How to Evaluate Whether Microsoft Teams Phone

Microsoft Teams Phone has recently received a lot of buzz as a popular option for enhancing voice-based communication across hybrid workforces.But, how do you know if it’s the right choice for your organisation? There are a few factors to consider, and if you have a telephony infrastructure already, you might wonder if there is much point in adopting a solution like Microsoft Teams Phone.Here is what you should consider when evaluating whether Microsoft Teams Phone is right for your business…

What is Your Current IT infrastructure?

Before considering the features and potential uses of Microsoft Teams Phone, you need to understand your current infrastructure. Perhaps the most important reason to review your infrastructure is to understand how people use your telephony right now and where you might need improvements.So, what should you look for when you are analysing your IT infrastructure? First and foremost, you need to consider the size of your business and the number of users. Businesses of all sizes can use Microsoft Teams Phone, but it is essential to make sure that your solution can support everyone. Additionally, you need to consider the location of your users. If you have users across multiple locations, you will need to account for converting all of them to Microsoft Teams Phone.Finally, you need to think about the security of your network. Microsoft Teams Phone uses industry-standard encryption to protect your calls, but if you have any concerns about the security of your network, you should consult with a professional when planning your migration to Microsoft Teams Phone.

What Coverage do you Need?

Once familiar with your current infrastructure, you must identify your business' coverage. Understanding your coverage needs is particularly important when evaluating the plans and licenses that you will choose for your business. Perhaps your company operates within one country, or you have people making calls worldwide. Microsoft offers Calling Plans for domestic and international coverage. The latter will cost more than domestic calling. Although, if your business has already been handling international calls via the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), you will likely already have a hefty phone bill.You will also need to consider your usage needs, such as the number of people in your organisation and if only a select group will use the international calling plan. If you plan on leveraging PSTN, you should note that you may have limited coverage if you have staff across various countries. Locally-based businesses will likely not have this problem.Consider the average number of calls made and received by your users daily. You may need a more robust plan if you have many users who make and receive a high volume of calls.

Direct Routing vs a Calling Plan for Microsoft Teams Phone

Direct Routing with Microsoft Teams Phone is one of the simplest and most efficient ways to connect your telephony infrastructure to the Microsoft Teams platform. It allows you to keep your current phone system while still being able to take advantage of all the features and benefits that come with using Teams. Once you have everything set up, you can make and receive calls using your existing phone numbers and systems.Direct Routing is an excellent solution for organisations who want to keep their current phone system while still being able to use all the features and benefits of Microsoft Teams.Consider the following information if you are going for Direct Routing:

• You can leverage the full benefits of Microsoft Teams while still using your preferred provider for calling.
• Rather than migrating to an environment managed 100% by Microsoft and re-training your team on a brand new phone system, Direct Routing enables migration to Microsoft Teams without the headaches.
• Each business has unique needs, especially when it comes to communication. You can build a technology stack that best suits your needs by leveraging Direct Routing rather than purely a Microsoft solution.

Calling Plans enable you to make and receive calls directly from Microsoft Teams and leverage features like voicemail, call forwarding, and caller ID. While Microsoft Teams already has a call feature included in the base application, these calling plans will extend your capability.There are two types of Calling Plans available in Microsoft Teams:

• Domestic Calling Plans: These plans are the obvious choice if your business only operates within one country.
• International Calling Plans: You can make and receive calls to and from over 150 countries with an international calling plan.

Consider the following information if you are going for a Calling Plan:

• You can easily port your existing phone numbers into Microsoft Teams for your business communications to be entirely supported by Microsoft.
• If you only need domestic or international calling, you can purchase these as standalone licences. If you need domestic and international calling, you can pay for licenses that cater to both.
• If people within your organisation have different needs – for example, some people need international calling, but most do not – you can buy and assign separate licences to suit the needs of specific people or departments.

Soma can deploy Microsoft Teams Phone in your business

Our experts do more than deploy Microsoft Teams Phone. We analyse your communication needs and design a platform that aligns with your business requirements. We align expectations by discussing preferences, going through call flows and designing the solution. Our team maintains collaboration and productivity after the project’s completion to ensure the solutions continue serving your business. Please visit our Microsoft Teams Calling page for more.