In today's fast-paced business environment, communication and collaboration tools play a vital role in fostering productivity and connectivity among teams. Microsoft Teams has emerged as a leading platform for organizations, offering an array of features that facilitate seamless teamwork. In their last earnings report, Microsoft announced over 300 million people were using Teams. However, only about 20 million are using Microsoft Teams for external phone calls. So, while many are aware of its collaborative capabilities, there's obviously a lesser-known aspect that deserves attention: the ability for Microsoft Teams to be used for phone calling. In this article, we'll explore the evolution of the Teams phone capabilities, address the relatively slow adoption of Teams Calling, and provide insights on how to best leverage Microsoft Teams Calling.
Unlocking the Potential of Teams Calling: The Evolution of Microsoft Teams Phone System
For those who remember Microsoft Lync, the Microsoft Teams phone system has significantly evolved and matured. Lync and then Skype for Business fell short in terms of phone system functionality. However, through multiple deployments and firsthand experiences, it becomes evident that Microsoft Teams now competes with, and often surpasses, other applications for phone calling functionality. The feature-rich nature of Teams presents an opportunity for companies to take advantage of their Microsoft 365 investment and integrate it into their phone system.
Simplifying Teams Calling Onboarding Process: A Seamless Transition
One of the primary challenges faced by IT managers is initiating Microsoft Teams into their voice platform. Hesitancy among enterprises to embrace Microsoft Teams Calling stems from concerns surrounding the limitations of calling plans and the daunting onboarding process. To address these concerns, Atlantech Online has developed a workflow that streamlines the migration process, introduces some automation and helps eliminate the need for complex PowerShell scripts.
By leveraging our cloud voice platform, Atlantech Online establishes automatic connectivity to the Microsoft Teams tenant within a remarkably short timeframe. The process encompasses a user-friendly, automated workflow that allows for real-time addition of telephone numbers, seamless number porting, assignment to users and addresses, and comprehensive testing. What once took weeks or even months to accomplish can now be completed in a single day.
Atlantech Online has been a phone company since 2005. We've delivered voice over a few different platforms since then. Without a doubt, Teams Calling has become the most popular voice platform we've offered. As a result, we've made it our mission is to make it easy to facilitate migration to Microsoft Teams Calling. By eliminating ambiguity and complexities, the onboarding process becomes much smoother. IT managers can invite global admins to join the process, ensuring a swift and hassle-free transition. Once onboarded, managing the calling plan becomes effortless, with a single pane of glass providing control over number changes, additions, user management, and automatic disassociation of numbers based on predefined policies when a user is disabled in the 365 environment.
Teams Calling Preparation and Deployment
To embark on the journey of utilizing Teams Calling, it is crucial to ensure the appropriate licensing from Microsoft, including the phone standard license for PBX functionality. Alongside the licensing, acquiring any necessary hardware, such as headphones or even phone handsets, is important for a smooth transition (although many of our customers forgo all hardware and use desktop and laptop cameras). Once these prerequisites are in place, IT managers can easily configure Teams according to their organization's specific needs. Understanding inbound call treatment, utilizing auto attendants, call queues, and policies are crucial aspects to consider during the setup process.
Organizations operating across multiple sites or utilizing various vendors can seamlessly integrate Microsoft Teams into their existing infrastructure. Our platform facilitates the management and porting of telephone numbers for individual offices, ensuring a comfortable transition in a phased manner. By introducing Teams Calling ahead of time and addressing users' needs, any challenges typically stem from the user's environment. Encouraging user adoption and ensuring their familiarity with Teams will pave the way for a successful implementation. While the shift towards remote work has been prevalent, there are still environments that require on-site operations and legacy devices, such as fax machines. Our platform supports faxing through CloudFax. Atlantech Online can also support the continued use of analog devices, paging systems, or solutions that you might need to integrate.
Atlantech Online has a dedicated team that provides 24/7 ongoing support for customers. Your project manager is still in the loop even after the onboarding is complete, but after onboarding, we have a dedicated support team that’s available by phone call, email and chat. Let Atlantech Online help you maximize your Microsoft 365 investment and unleash Teams Calling.
