If you’re a small business owner using Microsoft Office 365 and you want every call to be followed up automatically, you’re in the right place. Upfirst’s AI answering service can connect with Microsoft Office 365 through Zapier, letting you automate repetitive tasks, improve response time, and ensure no customer slips through the cracks. Whether you run a law firm, property management company, or financial services practice, this guide will show you how the Microsoft Office 365 answering service integration works, what you can automate, and how to set everything up—no IT background needed.

What is Microsoft Office 365?

Microsoft Office 365 is a suite of cloud-based productivity tools designed for modern businesses. It includes familiar apps like Outlook (email and calendar), Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams. You can manage emails, schedule meetings, store files, and collaborate with your team from anywhere. For many small businesses, Office 365 is the backbone for communication and organization.

What can you do with Microsoft Office 365 and Upfirst’s AI answering service?

When you connect Upfirst’s AI answering service to Microsoft Office 365 using Zapier, you unlock a range of automations that save time and keep your business running smoothly. Here are some practical examples:

1. Instantly create or update contacts after every call

Let’s say you run a property management firm. When Upfirst answers a call, it collects the caller’s name, email, phone number, and any custom info you request (like property address or unit number). With the Microsoft Office 365 answering service integration, Zapier can automatically create a new contact or update an existing one in your Outlook address book, so your records are always up to date—no manual entry needed.

How this works:

• Upfirst collects caller details during the call.
• Zapier triggers when the call ends.
• The contact is automatically created or updated in Office 365.

Why you’d want this:
You never lose client information, and your team can see up-to-date contact details at a glance.

2. Automatically send follow-up emails to callers

Suppose you own a law firm. After a call, you want to send a thank-you email or next steps to every new client. Using the Microsoft Office 365 answering service integration, you can have Zapier send a personalized email from your Outlook account based on the info Upfirst collected.

How this works:

• Upfirst’s AI receptionist asks for the caller’s email and reason for calling.
• After the call, Zapier uses this info to send a pre-written (or even personalized) email from your Office 365 account.

Why you’d want this:
Clients feel valued with instant responses, and you save time by never writing the same email twice.

3. Schedule appointments or callbacks directly on your Office 365 calendar

For financial advisors, missing a callback or appointment can mean losing a client. With this integration, if a caller requests a meeting, Upfirst passes the details to Zapier, which can create an event on your Outlook calendar with all the caller’s info.

How this works:

• Upfirst asks for the best time for a callback or meeting.
• After the call, Zapier creates an event in your Office 365 calendar and adds the caller as an attendee (if the email was provided).

Why you’d want this:
No more double-booking or missed follow-ups, and your schedule stays organized automatically.

4. Route and prioritize calls using filters and conditional logic

Let’s say you want to treat urgent calls differently. Upfirst’s AI can tag calls as “urgent” based on what the caller says. You can set up a Zapier filter so only urgent calls trigger an email notification or get added to your calendar immediately.

How this works:

• Upfirst tags calls based on custom instructions (like “emergency” for legal or financial crises).
• Zapier checks the call summary for urgency.
• Only urgent calls trigger specific actions in Office 365, like sending a high-priority email or scheduling a same-day meeting.

Why you’d want this:
You focus on what matters most and never miss a critical client issue.

What actions can you trigger in Microsoft Office 365 after our virtual receptionist answers a call?

With the Microsoft Office 365 answering service integration through Zapier, you can automate the following actions:

• Create Contact: Add new callers to your Office 365 contacts list.
• Update Contact: Automatically update details for existing contacts.
• Find Contact: Search your contacts to check if a caller already exists.
• Send Email: Automatically send follow-up or notification emails.
• Create Event: Schedule appointments, callbacks, or reminders in your Outlook calendar.
• Add Attendee to Calendar Event: Add a caller as an attendee to a calendar event.
• Delete Event: Remove scheduled events if needed.

How to connect Microsoft Office 365 to Upfirst

Setting up the Microsoft Office 365 virtual receptionist integration is straightforward. Here’s how you do it:

1. Sign in to Zapier.
   If you don’t have a Zapier account, create one at zapier.com.
2. Create a new Zap.
   Click “Create Zap” on your Zapier dashboard.
3. Set Upfirst as the trigger.
   • Search for “Upfirst” and select it as your trigger app.
   • Choose the “Call Completed” trigger event.
   • Connect your Upfirst account and test the trigger to pull in sample call data.
4. Add Microsoft Office 365 as the action.
   • Search for “Microsoft Office 365” and select it.
   • Choose the action you want (e.g., Create Contact, Send Email, Create Event).
   • Connect your Office 365 account.
5. Map the fields.
   • Match the data collected by Upfirst (like name, email, phone, custom questions) to the relevant fields in Office 365.
   • For example, map the Upfirst “Caller Email” field to the Office 365 “Email” field for contacts or events.
6. (Optional) Add filters or conditions.
   • Use Zapier’s Filter step if you only want certain calls (like urgent ones) to trigger your action.
7. Test your Zap.
   • Run a test to make sure the workflow works as expected.
8. Turn on your Zap.
   • Once you’re happy, turn it on. Automations will now run every time your virtual receptionist completes a call.

That’s it! You’ve set up a Microsoft Office 365 answering service integration that saves you hours each week, keeps your records tidy, and helps you deliver a seamless customer experience.

If you need more complex workflows—like routing calls based on keywords or sending different emails for different call types—Zapier’s Paths, Filters, and AI tools have you covered. And if you need help, Upfirst’s support team is ready to walk you through any step.