The Microsoft Teams phone system can revolutionize your business communications. The platform increases your flexibility and adds features a traditional office phone system lacks – without sacrificing quality.
The calling feature in Microsoft Teams turns the hypercollaboration platform into a cloud-based phone system solution for small businesses. In terms of call forwarding, auto attendants, DID and quality, there is parity between traditional phones and Teams phones. The real benefit in using Teams as a phone system comes from the flexibility and centralization of work.
Cloud Phones Let You Connect How You Want
When you want to make a call in Teams, you can use a desk phone, app-enabled device, headset or your computer. This gives employees the freedom to take calls on their computer while working from a coffee shop or on a mobile device. The latter is how some Nortec staff members use the Teams phone feature, because it lets them take and answer calls on the road. No matter which method you use, your business number will display.
A flexible business communication tool for collaboration
Untether your employees from traditional phones and calling plans. Teams’ phone system makes working remotely or on the road easier because employees need less equipment to connect and collaborate.
Centralized Digital Workspace
Phones represent about 5% of what you can do in Microsoft Teams. It is a holistic platform that combines communication tools – like chat, phone calls and video conferences – with features that facilitate work, in-office or remotely. Employees are able to share documents, ideas, manage projects, send emails and more all within one platform, and potentially from one device.
As you test Teams or create a plan for unrolling the platform, find a Microsoft partner with competencies in communication who can assist in the configuration of the phone system and show the other tools and app integrations your business should be using.
Only Pay for Calling Plans You Need
If your accounting department never makes external calls, you don’t have to buy a phone plan for that team. Or, if you only occasionally make calls to other countries, you can add communication credits to your domestic plan to cover the cost instead of buying an international plan you’ll use infrequently.
Your Office 365 licensing includes Microsoft Teams
Once it is set up, your staff can make internal calls. However, it is not automatically set up on the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN). If you want to make external calls, you’ll need a domestic or domestic and international calling plan.
PSTN Costs on Microsoft Teams
- Domestic calling plans: $12/user/month
- International calling plans: $24/user/month
Like other cloud-based applications, you’ll pay as you go. But if you have more than 100 users, this option might not bring in savings. To cut costs, you’ll want to use VoIP service options. To ensure you get the best price, you always want to work with a provider like Nortec who understands the ins and outs of all options and will steer you towards the best option for your business.
You Have VoIP Phone Service Options in Teams Too
Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) lets you place calls online. Instead of relying on your local public telephone switch network (PTSN), you connect through the internet using Session Initial Protocol (SIP) trunking. In Teams, you’d buy the phone plan and then plug in your SIP licensing. This cuts costs for organizations with more than 100 users. Plus, it gives everyone access to the call plan instead of siloed access based on specific accounts and/or identities.
More savings kick in when you have 50+ users
When you have more than 50 users, you can bundle the licensing and save even more money. We can get you your own SIP trunk license and hook everything up for you.
Get a cloud phone without buying Microsoft licensing
If you have over 100 users, you can use SIP trunking to get a cloud-based phone without buying Microsoft Office 365 licensing. Call us to see how we can save you money through SIP trunk licensing.
How the Microsoft Teams Phone System Works
Calling in Teams works exactly like a traditional phone system. Once you add a calling plan, you’ll receive your own Direct Inward Dial (DID) number. You can then make and receive calls on your laptop, headset or traditional phone. If you download the Microsoft Teams app you’ll be able to use your Teams on any device as well.
Phone Features in Microsoft Teams
When you switch to Teams for your phone service, you’ll still access all standard capabilities like:
- Call forwarding
- Conference calls
- Auto attendant
- Call queues
- E911
- Hold music
Reliable business communications app
Like other applications in Office 365, Teams is in the cloud. As a result, your phone system isn’t reliant on an office or data center connection. If the data center your phone system depends on goes down, Microsoft moves the connection to a different one. Users don’t notice the change and calls are not dropped or missed.
Expect features to evolve as Teams grows
Placing phone calls is only one aspect of what Teams can do. Microsoft releases new features for the platform every week. To keep pace with Microsoft, you’ll want an IT provider plugged into the latest Teams-related news and releases. They are in the best position to implement Teams, provide employee training and update you on new integrations that will help your business.
We use and trust the Microsoft Teams phone system
Early on, we migrated Nortec to Teams, giving us valuable hands-on experience with the platform. Nortec has earned multiple Gold competencies, and we have engineers certified in Communications. We are subject matter experts for anyone in the Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas who want to know more about Microsoft Teams.
Work with a Microsoft Office 365 Licensing Expert – Simplify Critical Business Systems
Microsoft experts do more than save you money, they have solutions that make managing your critical business systems easier. Our clients simplify technology support by bolting Teams onto the Managed Modern Workplace. It’s a small add-on that unifies your entire IT ecosystem under one reliable partner.
Ready to learn more about Microsoft Teams?
Contact Nortec online or call us at 866-531-1990 with any questions or to discuss next steps.