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About Microsoft Teams

The Microsoft Teams integration connects Serval to your Teams workspace, enabling help desk automation directly in Teams channels. Users create messages in a help desk channel, and Serval responds in-thread using guidance and workflows you define.

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What the Microsoft Teams integration enables

CapabilityDescription
Help DeskTransform channels into a full-featured help desk with ticket routing, tracking, and management
Channel AutomationServal reads and responds to messages in connected Teams channels
Direct MessagesUsers can interact with Serval via DM for private support

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Connect Microsoft Teams

Connecting Microsoft Teams to Serval requires a Microsoft administrator to approve a one-time admin consent prompt. This grants Serval read-only access to your Teams channels.

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Step 1: Connect in Serval

  1. In Serval, navigate to Apps → Available → Microsoft Teams
  2. Click Connect
  3. You will be redirected to Microsoft’s admin consent screen
  4. Sign in with a Microsoft administrator account (Global Administrator or Teams Administrator)
  5. Review the permissions and click Accept
  6. Microsoft will redirect you back to Serval — your integration is now connected
Permissions granted during admin consent:
  • Team.ReadBasic.All — Read basic team information
  • Channel.ReadBasic.All — Read basic channel information
  • ChannelMessage.Read.All — Read channel messages
  • Group.Read.All — Read groups
  • User.Read.All — Read user profiles
  • Directory.Read.All — Read directory data
These are application permissions — they work without depending on a specific user’s session or team membership.

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Step 2: Set up the Teams bot

  1. In Serval, on your Microsoft Teams integration settings page, click “Download Teams Bot App” to download the app package
  2. Go to Microsoft Teams as a Teams admin
  3. In the Teams sidebar, click “Apps”
  4. Click “Manage your apps” at the bottom left
  5. Click “Upload an app” → “Upload a custom app”
  6. Choose the downloaded ZIP file
  7. Click “Add”
  8. Choose any channel to start — you can @mention Serval in any channel later

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Step 3 (Optional): Add Serval to a Teams Setup Policy

To ensure the Serval app is installed for all users automatically, you can add it to a Setup Policy in the Teams Admin Center.
Setup Policies only work with apps uploaded through the Teams Admin Center, not apps uploaded directly in the Teams client. If you followed Step 2 using the Teams client upload path, you must also upload the app package in the Teams Admin Center under Teams apps → Manage apps before it will appear in Setup Policy app search.
  1. Go to Teams Admin Center → Teams apps → Setup policies
  2. Select the policy you want to modify (or create a new one)
  3. Under Installed apps, click Add apps and search for the Serval app you uploaded
  4. Save the policy and assign it to the appropriate users or groups
Adding Serval to a Setup Policy installs the app for all assigned users by default. This means the installation propagation delay happens once — when the user’s account joins Teams for the first time — rather than when Serval tries to send a notification for the first time.

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Step 4: Connect channels

  1. In Teams, @mention Serval in any channel you want to use as a help desk
  2. In Serval, navigate to your Microsoft Teams integration — the channel will appear in the Help Desk page in disabled mode
  3. Choose how you want Serval to behave (see modes below)

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Channel configuration modes

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Disabled Mode (Default)

Serval will do nothing
  • Serval will not create tickets or respond in the channel
  • This allows you to safely add Serval to a channel before activating any features
Serval monitors the channel but operates quietly
  • Creates tickets based on messages in the channel
  • Does not post responses or acknowledgments in the channel
  • Ideal for testing or when you want ticket creation without channel noise
  • If you @Serval in a message thread, Serval will respond and attempt to help

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Help Desk Mode

Full help desk functionality
  • Creates tickets from channel messages
  • Responds with a link to the created ticket
  • Attempts to resolve tickets using AI guidance and help desk workflows
  • Provides the complete support experience for end users
Team Only and Team Inbox modes are in development for Microsoft Teams.

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Troubleshooting

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Health check fails: “Access denied when reading Teams channel messages”

This means the ChannelMessage.Read.All application permission has not been granted. Fix: Reconnect the integration. When redirected to Microsoft, ensure you sign in with an administrator account and click Accept on the consent prompt.

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Health check fails: “Authentication failed”

Admin consent may have been revoked, or the Serval application credentials have changed. Fix: Try disconnecting and reconnecting the Microsoft Teams integration.

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No teams found

The health check passed but found no teams in your tenant. Fix: Ensure your organization has at least one team created in Microsoft Teams.

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Microsoft Graph integration

If you need broader Microsoft 365 capabilities (mail, calendar, SharePoint, device management, Entra ID), use the Microsoft Graph integration in addition to Microsoft Teams. The two integrations work independently and can coexist.