Install Billy, the birthday bot, in Microsoft Teams
Add Billy to a team in Microsoft Teams, fill out the Settings card it sends you and click Finish setup to start celebrating birthdays and work anniversaries.
Microsoft TeamsUpdated Oct 8, 20263 min readTo install Billy, the BuddiesHR birthday bot, in Microsoft Teams, add it to a team from the Teams app store, then fill out the Settings card Billy sends you and click Finish setup 🎉. Nothing is celebrated until you click that button.
Step 1: Find Billy in the Teams app store#
Open Billy on Microsoft AppSource and add it to Teams.
You can also do it from Teams itself: open Apps in the left sidebar, search for "Billy" and add it.
Step 2: Get approval if your organization requires it#
Depending on your organization's app policies, a Teams admin may need to approve Billy before you can use it. If you can't add it yourself, ask your IT team to approve it.
Step 3: Add Billy to a team and pick the channel#
In Teams' own "Add to a team" dialog, choose the team and the channel where Billy should post celebrations. You can also add Billy to a group chat instead of a team.
Billy then posts a welcome message in that channel ("Woohoo 🥳 I'm so excited to join your team today!…") and thanks you for adding it.
Step 4: Fill out the Settings card#
Billy sends you a welcome message in your 1:1 chat with it, then, a few seconds later, the <team name>'s Settings card.
| Setting | Default |
|---|---|
Which channel should be used to post? (teams only, not group chats) |
The channel picked in step 3 |
When do you want the celebrations to be posted? (6:00am to 6:00pm, plus a timezone) |
9:00am, America/New_York |
Do you want to celebrate work anniversaries too? |
Off |
Which collection method do you want to use? |
(Recommended) Auto |
When would you like to celebrate events on weekends? |
On the actual day |
Do you want to include a GIF in celebration messages? |
On |
Which language should be used to post? (English, Français, Español, Português, Deutsch) |
English |
Each setting is explained in change Billy's settings in Teams.
Step 5: Click Finish setup#
At the bottom of the card, click Finish setup 🎉.
What happens next depends on the collection method:
(Recommended) Auto: Billy replies "Noted ✅ I will begin reaching out to each user individually right now…" and messages every team member who has no dates yet, with a form to fill out. You don't need a spreadsheet.Manual: Billy replies "Noted ✅" and sends a file card for the Excel spreadsheet: clickAllowto get it. See import dates with a spreadsheet in Teams.
What's next#
- Type
Helpin your chat with Billy to see every command: Billy commands in Microsoft Teams. - Check who still has to share their dates: collect dates in Teams.
- Billy's own messages and cards in Teams are in English. Only the celebration posts use the language you picked.
Everyone uses their existing Microsoft 365 account: nobody needs to create a new one. If anything blocks you, contact support.