The world of business communications is the same as any other sector. Enterprise-level organisations are noisy and seem to get all of the attention, and when they make any significant moves you usually hear about them in some kind of way.
Titans of industry as they are, enterprises are far from the sole focus of the massive developments we have seen in business communications in the past few years. In days gone by (not to make it sound like ancient history), to have an advanced communications stack meant exactly that – a stack.
This usually took the form of a pile of dedicated hardware and software, probably in the basement, with people who knew what they were doing to make it tick (who were hopefully allowed out of the basement every now and again). In other words, you needed swathes of money, time and people just to get half decent voice functionality.
And now, as both the accessibility and popularity of UC software are on the rise we are entering an era where even the smallest of SMBs can have near parity with the call functionality of a global enterprise.
From the packages they are offered to the features they can utilise, this equal(ish) playing field has brought forth a revolution in how smaller businesses can operate and communicate efficiently.
Of course, enterprises benefit from extra levels of security and some niche features that most SMBs would struggle to benefit from, but what functionality does Microsoft Teams Phone deliver that’s levelling the playing field? How does this impact ways of working across the globe, and how can channel partners approach this new wave of communications?
Microsoft Teams functionality
After all the Microsoft licensing structure changes last year, you wouldn’t be remiss for being a little confused as to where businesses actually stand when it comes to the Microsoft licensing stack. But even though it appears more complicated than before; it is also almost certainly simpler than you think, you can even everything you need to know here.
It’s true, there are a wide range of licenses out there, but mercifully the features of Teams Phone are essentially the same for all users. The most crucial calling features include:
- Cloud auto attendants (including the ability to create IVRs)
- Cloud call queues
- Hold music
- Call forwarding
- Simultaneous ringing
- Transfer capabilities
- Call park and retrieve
With this capability at their fingertips, even the smallest of businesses are finding that they can run an informal contact centre, directly through Microsoft Teams.
But all of this doesn’t just exist in a vacuum.
When it comes to providing these services, with Operator Connect and Direct Routing being the choice for a hefty chunk of the 8-figure PSTN enabled Teams userbase, vendors and resellers are now realising how they can differentiate themselves by plugging into Teams and adding their own features on top of those already in Teams Phone. Direct Routing specifically even lets users unlock the power of calling in Teams whilst using their existing phone systems, giving those with a solid existing offering the edge.
How Microsoft Teams has affected ways of working
With all of this in mind you may be asking yourself ‘what’s Microsoft actually doing to equalise the communications playing field?’. It’s simple – they are allowing businesses (especially SMBs) to work smarter, not harder. By bringing communications to the forefront, Teams is allowing smaller businesses to focus on what matters to them.
And where enterprises have any number of people to manage and run their infrastructure, and any amount of money to accomplish their communication goals, practically anyone can now run a contact centre by themselves.
By handing out this power to everyone, and by letting them effectively hold it in one place (in some cases quite literally in the literal palm of their hands) Microsoft, alongside some of the bigger UCaaS platforms, have made it known that the communications world is no longer restricted to just those with big budgets.
But worry not, Microsoft aren’t doing this because they’re looking to have a monopoly over voice. Without a doubt Microsoft Teams is the most popular UC platform in the world, but crucially most of its calling options heavily rely on external providers across the globe to deliver on the telephony aspect.
The features and options that Microsoft provides are simply one side of the coin, and they are encouraging providers, resellers and distributors to be in control of the other half. The impact of Teams is shown through the accessibility it brings to communications, its familiar UI, global viability and level of functionality that it piles on top and it’s up to organisations like yours to fill in the blanks.
Is Microsoft looking to equalise the playing field? Yes. But Teams is simply giving businesses the tools that they need to communicate effectively – and looking to work with providers, resellers and distributors to do it.
If you’re looking for a way to integrate into the power of Teams, why not get in touch with us today?