How many times a day do you toggle between apps to get your job done? How much time do you think is spent doing this now commonplace activity?

You may have files in one place, emails in another. Then there are messaging platforms, project planning applications, calendars, websites and software for video and audio calls. And then the phone starts to ring. It can be mind boggling!

According to Harvard Business Review, “workers toggled roughly 1,200 times each day, which adds up to just under four hours each week reorienting themselves after toggling — roughly 9% of their time at work.”

There must be an easier way.

Introducing Microsoft Teams Telephony

Microsoft Teams Telephony, often referred to as Microsoft Teams Calling, is a feature within Microsoft Teams that allows users to make and receive phone calls directly from the Teams platform.

No more tucking a phone between your ear and shoulder so that you can take a call while you type.

Microsoft Teams Telephony integrates traditional voice call technology with modern communication features. You can also communicate via chat and video conferencing, as well as sharing files within the same platform.

A bit of background

We spoke to Aaron Jones, a Teams telephony expert at Mirus’ sister company, Sipcom to find out more about it.

“I would say that the biggest boom that’s really driven customers towards new unified customer communications and collaboration tools is primarily the pandemic. A lot of organisations realised that as all of this happened, they didn’t have the remote tools available that their people could use. And prior to the pandemic, they were really behind the curve [in terms of Teams adoption].”
The global pandemic of 2020 drastically changed the way we work. Overnight, businesses needed to have remote working tools in place. Whilst the tools had been on the market for some time, it was only the early adopters using them. But in 2020, we saw a huge spike in usage of remote working tools. By 2023, Microsoft Teams had 300 million users.

8 major benefits of Microsoft Teams Telephony

You may be familiar with MS Teams for chat and file sharing, but there are compelling reasons for businesses to use it as a phone system too.

1. Single solution
As Microsoft Teams Telephony is part of the broader MS Teams and Microsoft 365 environment, you have messaging, video conferencing, file sharing and traditional telephony in one place.

2. Smooth employee experience
Reduce time spent toggling between apps. You can transition seamlessly between communication modes as they’re all in one place. So, while you’re speaking, you can share files or send messages, making communication so much easier and more collaborative.

3. Access anywhere
People can make and receive calls from anywhere, using any device that has Teams installed. With more of us working remotely or hybrid, this capability keeps everyone connected, especially on mobile.

4. Third party integrations
Microsoft Teams supports integrations with a wide range of third-party applications and services. That could be a legacy telephone carrier system, an analytics platform or a CRM system for example. Integrating these apps and services is an efficient solution.

5. Cost efficiency
By using Microsoft Teams for internal communications and external calls, you can potentially reduce costs associated with maintaining separate systems for telephony and communications. Consolidating services often leads to lower operational costs and simpler billing processes.

6. Scalability
There are flexible and scalable options with Microsoft Teams Telephony. This is valuable for evolving businesses. You can dynamically adjust service plans, add or remove users, as your business needs change.

7. Security
Cybersecurity is a huge worry for business owners. Teams Telephony benefits from Microsoft’s best-in-class security frameworks, stringent security and compliance standards. It’s one less thing to worry about.

8. Ease of management
Streamlining the number of communications platforms that need to be supported is a big benefit for IT teams. It’s far less complex to manage the system through familiar Microsoft administrative tools.

Why’s now the time to switch to Microsoft Teams telephony?

Aaron Jones explains, “Many customers come to us if they’ve got a PBX [private branch exchange] of sorts and it’s coming to the end of its life, is no longer being supported, or it’s not being actively developed. They’re just ready to move away from that legacy.” This is especially true as landline modes of delivery (PTSN) are due to be switched off in 2025.

Often, customers are already using Microsoft Teams but simply want to add on the telephony aspect. It may already be part of their existing licence but hasn’t been utilised.

Mirus’ sister company, Sipcom has built the Halo platform with a BYO suite which can integrate other products with Microsoft Teams (i.e. bring your own trunk or carrier). So, if you’re tied into a contract with an existing communications provider, you can still reap the benefits of Teams. You can integrate the old systems with Teams for the duration of your legacy contract.

Microsoft Teams phone options

There are a few different options for Microsoft Teams telephony. Our recommended option for unified communication would be direct routing.

Direct Routing: This feature allows businesses to connect their existing telephony infrastructure to Microsoft Teams using Session Border Controllers (SBCs). Direct Routing allows users to make and receive calls via the public switched telephone network (PSTN) directly in Teams.

Operator Connect: This is like Direct Routing but simplifies the process by allowing businesses to directly connect Teams to a participating operator’s PSTN services without the need for additional infrastructure.
Calling Plan: Microsoft’s own calling plans provide a built-in method to give Teams users a phone number that works within Teams for making and receiving calls.

Are you ready to adopt Microsoft Teams telephony?

Microsoft Teams Telephony helps businesses like yours to consolidate their communications infrastructure, streamline operations, and potentially reduce costs. For your team members, it can save them time and make their work lives easier.

Whether you’re still wedded to a legacy system or ready to start afresh with Microsoft Teams, Mirus IT can help you. We’ll work out the best options for your business, and we’ll get you up and running in a frictionless fashion.

Book an appointment to get started with Microsoft Teams Telephony