What Is Microsoft Teams Direct Routing?

With Microsoft Teams Direct Routing, enterprises can use the Teams platform as a business phone system. It allows users to make and receive calls from any device in any location. In today’s often geographically dispersed work environments, communication is more important than ever before. People are conducting business anywhere at any time, and they depend on communication platforms that work—whether they are at the office, at home, or on the move with their phones. 

That’s why Microsoft Teams has become one of the fastest-growing business products for real-time virtual meetings, collaboration, organization, communication, file sharing, and chat. These capabilities are powered by multiple services within the Teams platform. 

Microsoft Phone System Direct Routing can be used as the sole phone system for a new enterprise or as an upgrade for companies starting to migrate away from traditional private branch exchange (PBX) systems. In this post, we’ll explore the Microsoft Teams platform, its benefits, and the role Direct Routing plays in a robust communications solution. 

What Is Microsoft Teams and How Does It Help Your Business?

Few businesses operate without using one or more Microsoft software products. Most offices leverage the Microsoft 365 and Office 365 application suites. Microsoft Teams is a cloud-based unified communications solution within the 365 platforms that allows for real-time interaction across devices and locations. It works similarly to other familiar applications like Slack, Google Workspace, and Webex.  

Features of Microsoft Teams collaboration tools include:

• Chat messaging
• External and internal collaboration
• File sharing
• Screen sharing
• Video conferencing
• Voice calls
• Webinars

Business Benefits of Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams provides a host of benefits for enterprises, whether they have a collocated, geographically dispersed, virtual, or hybrid workforce. The many options for real or near real-time interaction create notable results in several areas.

Boost in Productivity

One of the greatest advantages of unified communications is that there is no need for multiple, disparate applications. No more saving documents in multiple formats or losing time to learning curves or missing edits between offices, users, or platforms. It reduces the need for training or experience with multiple software solutions, minimizes administration, and eliminates software incompatibility issues. Each service and application is designed to work seamlessly together.

Flexible Customization

Customizing your workspace at the administrative and user levels is a breeze. Managers can create a team for a project, a department, or any number of uses. Adding or removing users is quick and simple. Individual users also have the option of customizing their workspace to make it easy to get to the apps they use most often. 

Streamlined Workflows

Users can reduce the need for formal meetings by collaborating directly in the chat session. Reviews, approvals, edits, or planning can all be done by sharing documents and making necessary changes together. The result: optimized workflows for improved time to completion.  

Exceptional Accessibility

Microsoft Teams is on the cutting edge of technology and at the forefront of championing accessibility for every user. By incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, those with hearing limitations can benefit from real-time generated transcripts that identify each speaker by name. 

Enhanced Communication

So much can get lost or misconstrued in email threads. Depending on when or how often each person checks their emails, you could easily see missed deadlines or opportunities. A robust communications solution is one that can transform instantly based on the best vehicle for solving a problem that arises. Direct Routing allows users to initiate a video or voice call at a moment’s notice, eliminating miscommunication, lost time, or lost customers.

What Is Direct Routing and How Does It Work?

Direct Routing plays an important role in making Microsoft Teams a great business platform. Direct Routing connects Microsoft Teams users to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) via a telephony provider of the company’s choosing. The provider leverages its cloud infrastructure to route calls to and from Teams users and an external number. 

Related: Boost your Business’ Communications with Microsoft Teams Direct Routing

This capability allows established companies that previously relied on PBX systems to migrate to a more flexible and cost-efficient call technology that integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Teams for a unified communications solution. 

Benefits of Using Direct Routing

Although Microsoft Teams is primarily used for internal communications, Direct Routing facilitates a secure external connection between your team and the outside world. While there are several methods to make external calls, Direct Routing allows your staff to make calls directly from their Teams-connected devices instantly. But that’s just the start. Here are numerous benefits to implementing Direct Routing in your organization:

Flexibility

Companies are dynamic entities. Markets, the economy, consumer sentiments, and work environments are constantly evolving. Consequently, businesses need solutions that can effortlessly adapt to any changes, saving both time and money.

Direct Routing empowers companies to connect with almost any third-party PSTN or trunk provider. Whether you want to continue using your existing telephone equipment or prefer to leverage your secure network and Teams-connected devices for your enterprise phone system, the choice is yours. And the best part is, you won’t have to worry about starting from scratch.

Cost Efficiency

Before the advent of cloud technology and advances in telephony, businesses were literally tethered by their phone systems. The financial investment in physical phone lines and hardware was significant. Once in a location, moving was almost out of the question for small businesses that didn’t have the resources to start over. 

Now, businesses can leverage the cloud and Direct Routing for their telephony services. They pay only for the services they require with no need for physical phone lines or expensive hardware. For greater cost savings, Direct Routing consolidates regional carriers into a global plan that businesses can take advantage of.

Standardization

When companies want to improve productivity, profitability, and customer service, one of the first things they look at is how to streamline their processes. Microsoft Teams with Direct Routing not only standardizes your workforce’s communications options for ease of use but streamlines support, training, and compliance. There is no learning curve as you add services. On a unified communications platform, your staff can expect the same, consistent experience no matter what location they are in. 

Another benefit of standardizing your communications systems to Direct Routing is reducing the number of vendors you have to manage. A managed provider service simplifies the administration of dealing with multiple local carriers. Your existing business phone numbers can also be ported to the cloud and used across the organization, further simplifying your communications administration. 

Agility

As your business experiences situational changes, you must have a way to respond quickly. Direct Routing’s cloud solution lets you add, remove, or change users across offices quickly and easily. In a world where a business’s location is more of a concept than a physical entity, it’s crucial to accommodate a virtual or mobile workforce. Microsoft Teams with Direct Routing enables you to connect with internal colleagues and external customers or vendors from anywhere, ensuring your business remains operational at all times.

Reliability

Communication is the lifeblood of any business. Companies have to ensure that their telephony solution is robust, secure, and reliable. Centralizing and standardizing your telephony solution gives you the resources to better manage your capacity while providing built-in failover solutions in the event of a carrier failure or other catastrophic event.

Teams Integration

One of the greatest benefits of using Direct Routing for your telephony needs is that it integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Teams for a complete unified communications solution. Everything your staff needs to collaborate, troubleshoot, and deliver results is right there at their fingertips. Once you’ve moved to Direct Routing, there is no need for separate maintenance, hardware, or training. Everything your team needs to interact with each other and the public is all on one platform. 

Related: Simplifying Your Business Communication Systems Strategy

As with any technology solution, getting the integration right from the start is critical. Having the right partner to make everything work smoothly and effectively is priceless. No need to worry about acquiring the right licenses, deciding on phone numbers, managing PSTN connections, or getting quick and specific support when you have questions. The right partner will walk you through your choices, handle the integration, and be there to answer any questions you have.

The Best Way to Integrate Microsoft Teams Direct Routing into Your Organization

The decision to move to a unified communications platform is the easy part. Chances are, you are one of the many companies already using Teams for your workforce communication and collaboration solution. Integrating external communication is the next step. The way to do that is with an experienced partner.

BCM One works with mid-sized, multi-site organizations to develop a complete, secure, compliant, and cost-effective IT solution for their communications infrastructure. We partner with business and IT leaders to provide comprehensive, managed technology solutions that streamline and optimize communications, collaboration, and connectivity. Contact us today to get started.