We recently have had a few clients consider moving their voice communications to Microsoft Teams. My goal with this article is to help you realize why that is not as convenient as it seems and what the options are.
If your organization is stuck between an outdated PBX and the promise of a modern cloud voice platform like Microsoft Teams, there are a few things you need to consider…
First of all, your likely on Microsoft 365 and using the Office suite of software. Maybe your even using SharePoint or other included software. What you need to remember is Microsoft does not offer dedicated support, not for free anyway. So, if you venture into Microsoft voice, you’re on your own in terms of making it work. At Agility Communications we can provide a layer of support to help you bridge the gap between the software world and the telecom world. Just be aware that to Microsoft Teams is nothing more to them then Word or Excel. They aren’t a phone company so some of the feature functionality you’ve gotten used to may not be there. Certainly, some of the support function your used to is not there either.
Secondly however Teams is a great platform for intercompany communications, video calls etc. For basic communications without a lot of frills Teams is great. Its also embedded in the Office software making it convenient. There are also some great alternatives to using Microsoft as the phone company. Many of the top-rated VoIP platforms will integrate with Teams allowing you to use the Teams interface while keeping a phone provider behind the scenes providing the dial tone and support. Zoom has a free integration, Goto, RingCentral, Net2Phone, Vonage and others have a nice integration as well. So, most of the time we recommend integrated with Teams if a client is set on using Teams. For large organizations that have a Microsoft expert on staff such as a Dir of IT with experience implementing Teams, we can help you get the licensing you need and get set up. Agility Communications is a Microsoft partner.
Lastly many of the top VoIP platforms included instant messaging, video calling and presence. You don’t need to go to Teams to get that functionality, but you do need to start using the desktop software that comes with your VoIP solution. Many clients move to VoIP, but they stay on the traditional handset and never engage with the software. All the providers I mentioned earlier offer all the same capabilities of Teams and more. Some of these solutions are much more user friendly and intuitive because they were designed from the beginning by a phone company. Here are a few examples:
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The last point I would bring up is the cost. A Microsoft vendor might make you think you’ll save money but hte reality is there is no cost savings. If you pay for a $15 license with a calling plan for each user and the turn around a rent a phone for $8 per user (Microsoft phones are not cheap) your at $23 per user. Most VoIP solutions can be had for anywhere from $13 per user to $25 depending on the provider and the latest promo.
Making a change for you voice communications, arguably THE MOST IMPORTANT technology in your business…is the ability to communicate with customers. These decisions should not be taken lightly. At Agility we specialize in and work with many different voice providers and educate you as well as help you find the best solution at the industry best pricing. If you’ve been tasked with looking at Microsoft let me know and I’d love to help you work through it. Have a good week and let me know if I can do anything for you. Click this link to schedule a meeting.
Thanks, Mike 208-221-8573 |
