Your company directory, right in the phone's contacts
When someone new starts, they are in everyone's phone the next morning, and when someone leaves, the contact disappears again after a short grace period. ModernSync puts the staff directory in the phone's own contacts, so nobody needs another app. Name, title, department and numbers come from the profiles in Microsoft 365.
Works withiPhoneAndroidOutlook for Windows, Mac and web
Why directory apps rarely get used
Employees look for a colleague where they look for everyone else: in the phone's contacts. A directory in another app has to be rolled out and kept current, and it isn't there when the phone rings.
Your options in Microsoft 365
| Option | Works well | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| People search in Teams or Outlook | Up to date and already installed. | Works only inside the app and only online. Incoming calls show a number. |
| A separate directory app | Can show org charts and photos. | Another app to roll out and maintain. |
| A phone list in a spreadsheet | Quick to make. | Goes out of date quickly and doesn't reach the phone. |
How ModernSync does it
Set-up takes about five minutes.
Approve the app
A global admin approves ModernSync in Microsoft 365. Nothing is installed on phones or servers.
Choose the groups
Pick who becomes contacts and who receives them. A test run shows exactly what would change before anything is written.
Contacts on every phone
Every night the contacts are updated in employees' mailboxes, and phones and Outlook pick them up from there.
A test run first
The test run shows exactly how many contacts would be created, updated and removed in which mailboxes. Nothing is written until you switch synchronisation on.
Data, hosting and the DPA
- Contact data stays in Microsoft 365
- Contacts are written straight from Microsoft 365 to employees' mailboxes. We only keep what the portal needs to show status.
- Hosted in Azure in the EU
- Your data is processed in Microsoft Azure in the EU, and we hold no passwords. The app's permissions are listed on the permissions page.
- Data processing agreement included
- It is part of the terms and accepted when you sign up.
Questions
Can we leave some people out?
Yes. Each rule is based on a group, and an exception group keeps out, for example, service accounts or managers whose mobile numbers should not go to everyone.
Where do the details come from?
From the user profiles in Microsoft 365, so keeping the directory right is the same work as keeping Microsoft 365 right.
How do new employees get added?
Once they are in the group in Microsoft 365, they appear in everyone's contacts the next morning. It takes nothing beyond the group membership you set up anyway.
Do profile photos and the org chart come along?
No. The contacts carry name, job title, department, company, email, phone numbers and business address. Profile photos and managers are not included.
Related guides and other solutions
- How to get the global address list on iPhone
Where the iPhone can look up the global address list, why it stays online-only, and what it takes to turn colleagues into contacts with caller ID.
- Which phones and apps show the contacts?
iPhone, Android and Outlook on Windows, Mac and the web, plus the one limitation to know about.
- Outlook contacts on iPhoneColleagues from Microsoft 365 in the iPhone's own contacts, so calls show a name.
- Outlook contacts on AndroidColleagues in the Android phone's contacts, Samsung included.
- Shared contacts in OutlookOne shared contact list in every mailbox and on every phone.
- GAL sync for iPhone and AndroidThe global address list as real contacts, so calls show who is ringing.
- Push contacts to iPhone and AndroidApprove the app once and choose the groups. There are no scripts to maintain.
Try it on your own groups
Sign up in the portal and see the test run for your own groups before you decide. Free for 14 days.