Next-Level Communication: The Potential of Voice for Microsoft Teams

The demand for modern cloud-hosted business communication essentials continues to rise. So, companies of all sizes are turning to communication and collaboration platforms to support remote workers and geographically dispersed teams. Business owners and IT decision makers recognizing the value of having video, voice, and data services consolidated into a single user-friendly interface appreciate the many features voice for Microsoft Teams brings to the table.

As of 2023, Teams is supporting the communication needs of 320 million subscribers, including 91% of Fortune 100 companies. Microsoft reps also report that 17 million accountholders are enhancing the voice capabilities of their platform with Teams Phone. Could Microsoft Teams Phone be the key to streamlining communication and boosting productivity for your organization? If you’ve paid for Teams licensing, it could be. 

But when evaluating Microsoft Teams’ voice capabilities, take a moment to consider the alternate deployment methods available, such as Operator Connect and Direct Routing, and what certified service delivery providers can offer over and above its core features.

How Voice for Microsoft Teams Helps Streamline Business Communication

There’s no doubt that live chat, video conferencing, desktop sharing, and AI-enhanced automated messaging are essential in today’s rapidly evolving workplace environment. However, many companies are feeling the strain of relying on multiple communication service providers to ensure they have the tech-forward solutions required to support workplace needs and consumer preferences.

Related: Can Microsoft Teams Replace Your Phone System?

Recent polls suggest the average company uses 130 software applications to cover communication, collaboration, customer relationship management (CRM), performance optimization, and various administrative tasks. These tools are in addition to their legacy phone service—a disparate technology. Microsoft Teams consolidates multiple business communication essentials into a solution accessible from nearly any internet-capable device. 

AI-Enhanced Team Chat and Channels 

Microsoft has been optimizing Teams’ audio quality with AI-driven enhancements for years. Microsoft Teams end-users appreciate the communication and collaboration platform’s echo cancellation, de-reverberation to adjust for poor room acoustics, and background noise suppression. Full duplex sound enhancements allow end-users to speak and listen at the same time.

Most recently, Microsoft optimized Team Chat and Team Channels by integrating Copilot into the platform. The feature creates AI-generated conversation summaries from voice and text-based communication, documents decisions made during meetings, and retrieves information from lengthy threads via Copilot Lab. Microsoft plans to release intelligent call recap, a feature providing  AI-generated insights and recaps of VoIP and PSTN Teams calls, in June with Teams Premium and Copilot.

Native Software Integrations

Teams is designed to work seamlessly with other Microsoft 365 applications. That compatibility makes it remarkably easy for subscribers to join (or schedule) meetings from Outlook calendar, manage complex projects through Microsoft Planner, use Power BI to share sensitive documents with authorized personnel, and work collaboratively with Microsoft 365 applications (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, OneNote, and OneDrive). End users also have the option of connecting through Microsoft Teams Chat.

Teams integrates with Microsoft Dynamics 365, a suite of CRM and enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools, and supports third-party application integrations, provided the software aligns with  Microsoft’s terms and conditions. Administrators can block, allow, govern, or analyze the use of any application from their dashboards.

Video Conferencing and Virtual Breakout Rooms

Just a few years ago, video conferencing was considered a workplace essential for supporting remote workers and curbing travel-related expenses. Today, meeting participants also log into the Microsoft Teams platform while sitting in the same rooms. Team leaders can record meetings as needed, transcribe audio for future reference, share screens and whiteboards, conduct polls and surveys through the platform, and assign participants to virtual breakout rooms.

Breakout rooms are ideal for small group meetings and brainstorming sessions. Meeting leaders can create breakout rooms before or during their conferencing sessions and assign participants automatically or manually. They can only be created, however, using the desktop version of Microsoft Teams, not the mobile app. 

