MS Teams Phone Number: Is It Enough to Replace Your Phone System?

Can You Get an MS Teams Phone Number as a Default?

Recently, Microsoft Teams (MS Teams) has become increasingly popular as more and more people work remotely. In April 2021, there were 145 million active MS Teams users, up from 75 million in April 2020. These users began to ask if they could get an MS Teams phone number to enhance the tool’s capabilities.

It is well known that Microsoft did not build Teams as an all-encompassing communications system. Instead, it offers basic telephony along with an online collaboration platform. Many people work remotely today, but MS Teams’ video, chat, and file storage components can’t replace phone systems entirely in their native form, especially for larger organizations. 

Team’s free version provides some useful collaboration features, such as: 

• Meeting scheduler.
• Cloud storage with a free 10 GB shared storage plan and a 2 GB personal storage plan.
• You can maintain control over your company’s data when you use collaboration tools.
• Encrypting data in Microsoft Teams provides data security while at rest and in transit.
• Free video calls, audio calls, and virtual meetings keep you connected with family and friends.
• There are many ways to continue the discussion, including text, video, and channel discussions.
• It is possible to communicate and collaborate with people outside your organization, including large and small teams.
• Connecting is possible across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. Currently, the app is available in 53 languages and 181 markets.

You may now consider switching to MS Teams as your primary communications platform, as this powerful application has become your favorite. The shift to an MS Teams phone number is a priority for many companies because their existing phone systems do not support Teams features. Nevertheless, you need to consider several factors before embarking on this change. This section will discuss them in more detail.

Related: BCM One Releases Voice-Enabled Teams

Replacing Phones in Your Business with MS Teams Phone Number Due to Remote and Hybrid Work

When the app was first developed, MS Teams voice calling was not part of the plan. While Teams is not a dedicated enterprise communications platform, it is rather a powerful online collaboration tool with some basic calling features. 

Remote and hybrid work modes may force you to scale your communications network to fit your staff communications needs. Recent data from a GoodHire found:

• 68% of Americans would prefer remote working to in-office work.
• A vast majority of Americans – 85% – believe that they, their colleagues, and employees throughout the nation prefer working from home instead of the company’s office. 
• 61% of Americans would be willing to take a pay cut to maintain remote working. Some workers even suggested taking a 50% pay cut to avoid returning to work. 
• If they had to go back to work full time, 45% of Americans would quit or immediately start searching for remote work jobs. 
• A quarter of respondents specifically said they would leave if a return-to-office becomes mandatory.
• Approximately 74% of Americans need remote working arrangements to continue working at their current job.
• Only 15% of Americans are interested in jobs that require total office work full time, while 85% prefer remote jobs. 

With this remote and hybrid work mode reality, it is relatively common to feel stuck now as far as Teams functionality goes if you use it for conference calls and chats. Traditionally, PBX phone systems cannot handle multi-location business communications, so MS Teams can’t replace your PBX. Is an MS Teams phone number the solution?

Related: Want Microsoft Teams Phone System Direct Routing? Here’s How

MS Teams Phone Number: Voice Calling Implementation

To decide if an MS Teams phone number can replace your phone system, you must weigh all the features against your company’s needs. In fact, Teams can be pretty helpful for sole proprietors or small businesses who can stay within the parameters of their calling plan and just use the built-in features. Compared with most carriers, Microsoft’s calling plans tend to be expensive and limited. In any case, they may be suitable for your company if it fits the above description.

In contrast, if you’ve been trying to improve your internal and external connections in a larger, more complex enterprise, there’s another way. In order to enhance Teams as an enterprise platform, telecom leaders have added voice calling. MS Teams phone numbers are possible with voice calling. 

With these features, your employees and customers will be able to perform more efficient phone conversations; including call routing, extensions, and call transfers. By partnering with a voice expert, you can enhance MS Teams by combining its collaboration tools with enterprise voice features that your business requires. Getting started with an MS Teams phone number and voice calling takes finding a provider with the following characteristics:

1.Microsoft certifications: Be sure to work with a service provider with extensive Microsoft experience and certifications. It can be challenging to integrate Teams voice and collaboration, but the whole point of scaling up your communications capabilities is to provide every feature you need without complicating matters. 

The best value for your money comes from partnering with a Microsoft Gold Partner with a dedicated Microsoft team. In order to become a Gold Partner, Microsoft-approved software solutions providers must demonstrate exceptional capabilities. They will save you time and money and provide headache-free troubleshooting in the future.

2.Proven experience: It is difficult to replace your phone system with an MS Teams phone number without looking beyond your IT department. You may see a gap in availability and voice services if you use Teams alone. In that case, you need a reputable provider to help you fill that gap. 

Adding voice capabilities to this app can transform it into a robust voice platform for businesses. With MS Teams, you will still have access to all the video, chat, file storage, and Microsoft integrations that you currently use, as well as enterprise voice features.

3.Telecom understanding: If you’re looking for a provider to set up your MS Teams phone number, you should choose one with experience in both telecom and Microsoft. It’s important not to rush the process of streamlining and improving your voice network. Outages frequently result in excessive downtime, lost productivity and unhappy customers, so you want to prevent them from the get-go.

You must connect customers, partners, vendors, and other external contacts efficiently. It will be necessary to invest in new functionality to develop a voice platform that includes internal and external calling capabilities. MS Teams voice calling is an excellent choice in this regard.

Businesses today rely heavily on communication and collaboration. Ensure your customers have a good experience whenever they contact you and that your employees have what they need to succeed. 

BCM One offers comprehensive solutions such as SIP Trunking, Voice-enabled Teams, and Unified Communications as a Service. In addition, we are a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and provide Microsoft 365 and Azure deployments. We have a team of experts who will assist you with planning, deploying, and optimizing Microsoft Teams voice calling. Contact us to learn more.