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Install Microsoft Teams: A Guide for Admin Users

Enable the Culture Amp app in Microsoft Teams: Guide for admins to allow app access, customize permissions, and set up notifications.

Written by Jared Ellis
Updated today

Who can use this feature?

Available on:

  • All Culture Amp subscriptions.

This article will guide you through enabling the Culture Amp app for download within your organization, using the Microsoft Teams admin center.

Tip: Some of the steps involve technical settings and permissions. If anything is unclear, we recommend working with your IT team to provide additional guidance.

App Permissions

As a Microsoft Teams Admin, you can either allow or disallow the app for all users in their Teams account. You can also set up custom rules to allow/disallow apps for specific users/groups of users.

Microsoft Graph API Permissions

Culture Amp uses Resource-Specific Consent (RSC) permissions for the Microsoft Teams integration. The app does not explicitly request any standard Microsoft Graph API permissions.

  • RSC Permissions Required:

    • ChannelMessage.Read.Group

    • ChannelSettings.Read.Group
      These permissions are automatically granted when the Culture Amp app is installed in Teams.

Note: The Teams Channel Read permission is needed for the Shoutout feature, it's not needed for sending notifications to users.

Authentication Pattern

  • Shoutouts and all other notification sending features do not require OAuth authentication because they rely on the pre-consented RSC permissions granted to the Teams app rather than individual user access tokens.

  • The above applies whether logging in via SSO or email/password.

  • As long as there is a matching email in Culture Amp, users can use Anytime Feedback commands without needing to sign in.

For more details, see Microsoft Permissions in Teams app

Rollout Considerations

Before you begin, please review these key details regarding the installation experience. Understanding how notifications and login prompts work will help you prepare your internal communications and ensure a smooth rollout for your employees.

Initial Installation Requirement

The very first user who installs the app in a workspace must have a matching employee record in Culture Amp. This initial installation is what establishes the core integration link between the Culture Amp account and the Microsoft Teams (MST) workspace.

Notification Triggers & Welcome Messages

When the app is installed for a user or a team, Culture Amp will send a confirmation message to the user (via private DM) or the team channel. Currently, the app cannot be installed "silently" without this initial greeting.

Once the integration has been established, any subsequent user in the workspace who installs the app will receive a Welcome Message. This message is triggered regardless of whether they are a user in Culture Amp or if they have a matching email address.
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Email Matching Logic

While the app can be installed without a Culture Amp record, a matching email is strictly required for any notification delivery and Shoutouts. The following logic applies:

  • Without a Culture Amp Record (user profile): If a user installs the app but does not have an employee record in Culture Amp, they will still receive a Welcome message, but notifications will not be delivered and Shoutouts will not work.

  • With a non-matching CA Record: If a user installs the app but their MST email does not match their CA email, they will still receive a Welcome message, but notifications and Shoutouts will not work.

Once their email address is updated in Culture Amp to match the one in MS Teams, notifications and Shoutouts will begin to work automatically (no need for an uninstall/reinstall).

Installation Timing

We still recommend completing your employee data upload into Culture Amp before installing the Teams app, however, it is possible for users to install the app prior to their record being created (noting they will only receive the Welcome Message until the record is matched).

Login Prompts

Users do not have to "sign in" to use slash commands. As long as there is a matching email, they will be able to use Anytime Feedback commands without needing to sign in. A login prompt is only triggered if a user clicks through an action that requires a secure web session.

SSO & Authentication

If your organization uses Single Sign-On (SSO) for Culture Amp, it does not impact the integration logic in Teams. Users without a set password can still receive notifications and give Shoutouts without issue, and will not be prompted to log in for Anytime Feedback commands.

Recently Migrated Accounts

If you have recently moved your Culture Amp account to a new data center (e.g., US to EU), the Microsoft Teams integration will need to be fully disconnected from the old account first. If you encounter issues setting up Teams on your new account and cannot access the old one, please contact support and type 'Ask a Person.' The team will help finalize the disconnection on the back end and ensure user emails have been appropriately removed to avoid these setup issues on the new account.

Enable the Culture Amp App for Your Users

To enable the Culture Amp app for your users to download, follow these steps:

  1. Log in to the Microsoft Teams admin center

  2. Click Teams apps > Manage apps

  3. Click Actions > Org-wide app settings in the top right-hand corner.

  4. Ensure Third-party apps > Let users install and use available apps by default is enabled.

  5. Voila! Users can now install Culture Amp and other third-party apps in Microsoft Teams.

Note:

  • The very first user who installs the app in a workspace must have a matching employee record in Culture Amp to establish the integration.

  • While the app can be installed without an existing record, a matching email address is strictly required for notification delivery and Shoutouts.

  • If a user's email address is updated in Culture Amp to match Microsoft Teams later, notifications will begin to work automatically without needing to uninstall or reinstall the app.

Customizing Third-Party App Permissions

If you only wish to enable certain third-party apps, such as Culture Amp:

  1. Log in to the Microsoft Teams admin center

  2. Click Teams apps > Manage apps

  3. Click Actions > Org-wide app settings in the top right-hand corner.

  4. Ensure Third-party apps > Let users install and use available apps by default is disabled.

  5. Search for Culture Amp on the Manage apps page.

  6. Select the Culture Amp app and click on Edit availability.

  7. Select Everyone from the Available to drop-down.

Learn more about app permissions from Microsoft Teams

App Setup for Admins

As a Microsoft Teams Admin, you can set up Culture Amp as a default app for all your employees. Despite this setup, users still have the option to uninstall or install the Microsoft Teams app themselves.