Multiple Enablement Options

Teams subscribers have always been able to use Microsoft’s voice capabilities to connect with fellow members using the audio call feature in chat. However, both parties need to be logged into the platform on the same domain for their calls to connect through the cloud-based software. The calling feature could not be used for making or receiving external calls without the addition of a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or session-initiated protocol (SIP) trunk connectivity. 

Of course, Teams’ technology advanced over time. Today, voice for Microsoft Teams connects calls between PCs, cellphones, and landlines through Microsoft’s proprietary calling plans, Teams Phones Mobile, Microsoft-approved Operator Connect service providers, and partner-delivered Direct Routing.

Exploring Microsoft Teams’ Enterprise Voice Capabilities

Nearly 90% of businesses use cloud-hosted communication and collaboration services to solve complex problems, boost efficiency, optimize productivity, and improve communication. Microsoft Teams is the most popular communication and collaboration platform in more than 40 countries. 

With Teams Phone added into the equations, business owners and IT decision-makers who once felt they “needed” wired legacy phone service to ensure optimal call quality and network reliability are taking a second look beneath the hood. They see a fully unified communication and collaboration service with an impressive number of enterprise features.

Virtual Auto Attendants

Also known as virtual receptionists, auto attendants direct incoming calls to the appropriate department, extension, or voicemail inbox based on the caller’s responses to a series of questions. It’s a feature that can help companies of all sizes reduce missed or misdirected calls. Teams’ auto attendants can manage multiple calls simultaneously—a perk that reduces wait times and could improve consumer satisfaction scores. 

Call Transfers and Call Retrieve 

Microsoft Team’s call transfer feature allows end users to redirect calls to an alternative recipient. Initiated through the Teams’ dashboard, end users can easily place the call on hold before the transfer. Teams’ members included in an organization’s call park policy can also retrieve calls held on mobile devices from their desktop phones. It’s an attractive feature that nearly anyone in the habit of taking business calls on their way to the office is sure to appreciate. 

Queues for Incoming Calls

With Microsoft Teams’ revamped voice capabilities, subscribers can select the music callers hear while waiting for assistance and record greetings prompted by caller responses. End users can also choose their preferred method of managing overflow from their dashboards by “opting in” to receive (or assign associates to receive) incoming calls waiting for virtual assistance. The platform’s call queue capabilities merge seamlessly with Teams voice, chat, and video conferencing features, creating a unified communication experience. 

Group Call Pickup and Call Sharing

The call-sharing feature enabled with voice for Microsoft Teams allows business subscribers to alert coworkers of incoming calls from a specific phone number in order of priority. The feature allows call-sharing participants to configure their preferred method of notification. Although individual subscribers are restricted to “owning” a single call group, they’re able to participate in up to 25 groups simultaneously.

Call Quality Analytics and Performance Data  

With Microsoft’s Call Quality Dashboard, administrators gain impressive data analytics capabilities. In addition to the platform’s basic usage breakdowns, administrators have detailed reports of monthly calling trends, audio quality reports, and a comprehensive overview of system performance. Irregularities are identified by media type, drop rate, setup configurations, and other details that could explain why a service disruption might occur.

Voice Recording and Transcription

Virtual call recording can capture audio, video, and screen-sharing activity. With the feature integrated into Microsoft Teams, meetings are more inclusive for members with differing levels of language proficiency, participants who could be deaf or hard of hearing, and people working from noisy locations. The feature can also add closed captioning to video playback and highlight important details in shared calls.

The Advantages of Empowering Teams with More Advanced Enterprise Voice Features

Microsoft Teams was initially designed to streamline internal business communication. With Microsoft as their service provider, decision-makers now have the option of purchasing domestic and international calling plans or pay-as-you-go services. For companies already using Microsoft Teams for collaboration, adding Phone is an attractive proposition—a cost-effective alternative to legacy phone service.

However, Microsoft’s calling plans, according to the tech giant, are best suited to the needs of small business owners and companies with relatively few employees and an uncomplicated internal structure. 

