MS Teams
Collaborate with customers on Microsoft Teams with Thena.
Overview
With Microsoft Teams integration, your team can seamlessly chat with customers who use Teams from within Thena . No more juggling apps. No more missed messages. This guide will walk you through the setup process and explain the features available with the integration.
🔒 Admin access required
If you’re not a global admin, share the setup link with someone who is.
Key features
Teams to Thena chat mirroring
Teams to Thena chat mirroring
Messages sent in Teams are instantly mirrored to Thena, and vice versa. This creates a seamless conversation experience where:
- Customers stay in their preferred Teams environment
- Support agents work entirely from Thena
- All messages sync in real-time between platforms
- Conversations remain threaded and organized
Message threads
Message threads
Threaded conversations are fully supported between Teams and Thena:
- Replies stay organized in the correct thread
- Thread context is preserved across platforms
- Agents can follow multiple conversation threads simultaneously
- Historical thread navigation works as expected
Channel mapping
Channel mapping
Map specific MS Teams channels to Thena teams for organized communication:
- Connect multiple Teams channels to different Thena teams
- Supports standard, shared, and private channel types
- Route messages to the right team automatically
- Maintain separate conversation spaces for different departments
Reactions & emojis
Reactions & emojis
Emoji support is partially implemented between platforms:
- Basic emoji reactions (👍, ❤️, 😂) sync between platforms
- Custom emoji reactions from Teams appear as text in Thena
- Emoji in message text is preserved in both directions
File attachments
File attachments
Share files seamlessly between Teams and Thena:
- Images, PDFs, and common file types fully supported
- Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) supported from Teams to Thena
- File previews available where supported by the platforms
- Large file transfers handled efficiently
Rich text formatting
Rich text formatting
Most rich text formatting is preserved between platforms:
- Bold, italic, and underline formatting
- Bulleted and numbered lists
- Code blocks and quotes
- Links with proper formatting
Some advanced formatting like tables may not transfer perfectly between platforms.
Pre-requisites
Setup guide
Enterprise plan required
MS Teams is available on the Enterprise plan. If you don’t have an Enterprise plan, contact sales to learn more.
Enable Microsoft Teams
Go to the Thena web app → Organization settings → Sources → MS-Teams → Enable.
Download custom app
Click download to download a zip file containing the Thena custom app.
Upload to Teams
In Microsoft Teams, under the ‘Apps’ section, select ‘Manage your Apps’ → Click on ‘Upload an app’ → Select ‘Upload a custom app’ and upload the downloaded Thena zip file.
Chat with Thena bot
Head over to the ‘Chat’ section on Microsoft Teams → Find and send ‘login’ to the ‘thena-ai-bot’.
Authorize permissions
Click on the Login button returned by the bot → Click on ‘Accept’ on the permissions requested by Thena.
Complete in Thena web app
Return to Thena and check the “I have installed the application and configured the above steps” checkbox → Click Connect to complete the setup.
Select Thena teams
Select which Thena teams you want to enable Microsoft Teams integration for.
Team-level setup
Go to team settings
Go to your team’s Settings → Sources → MS Teams.
Navigate to channel mapping
In the Channels and accounts mapping section, you’ll see tabs for Available teams and Configured teams.
View available channels
Under Available teams, you’ll see a list of MS Teams teams that you can configure. Click on a team to view its channels.
Map channels to Thena
Select the channels you want to map to your Thena team and click Add Thena. The selected channels will now appear under the Configured teams tab.
You can only sync channels you’ve created—not ones created by customers.
Frequently asked questions
What permissions are required for MS Teams integration?
What permissions are required for MS Teams integration?
The integration requires two levels of permissions:
App scopes (organization level):
- Read/write access to Teams, channels, messages, and files
- Permission to manage app installations
- Access to user profiles and organization data
User scopes (for message syncing):
- Read/write messages permissions
- File upload capabilities
- Offline access for token refresh
How does message posting work between platforms?
How does message posting work between platforms?
Messages are handled differently depending on direction:
Thena to Teams:
- Messages try to post as the authenticated user first
- If the user isn’t authorized, Thena posts as the bot
- If the bot isn’t in the channel, Thena tries posting as the admin
- Users see an ephemeral message in Thena if a fallback occurs
Teams to Thena:
- Messages are posted via the Thena bot with the original sender details preserved
What if my Thena and MS Teams email addresses don't match?
What if my Thena and MS Teams email addresses don't match?
If your email addresses in Thena and Microsoft Teams don’t match:
- Contact your administrator to update your email address in either Thena or MS Teams
- Ensure your email addresses match across both platforms
- The integration relies on matching email addresses for proper user identification
Why aren't my messages reaching Teams?
Why aren't my messages reaching Teams?
If messages aren’t appearing in Teams, check these common issues:
- Confirm the channel is properly mapped in Thena team settings
- Make sure the Thena bot has been added to the correct Teams channel
- Check that you have the necessary permissions in both platforms
Why do my messages show as 'edited' in Teams?
Why do my messages show as 'edited' in Teams?
Thena may update messages after they’re initially posted to Teams. This is normal behavior for real-time synchronization and doesn’t affect the message content or functionality.
What should I do if my user token expires?
What should I do if my user token expires?
You’ll need to re-authenticate in the Thena web app if you’ve:
- Changed your Microsoft Teams password
- Lost or had your Teams access re-added
- Had your Microsoft license reassigned
- Been inactive for an extended period
Go to Organization settings → Sources → MS Teams to re-authenticate.
Do I need Teams licenses for all my team members?
Do I need Teams licenses for all my team members?
Yes. Having proper licenses ensures messages appear from actual users rather than the Thena bot, providing a better experience for your customers.
Which channel types are supported?
Which channel types are supported?
Thena supports all major Microsoft Teams channel types:
- Standard channels: Recommended with full bot support
- Shared channels: Requires all users to be synced (no fallback bot)
- Private channels: Limited support for posting as admin or Thena bot
Note that you can only sync channels you’ve created—not ones created by customers.
What message formatting is supported?
What message formatting is supported?
Most common formatting is supported between platforms:
- Bold, italic, and strikethrough text
- Bulleted and numbered lists
- Code blocks and quoted text
- Basic emoji reactions
Some advanced formatting like underline, colors, and complex tables may not transfer perfectly between platforms.