the provided documentation link to install the bot in the required Teams channel.

• Ensure you have sufficient permissions (Team/Channel Admin or Owner access) to install apps in the channel.

• During installation, select the appropriate Team and Channel where the bot should be active.

Additional Notes

• The bot operates securely using internal event handling mechanisms, ensuring data integrity and compliance.

• Only messages and activities from channels where the bot is installed will be synced.

• If a channel is newly created, the bot must be installed again to enable synchronization.

Token management (OAuth integration)

Overview

The Microsoft Teams integration uses OAuth-based authentication. Access tokens expire after a defined duration, which may cause the Test Connection to fail. Tokens can be refreshed without reconfiguring the integration.

Token Refresh Steps

1

Navigate to Settings → Integrations.

2

Click the Test Connection icon; if it fails, it indicates that the token has expired.

3

Click on the Edit icon for the respective integration.

4

Go to the Authentication tab.

5

Click on the Re-generate Token option.

6

The authentication window will open again.

7

Enter your credentials and log in.

8

A success message will confirm that the token has been refreshed.

9

Perform Test Connection again to verify successful authentication.