10 Must-Have when Integrating Telephony with Microsoft Teams
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by Alvaro Vasquez // TeleSwitch
Microsoft Teams has become one of the most popular collaboration platforms, enabling users to work from home right after the pandemic. MS Teams provides intelligent collaboration via chat and video meetings. However, Teams users must continue to have access to the Public Telephone Network (PSTN) using traditional phones to communicate with co-workers, customers, and vendors.
Communications and Collaboration - Wishlist from Business Executives
Managers and IT Directors understand that collaboration tools are required in today's business environments, but they do not replace traditional telephone networks.
When executives evaluate a communication solution, these are the items they are looking for:
Feature Rich communications and collaboration capabilities, including chat, voice, and video conferencing, including traditional PBX features and HD Audio
Access to PSTN with local and toll-free numbers
Available Anywhere
Native integrations with business applications
Easy to manage and minimal infrastructure to maintain
One interface that is familiar to users with new features that are easy to adopt
Quality of Service (QoS) with 99.999% reliability
Enterprise-Grade Security and geo-redundant infrastructure
Scalable and flexible solutions that can adapt to business changes
Keeping costs under control
What MS Teams offered Out-of-The-Box
Microsoft Teams has an array of collaboration tools for organizations today. However, these users still switch to office telephones or cell phones when communicating to customers and co-workers.
Microsoft offers dialing plans but with limited capabilities. This may work for solopreneurs or very-small businesses if they stay within their calling plan parameters, but still, they can be pricey and limited compared to most carriers.
Making your MS Teams better with the UCaaS provider
Integrating Microsoft Teams with a Cloud Communications provider will allow you to check all your executives' wishlist boxes.
☐ Feature Rich communications and collaboration capabilities, including traditional PBX features and HD Audio
MS Teams provides chat, video conferencing, file sharing, and more. At the same time, your UCaaS provider will add those PBX features that your business still needs
Multi-Level Auto Attendants
Call Queuing and call flow entities like ring groups
Enterprise Voicemail
IVR and Call handlings
Call Recording
and the rest of your typical features like transferring, parking, and conferencing
☐ Access to PSTN with local and toll-free numbers
Your business can use Teams to manage internal communications while connecting to a third-party telephony carrier through Direct Routing when connecting to your customers and vendors. Your UCaaS provider will provide access to the PSTN and local numbers in the area code you need. Your provider will also give you access to toll-free numbers. The most crucial part is that your team will keep managing the capabilities of your PSTN numbers through your UCaaS provider-client portal.
☐ Available Anywhere
Availability anywhere is a must. The pandemic made this requirement more visible. However, this is not only to provide a work-from-home option to co-workers but also to have the ability to support your business continuity and a flexible workforce. UCaaS integrations with MS Teams provide all communication and collaboration capabilities to the user whenever needed without complexity.
☐ Native integrations with business applications
When connecting your MS Teams with a UCaaS service provider, you also gain access to the portfolio of app integrations. The best part is that you can create the perfect combination of applications providing each group of your staff with the integrations and business applications they need. Some UCaaS vendors may require plugins or applications to be installed for specific applications. Still, it will all depend on the level of integration and usability that you and your team are looking for.
☐ Easy to manage and minimal infrastructure to maintain
While executives are looking for simplicity for users, they also expect streamlined processes to manage and maintain the infrastructure. UCaaS provides the simplicity that executives want, providing a centralized interface to manage maintenance tasks eliminating the maintenance of expensive equipment and resources.
☐ One interface that is familiar to users with new features that are easy to adopt
Adoption processes are critical for any implementation and may introduce new challenges when new technologies are presented to users. Integrating cloud telephony to MS Teams eliminate complications for users since this is an application that they are familiar with. Integrating these solutions enhances the user experience consolidating communication tasks under one application that they are already comfortable using, promoting a higher level of collaboration.
☐ Quality of Service (QoS) with 99.999% reliability
MS Teams was developed as a collaboration tool. Even though Microsoft offers some basic phone plans, the solution was not developed with telephony as an essential. MS Teams offers 99.9 reliability, which is not enough for corporations today. However, you can still enjoy the standard 99.999% reliability when integrating with a UCaaS provider because their solutions are voice-centric. Business leaders understand that the most critical element of the interactions between their business and their clients is the quality of their communication, so QoS is fundamental.
☐ Enterprise-Grade Security and geo-redundant infrastructure
UCaaS allows you to eliminate the heavy tasks of keeping and maintaining the telephony infrastructure patched and secure. On top of this, most UCaaS providers have high available and geo-redundant services with end-to-end encryption supporting a Zero Trust security model. You may want to check the location of your vendor data center and review options when having specific requirements in this matter.
☐ Scalable and flexible solutions that can adapt to business changes
Once UCaaS is fully implemented and integrated with MS Teams, executives are looking to keep the solution adaptable. UCaaS vendors provide the flexibility that executives are looking for, with a quick process to add new users, implement new teams, and even new locations. UCaaS solutions may even provide you with alternatives for the seasonal needs of your business or to help you explore new business ideas with significant commitments. You can also select which device your users will use - from computer softphones and headsets to desk phones and mobile apps; the decision is yours.
☐ Keeping costs under control
Executives typically approach us with this list of items they need but always add at the end that this needs to be cost-effective. Having all these capabilities sound incredible, but at what cost?
Unified Communications as a Service will provide savings to your business from day 1.
You won't have to keep maintaining your communication platform anymore.
You can allocate licenses and features to the people that actually use them.
You can keep IT resources focused on supporting your business without the need, eliminating complexity in their day-to-day tasks.
You will eliminate expensive carrier services.
Implementing UCaaS will provide multiple benefits to your business while at the same time will help you to reduce costs and make your users more productive. However, if you are looking for simplicity, integrating a UCaaS solution with your MS Teams practice is the way to go.
There are many cloud service providers, but only a handful can check all these boxes.
Connect with one of our consultants today, so we can assist you in discovering the right provider for your business and achieve your goals, and fulfill your expectations.
TeleSwitch partners with all leading UCaaS providers in the market today.
Our recommendation is always focused on what is best for our customers.
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