Note: We recommend ensuring users are added to your Culture Amp account (with an email address matching their Microsoft Teams profile) before having them install the app in Microsoft Teams.

How to Pin Apps

Admins can allow or disallow users to pin apps to the left-hand navigation. They can also pin apps by default on a global or group level.

Note: For enhanced engagement and collaboration, we recommend installing Culture Amp as a default app for your organization. We also suggest pinning the app to facilitate easier access for providing developmental feedback.

To pin the Culture Amp app for all users:

  1. Log in to the Microsoft Teams admin center

  2. Go to Teams Apps > Setup Policies

  3. Select a policy (i.e. Global (Org-wide default)

  4. Click Pinned apps > Add Apps and search for Culture Amp.

  5. Click Add to pin Culture Amp to your organization's apps.

  6. Optionally, enable User Pinning for users to control their pinned apps.

  7. Once pinned, all users in the workspace will receive a Welcome Message, regardless of whether they have a matching account in Culture Amp (provided the initial integration link has already been established by the first user).

Add the Culture Amp App to a Team to Use Shoutouts

Note that for Shoutouts to function properly, the Culture Amp app must first be added to a team. It's important that the person installing the app in the team is also a member of that team to ensure successful integration.

Follow the steps below to install:

1. In Microsoft Teams, go to the "Apps" section on the left-hand sidebar.

2. Search for "Culture Amp" in the Apps search bar.

3. Click on the Culture Amp logo to open the app card, rather than selecting "open."

4. Click on Add to install the app

5. Select a channel and click on Go to install the app on a team channel.

6. If the installation is successful, the Culture Amp app will send a welcome message to the General channel of the selected Team.

7. Once installed, users can now give a shoutout using the Culture Amp app!

App Features and Notifications

Once the app is installed and users have downloaded it, you can receive platform notifications and access Culture Amp features directly from Teams.

Note: To enable or disable Microsoft Teams notifications for Effectiveness, Onboarding, Exit surveys, or Performance communications, reply with "Ask a Person" in a Support Conversation to speak with a Product Support Specialist.

Shoutouts

Skills Coach

  • Receive Skills Coach notifications

Engagement

  • Receive survey invitations and reminders.

  • Get notified about reports and insights.

  • Get reminders to view reports and select focus areas and actions.

  • Receive invites to complete action feedback surveys.

Once notifications have been enabled for the below modules, the following notifications will be sent:

Performance

  • Get notified when you've received feedback.

  • Get notified when your direct report received feedback and chose to share it with their manager. (only if manager sharing is enabled at the overall account level).

  • Receive invitations when someone requested feedback from you.

  • Get notified when feedback you gave or received has been commented on.

  • Receive reminders to complete performance reviews.

Effectiveness

  • Participant invitations, reminders, and notifications.

  • Reviewer invitations, removals, and reset notifications.

  • Coach invitations, changes, and due date notifications.

  • Co-worker sharing notifications.

Experience (Onboarding/Exit)

  • Survey invitations and reminders.

Remove the Microsoft Teams Integration

You can remove the Microsoft Teams integration instantly from your Notifications page.

This is especially useful if your organization is:

  • Moving from Microsoft Teams to Slack

  • Switching regions or tenants

  • Changing communication tools or consolidating platforms

To remove the integration:

  1. Open Culture Amp.

  2. Go to Settings > Account > Notifications.

  3. Select Remove Integration.

  4. The integration will disconnect immediately.

Once removed, you can set up Slack or another communication tool at any time.

Tip: If planning to migrate your Culture Amp to a different data center (e.g US to EU) be sure to disconnect your integration first. This will ensure a smooth setup on the new account.

Troubleshooting/FAQs

An active user received a "Something's gone wrong" error when logging into Culture Amp via Microsoft Teams. What can I do to troubleshoot?

If notifications are not delivering, verify that the user's email address in Microsoft Teams exactly matches their email address in their Culture Amp employee profile.

Can Microsoft Teams notifications for a survey be disabled?

Yes, they can. If you need assistance with disabling notifications for a survey, just reply with "Ask a Person" in a Support Conversation to speak with a Product Support Specialist.

What should I do if a user changes their email address at the company?

Once their email address is updated in Culture Amp to match the one in MS Teams, notifications and Shoutouts will begin to work automatically. There is no need for the user to uninstall or reinstall the app.

Is it possible to bulk install the app for all users?

While we don't directly support bulk installation, other customers have used methods like the Graph API. You can explore options for your organization by contacting your IT team.

Tip: If exploring bulk installation, be aware that all users will receive a Welcome Message upon installation, even if they do not yet have a profile in Culture Amp.

💬 Need help? Just reply with "Ask a Person" in a Support Conversation to speak with a Product Support Specialist.

Related Articles
Install the Culture Amp App for Slack or Microsoft Teams
How to Install the Slack App: A Guide for Admin Users
Install the Slack App: A Guide for Employees
Install the Microsoft Teams App: A Guide for Employees
How to Use Shoutouts in Microsoft Teams
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