For large, multi-location organizations, Microsoft recommends finding an alternate path for enabling Teams’ voice-calling features. Compared to small business owners subscribing to Microsoft Teams’ calling plans, decision-makers choosing Operator Connect service offered by an approved provider find their business communication solution comes with a considerable number of additional benefits.  

More Control Over Communication Costs

With Microsoft’s voice add-on for Teams, calling features, such as auto-attendants and call queues, require a resource account for each virtual attendant. Plus, end users pay set prices for bundled calling plans. Since unused minutes expire at the end of each service cycle, business owners don’t have much control over their communication costs.

Decision-makers opting for the services of a Microsoft-certified partner offering Operator Connect, on the other hand, typically have access to more cost-effective pricing options, – including flexible pay-for-what-you-use pricing structures and regionally shared voice connectivity. 

Plus, many corporations find that centralizing all analog and digital communication around the Microsoft Teams platform through an Operator Direct partner significantly reduces the resources needed to manage and maintain additional systems or multiple platforms, including the burden of maintaining a private branch exchange (PBX) in-house. 

Enterprise Voice Features Not Available Through Microsoft

Although Microsoft Teams Phone has an impressive number of enterprise features, larger organizations often have additional requirements. In other words, they want Teams to do more.

Companies integrating Teams into enterprise voice service or a unified communication as a service platform (UCaaS) are partnering with business communication providers. These specialists have the expertise needed to ensure compatibility with intercom systems, analog fax machines, and elevator phones. In addition, they offer software customization and other capabilities Microsoft doesn’t include.

Optional Call Center and Customer Care Services

Integrating Teams into a more advanced communication environment with PSTN connectivity methods like Operator Connect and Direct Routing gives system administrators the option of investing in preconfigured, proven connections to industry-leading contact center platforms. They also gain the option of fortifying their customer service initiatives with AI-enhanced chatbots capable of “conversational” dialog and a more robust set of language translation tools.

System Security and Network Reliability

Microsoft Teams and its Operator Connect Partners both offer robust network security features. Teams complies with the Microsoft Trustworthy Computing Security Development Lifecycle (SDL). All communication channels are encrypted by default. With Microsoft Teams integrated into the geo-redundant network of an Operator Connect partner with robust backup power systems, the risk of service downtime is minimal.

Related: Complete Guide to SD-WAN

Top-tier providers leverage advanced technologies that detect and deter unauthorized network access, suspicious activity, and performance anomalies in milliseconds. Organizations with a global reach can integrate software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) technology into their service for additional security and performance reliability.

Expertly Implemented Cloud Migration

For small businesses with a simple operating structure, migrating voice service to Microsoft Teams is relatively straightforward. Most features are configured in the Admin Center. Cloud migration for larger enterprises, however, is a complex, multi-step process requiring a considerable amount of expertise to avoid service interruptions and costly downtime.

Microsoft doesn’t provide the training or support needed to navigate the complexities of developing a migration plan, readiness assessments, or creating and configuring test sites. Microsoft-approved Microsoft-approved PSTN providers, on the other hand, are voice migration and Microsoft Teams experts—professionals who help ensure a smooth, stress-free transition. 

Eliminating the Need for Costly Hardware Upgrades

Companies integrating Microsoft’s phone service with Teams need Microsoft-certified devices to use the service in-house. Integrating enterprise voice into Microsoft Teams through an Operator Connect partner eliminates the need for costly hardware upgrades. 

Discover How Optimizing Teams with Next-Level Voice Could Benefit Your Business

More than 17 million subscribers use Microsoft Teams Phone, an option that provides multiple features not available with legacy voice service. Decision-makers who recognize the value of Microsoft Teams but want more flexibility, scalability, and cost-effective service options—are taking voice communication to the next level with the help of one of the original Microsoft Operator Connect partners: BCM One’s Pure IP.

We offer end-to-end Teams deployment, enterprise-grade customizations, platform training, and unparalleled support. Contact us to learn more about supporting business communication and collaboration by enabling voice for Microsoft Teams.