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Microsoft Teams Phone is a cloud-based system that delivers the features of traditional business phone systems, alongside capabilities made possible through the cloud. It consolidates business communication through integration with Microsoft 365, creating a robust foundation for improving efficiency and productivity across your hybrid workforce.
Here are just a few of the reasons why you should consider adopting Microsoft Teams Phone for your business:
Bring all communications to one platform
People that worked through the early COVID period would remember experiencing or reading about the frustrations of adopting remote work, largely unprepared.
Headlines reported phenomena such as ‘Zoom fatigue’ as we sat through repeated video meetings, with email, instant messaging and phone calls still occurring in the background and from different platforms.
Microsoft Teams received rapid adoption during this period due to its capabilities in combining video and messaging, among other features, into one place. As we have settled into hybrid working environments, it is time to consolidate your communication platforms by bringing phone calls into Microsoft Teams.
Microsoft Teams Phone provides an experience in one app for people to connect and manage interactions with colleagues, clients and partners.
You can make and receive calls, send instant messages, share files and transfer to video chatting without switching applications or stopping the call. Plus, Microsoft Teams Phone lets you keep track of your call history and voicemails and even set up custom greetings for your colleagues.
Enable the hybrid workforce
Our world of work operates on a predominantly hybrid model. As many of us can choose between working from home or the office, we also need flexibility in how we work and collaborate.
Adopting Microsoft Teams Phone across your business allows you to provide a flexible communication platform on multiple devices. For example, if someone takes a call on their mobile phone, they can transfer it to a laptop or desktop computer.
Additionally, Microsoft Teams Phone provides a consistent user experience across devices, making it easy for users to stay connected to their colleagues and customers.
By allowing users to access their work phone number and voicemail from anywhere, people can maintain momentum when working from home or on the go.
Replace legacy systems
Just as work has become more digital, people expect the tools they use to be modern, including phone systems.
Microsoft Teams Phone operates on a cloud-based system rather than the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), which has been responsible for delivering calls for over a hundred years.
A cloud-based phone system can unlock excellent reliability and savings for your business. Some of the key benefits include:
1) Improved collaboration and communication
Microsoft Teams Phone makes it easier to connect with people by making it easier to call and listen to voicemails. Where you once would have sent a message to check if someone was available to jump on a call, now you can check their presence status and add them in.
2) Increased flexibility and scalability
A cloud-based phone system is much more flexible and scalable than a traditional on-premise solution. You can easily add or remove users as needed, and you do not have to worry about expensive hardware upgrades.
3) Switch devices while on a call
With the click of a button, you can transfer an active call from your mobile device to your desktop app or vice versa. Whether you are on the go or working from home, this feature gives you the flexibility to use the device that is most convenient for you at any given moment.
Unlock more functionality
Microsoft Teams Phone includes many features embedded in traditional phone systems, such as call transfers, caller ID and voicemail. It also includes some features that make phone calls even easier:
- Call sharing and group pick: If someone in a department is unavailable, there might be other people who can take the call on their behalf. The call sharing and group pickup feature allows a person to nominate others to take calls when unavailable.
- Park and retrieve calls: This feature will enable you to park a call in the cloud and receive a unique code to retrieve it on another device or share it with someone else to retrieve.
- Call recordings and transcriptions: You now have the option to record voice calls and generate transcriptions for reference later. Rather than rapidly jotting down notes, only to miss one crucial detail, you can chat to someone with the assurance that you will not lose important information.
Cloud auto attendant to route calls
The cloud auto attendant is a system within Microsoft Teams Phone that gives your business a professional telephone presence. It can route calls to the right person or department, provide information about your company, and even take messages.
The cloud auto attendants included with Microsoft Teams Phone can route incoming calls in various ways.
When an external person calls the contact number for your business, the cloud auto attendant will ask them to select options on the dial pad, from 1-9, and route them to the most appropriate department or person.
You can set up the options by inputting the data and generating text-to-speech responses or uploading a voice recording to direct the caller.
The cloud auto attendant also becomes helpful in routing calls when specific people are unavailable. If someone has set their presence status to ‘Unavailable’, the cloud auto attendant will send the caller to voicemail or direct them to someone else in the business suited to taking the call.
How Experteq supports Microsoft Teams Phone
Bringing all workplace communication to one platform is more important than ever, as many of us operate in hybrid workplaces. Adding Microsoft Teams Phone to your existing Microsoft 365 and Teams subscription provides you with increased accessibility and functionality, no matter where you work.
Our consultants can help you get the most from your investment in this tool and drive greater business performance. Please visit our page on Microsoft Teams Phone for more information.
