Body
Overview
This article explains how to access and use a contact card in Microsoft Teams. Contact cards provide quick access to a person's status, contact information, organizational details, and options to chat, call, or email them.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure you have:
- A Northwood Tech account.
- Access to Microsoft Teams.
- A supported web browser or the Microsoft Teams desktop application.
- An internet connection.
What Can I Do from a Contact Card?
Contact cards help you quickly determine how to communicate with someone and provide quick access to their contact information, organizational details, and current availability. Depending on the information available, you can:
- View a person's availability and presence status.
- Start a chat, audio call, or video call.
- Send an email.
- View their job title, department, work location, and phone number.
- See where they fit within the Northwood Tech organizational structure.
- Access their LinkedIn profile (if available).
💡 Tip: A contact card is your one-stop location for communicating with someone. From a contact card, you can quickly see if they're available, send them a chat, email, or call, view their manager and direct reports, and access their contact information—all without leaving Microsoft Teams.
Instructions
View a Contact Card from Chat
- Open Microsoft Teams.
- Select Chat from the left navigation menu.
- Open an existing one-on-one chat.
- Select the person's name at the top of the conversation to open their contact card.
💡 Tip: This is the quickest way to view information for someone you already communicate with regularly.
View a Contact Card from Search
- Open Microsoft Teams.
- Enter the person's name in the Search bar at the top of the window.
- Scroll to the People section of the search results, if necessary.
- Hover over the person's name and select the Contact Card icon, or simply select their name.
💡 Tip: Use the Search feature to quickly locate employees, faculty, or students without first starting a chat.
View Contact Card Information
After opening a contact card, you can view information and perform common actions.
Overview
The Overview tab may include:
- Availability
- Profile photo
- Job title
- Department
- Work location
- Email address
From the Overview tab, you can also:
- Start a chat
- Send an email
- Start an audio call
- Start a video call
📝 Note: The information displayed may vary depending on what the individual has shared in Microsoft 365.
Contact
Select the Contact tab to view additional information, such as:
- Email address
- Phone number
- Work location
- Job title
- Department
- Additional contact details (when available)
💡 Tip: Not all users have phone numbers or office locations listed in their contact information.
Organization
Select the Organization tab to view:
- The person's manager
- Direct reports
- Where the person fits within the organizational structure
You can select another person within the organization chart to view their contact card.
⭐ Best Practice: Use the Organization tab when you're unsure who to contact within a department. It can help you identify managers, direct reports, and other members of a team.
LinkedIn
If the individual has connected their LinkedIn profile to Microsoft 365, the LinkedIn tab will display their public LinkedIn information.
📝 Note: The LinkedIn tab is only available for users who have chosen to link their LinkedIn account.
Troubleshooting
I can't find the person I'm looking for
- Verify you've entered the person's name correctly.
- Try searching by their Northwood Tech email address.
- Confirm the individual has an active Northwood Tech account.
The contact card doesn't show all of the information
- Information displayed depends on what is available in Microsoft 365 and the organization's directory.
- Some users may not have phone numbers, office locations, or LinkedIn profiles listed.
I can't open a contact card
- Refresh Microsoft Teams and try again.
- Sign out of Teams and sign back in.
- Try using Teams in a supported web browser through MyCampus.
My Teams status or someone else's status doesn't look correct
- Presence information updates automatically based on calendar activity and Teams usage.
- Wait a few minutes and refresh Teams if the status appears incorrect.
I'm still experiencing issues
- Verify your internet connection.
- Install any available Windows or Microsoft Teams updates.
- Restart Microsoft Teams.
- If the issue persists, submit a Service Desk ticket.
I don't see the Organization or LinkedIn tabs
- Not all users have organizational information or LinkedIn profiles available.
- Available tabs depend on your Microsoft 365 configuration and the information the individual has shared.