How to Set Your Delivery Options in Microsoft Teams

With the sheer volume of messages exchanged in your Teams chats and calls, it’s quite easy for yours to go unnoticed. However, there’s no need for you to send your urgent message over and over again. You just need to mark it as urgent from the get-go. This guide will teach you how to set delivery options in Microsoft Teams to ensure your message is acknowledged promptly.

Why Set Delivery Options in Microsoft Teams

What warrants an urgent status of a message is entirely up to you and your organization. It might be a time-sensitive approval needed to move forward or a critical project deadline approaching. Whatever the case, the delivery options in Microsoft Teams ensure that your message will be seen – and hopefully acted upon – promptly.

When an urgent message is sent, it will appear in the chat with the words “IMPORTANT!” or “URGENT!”

If the huge red sign fails to get the recipient’s attention right away, the message will notify them every two minutes. This will last for 20 minutes or until they read it.

How to Set Delivery Options in Microsoft Teams Using a Computer

Assigning a priority status to your message on a computer is fairly simple. The steps are the same regardless if you use the Microsoft Teams desktop app or the web client.

To set delivery options in Microsoft Teams chats, follow these steps:

Step 1: Visit the “Chat” tab on the left-side panel.

Step 2: Hit the pencil icon in the top-right corner to start a new chat.

Step 3: Type your message in the text box at the bottom.

Step 4: Before sending the message, click on the plus sign icon in the bottom-right corner of the text box.

Step 5: Click on “Set delivery options.”

Step 6: Select the “Important” option.

A red “IMPORTANT” sign will immediately appear above your message.

You can continue typing your message or send it as is. When sent, your message will keep the “Important” designation even after being read. You’re the only one who can switch it back to “Standard.”

To do so, hover over the message until the “Edit” button appears.

You’ll be back in the text box composing the message. All you need to do from there is repeat Steps 4-6. However, instead of choosing “Important” in Step 5, you should click on “Standard.”

Changing the urgency status of a message is similar in a call, too. The only difference is accessing the chat option. It doesn’t matter whether you start the meeting or just participate in it. The “Chat” option is waiting for you in the top panel.

After initiating the chat, follow steps 3-6 to set your preferred delivery option.

How to Set Delivery Options in Microsoft Teams Using a Smartphone

The Microsoft Team app allows you to stay in touch with your team on the go. If any important update arises, you can quickly share it with others using the “Start chat” or “Meet” option. To ensure everyone understands the urgency of the situation, follow these steps.

Step 1: Start your meeting or chat.

Step 2: If you’ve chosen to start a chat, you can start typing right away. In a meeting, head to the top-right corner to initiate the chat.

Step 3: Type out your message in the chat box.

Step 4: Tap the plus sign on the right side of your message.

Step 5: Select the “Priority” option.

Step 6: Choose the “Important” or “Urgent” status.

Your message will immediately receive a red sign – IMPORTANT! or URGENT! The sign will remain attached to the message until you change it. You can do so by holding the message and selecting “Edit message.” Then, you can follow steps 4-6 to assign a new priority.