Within organisations, most exchanges between colleagues now take place on a unified communications platform. Microsoft Teams is now one of the most widely used. It was only during the COVID-19 pandemic that the world realised the extent of the possibilities offered by Microsoft’s collaboration solution. MS Teams has made it possible to maintain links between people working in the same organisation through videoconferencing, instant messaging and document exchange and sharing functions.
At a time when teleworking is much more widespread and teams are increasingly mobile, Teams now supports professionals on a daily basis. It has established itself as an essential collaboration tool, unifying all communication channels, including the telephone network.
Integrating a company’s telephone network into Teams
Although this functionality is often overlooked, it is possible to integrate a business’s telephone network into the communications platform. Each employee can then be contacted directly on their unique number, whether by colleagues or people outside the company. All calls can then be made or received via the Teams desktop or mobile app.
Let’s take a look at four features and benefits of Teams Phone.
1. What telephony features does Teams offer?
Microsoft Teams Phone has a number of features that are well known functions of older telephone systems: group call pickup, simultaneous ringing, transferring a call to a representative, call diversion, customisable correspondent loops and voicemail.
Microsoft Teams can also be used for audio and video conference calls with internal and external participants.
2. How do you integrate a company’s telephone network into Teams?
Integration within MS Teams requires the installation of a solution offered by a telecoms operator such as POST. As a partner, we provide companies with the lines and numbers to be integrated into the unified communications platform. In this way, calls can be routed through the external telephone network.
To use Teams Phone, you obviously need a Microsoft 365 licence, which includes the Teams app. SMEs (a maximum of 300 users) will have to opt for either Business, Standard or Business Premium, depending on their needs. This choice depends on the company’s needs in terms of collaboration and office automation tools.
Integrating a telephone network into Teams requires an additional Business Voice licence for each user. It is also possible to activate another licence, called MS Audio Conferencing, to allow users to join a meeting from their telephone lines.
3. Can Teams Phone replace the traditional telephone system?
Yes, Teams can replace most traditional telephony tools and solutions. If there are still certain analogue lines within a building such as lifts or alarm systems, these will have to be configured independently. For all other uses, Teams offers a range of features to cover communication needs, such as automatic switchboards with call queues, and the ability to route calls according to the caller’s input.
4. What can Teams Phone do to streamline the workspace?
The integration of telephony through Teams makes it much easier to transform workspaces. More and more companies are opting for a flexible organisational structure, doing away with fixed workstations. Employees are now reachable by phone in many places, whether in a meeting room, at their desk, in an isolated area or in an open space. They can receive or make calls from their smartphone or laptop using the Teams app. It is also possible to transfer incoming calls via Teams to a mobile phone (with it ringing simultaneously). This ensures that you never miss an important call.
