Set up Answers in Viva

Answers in Microsoft Viva is a new experience for people in large organizations to learn from each other by asking and answering questions. Access is through the Viva Engage Teams app, both on the Answers tab and on the Communities tab in communities of which the user is a member.

Answers lets employees ask questions and connect to crowdsourced answers. Natural language processing helps match questions with available answers, and the experience rewards people who contribute to Answers.

Answers helps users get their questions answered, connect with subject matter experts, and increase their learning.

Licensing

The Viva Engage Knowledge service plan is part of the Microsoft Viva Suite license, and of the Viva Employee Communications and Communities licenses. Users with the Viva Engage Knowledge service plan have access to the Answers experience. These users can ask and answer questions in communities and on the Answers tab, find similar questions, and receive rewards and recognition.

Users without the Viva Engage Knowledge service plan don't have the full Answers experience. Those users can ask questions, and view, vote, and respond to questions from communities in which they’re a member. Anytime their name is mentioned in Answers, they receive notifications to those questions and can visit those threads.

For more information about permissions, see Manage admin roles in Viva Engage.

Technical requirements

By default, the Answers experience is enabled for networks that meet the following technical requirements:

1. Users have access to Viva Engage services

   Viva Engage is enabled for the organization and users have access to Viva Engage services. For the best Answers experience, we recommend that all organizations install the Viva Engage app in Microsoft Teams.

2. Viva Engage network is in Native Mode

   Native Mode is a state of a Viva Engage network where all users are in Microsoft Entra ID. All communities are Microsoft 365 groups and all files are stored in SharePoint Online. This setup ensures that the service can appropriately apply topic permissions and management. For details, see the guide to migrate the network to Native Mode.

3. Topics migrated to Viva Engage

   Answers enablement depends on topics migrating to a supported version of topics in Viva Engage. We are in the middle of a transition as Viva Topics will be retired in 2025. As part of that change, Viva Engage will no longer use Viva Topics or Lightweight Topics. Migrations are planned to complete in Spring 2025. Learn more about the Viva Topics retirement.

   Customers awaiting topics migration can request priority Answers enablement, which may include Native Mode support or topics migration. Contact your customer account manager or Microsoft Viva Engage support to file a support ticket.

Compliance and Answers data

By default, a group in Microsoft 365 backs up your Answers data. This group follows your organization’s default data retention policies. The Answers backing group autoprovisions when the first question is posted or a question attachment is created. At the time of creation, all Microsoft 365 Global admins are assigned as owners of the backing group, which is called Group for Answers in Viva Engage – DO NOT DELETE.

Owners of the backing group should ensure that Answers remains compliant with network policies and doesn't get accidentally deleted. Admins can export data if you want to delete the backing group in Microsoft 365. Deletion of the backing group stops Answers from working.

You can find Answers data in eDiscovery, so you can identify and deliver electronic information that can be used as evidence in legal cases.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

For a GDPR user data export, verified Viva Engage admins and Engage admins can follow the Viva Engage GDPR export guidance. Answers data is bundled with Viva Engage data. To comply with GDPR data subject requests, you can erase all information about a Viva Engage user. Learn how to manage GDPR data subject requests in Viva Engage.

Configure the Answers experience

By default, Answers is turned on. Optionally, you can hide Answers from view in the Viva Engage Teams app, which allows users to access Answers content only through existing links. If you hide Answers, users can't contribute to threads or navigate the Answers experience.

1. In the Viva Engage Teams app, select the ellipses button from the top right navigation bar, and select Admin to navigate to the Viva Engage admin center.

   

2. On the Feature management tab, select the Answers button to open the Answers configuration options.

   

3. Use the Enable Answers toggle to enable or disable Answers for your organization. Answers is turned on by default.

   

Option: Show Viva Engage experience

Answers resides within Viva Engage. Organizations that aren't ready to start using all the Viva Engage features can choose to enter a limited Answers-focused experience. Doing so hides other Viva Engage features such as storylines, communities, and leadership. You can still access hidden Viva Engage content through existing links, but users can't navigate to Viva Engage features other than Answers.

To use this feature, the network must have two or fewer Engage communities.

1. In the Viva Engage Teams app, select the ellipses button from the top right navigation bar, and select Admin to navigate to the Viva Engage admin center.

2. On the Feature management tab, select the Answers button to open the Answers configuration options.

3. Switch Show Engage Experience on or off for your organization. This option is unavailable if Answers if turned off, or if the tenant has more than two active communities.

Option: Enable AI-suggested topics

Users with the Viva Engage Knowledge Service Plan have AI-suggested topics in Answers. When a user posts a question on Answers, generative AI returns up to three relevant topics for the user to include with their post.

1. In the Viva Engage Teams app, select the ellipses button from the top right navigation bar, and select Admin to navigate to the Viva Engage admin center.

2. On the Feature management tab, select the Answers button to open the Answers configuration options.

   

3. In Answers feature management, switch Enable AI-suggested topics on or off for your organization.

   

Option: Enable rewards and recognition

By contributing to Answers in Viva, users can earn and collect up to five different badges. Badges are available and visible to anyone in the organization who has a Viva Engage Knowledge Service Plan. This feature requires Answers to collect user data, such as votes from fellow employees, which count toward badges.

1. In the Viva Engage Teams app, select the ellipses button from the top-right navigation bar, and select Admin to navigate to the Viva Engage admin center.

2. On the Feature management tab, select Rewards and recognition.

   

3. Configure badges by selecting from these options:

   • On enables badges for the organization.

   • User Preference enables badges for the organization while allowing individuals to opt out. The end user can turn off badges in Viva Engage by selecting the ellipses button on the right of their Achievements and awards page.

   • Disabled turns off badges in Answers in Viva. If you switch this control from On to Disabled, all badges earned by users are deleted and unrecoverable. Answers stops collecting user data for badges.

   

See also

Administrator scenarios for Answers in Viva Engage

Answers in Viva: Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Manage administrator roles in Viva Engage