Adding high-quality voice calling capability with Microsoft Teams

While your business may have been shifting to a post-pandemic reality, the plunge back into lockdown in Sydney is a timely reminder of the important role unified communications plays in supporting your workforce to excel when they work at home. Even before this latest lockdown, the use of video communications platforms as a natural complement of meetings was continuing to ramp up. While Zoom got a significant amount of airplay early in the pandemic, the use of Microsoft Teams by employers really took off as evidenced in this tweet from Microsoft. Clocking 145 million daily active users at the end of March, the use of this platform has been growing by 10 million users a month this year.

Microsoft Teams users

Of course, before this latest lockdown, many employers were moving to a hybrid work model (with people working at home for at least some of the time) continuing the adoption of Teams as an all-in-one communication platform. With this feature-rich communications solution providing video and voice calling, it is likely to remain a major feature of work communications into the future.

Making the most of Teams

Fully integrated with the Microsoft Operator Connect environment, Microsoft Teams is an all-in-one communications platform. With online voice calling, video meetings, and audio conferencing, this UCaaS application is tailor-made for our hybrid work world, smoothing business communication and collaboration. Easy access to productivity tools such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, combined with the ability to make internal and external video and voice calls from a single platform make Microsoft Teams a compelling tool for any business.

Integrating your business phone system with Microsoft Operator Connect

When configured in the right way, Teams enables a company to connect with customers and co-workers alike, giving staff flexibility to smoothly switch between multiple types of devices. This includes mobile, tablet, desk phone, or PC softphone, depending on needs or preferences. Connecting all these devices via the one phone number means calls can be answered whether in the office, at home, or on the road.

At a basic level, using Teams with a desk phone to make and receive calls, transfer calls, and retrieve voicemail, is all very conventional and old school. And this is part of the appeal. Using Teams for your phone system, your people can use whatever device they prefer to dial a phone number and have a conversation using Microsoft Teams without the person on the other end having to use Teams. Microsoft Operator Connect does not restrict calling capabilities to other users of Teams. It allows you to talk with anyone, anywhere.

Working and calling whenever and wherever

While many businesses like the idea (and the associated cost benefits) of simplifying and centralising communication and allowing their people to access voice through one dynamic platform, it can be challenging. If you’ve already invested heavily in your PBX system and there’s a need to integrate the two, suddenly adding calling services becomes more of a complex undertaking.

These days, with internal IT resources needing to focus on other mission-critical priorities, it makes sense to outsource this work to an experienced partner. As a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP), imei’s professional services team of highly trained and certified engineers, solution architects, and voice experts, can help you smooth the way to your ideal Microsoft Operator Connect with Telstra environment.

Married with imei’s managed service for Microsoft Operator Connect, you can maximise the value of your fully integrated enterprise voice calling and meeting experience, all without having to employ resources directly or invest in ongoing training.

> Supporting your business adoption of Microsoft Operator Connect

If you’re ready to explore adding high-quality voice calling capability to your Microsoft Operator Connect with Telstra environment during the latest lockdown, get in touch with the team from imei. We can help your business with consulting, design, deployment, and ongoing management to maximise the value of using Teams in your company.