In today’s fast-paced business landscape, effective communication is paramount for success. The need for robust communication tools becomes more apparent as organizations continue to embrace digital transformations, especially for remote and hybrid work environments.
Microsoft Teams has become a powerful platform to boost productivity and enhance colleague collaboration. However, a popular add-on that continues to integrate communication and collaboration is Microsoft Teams Phone, which allows users to make, receive or transfer calls in Teams.
Discover what Microsoft Teams Phone is, its key features and the many benefits that come with using this tool.
Read: Using Microsoft Teams as a Phone System
What Is Microsoft Teams Phone?
Microsoft Teams Phone is an integral part of the Microsoft Teams platform. It’s designed to provide a comprehensive unified communication solution for businesses, as it transforms Teams into a collaboration hubby, adding enterprise-grade calling capabilities, making it a one-stop-shop for meetings, chats, file sharing, video calls and phone calls.
This versatile tool represents a significant evolution in the realm of unified communication and collaboration. It combines the best of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and video conferencing by catering to the diverse needs of modern workplaces. Users can stay connected to the Teams Phone app using their tablet, computer, mobile device or Teams-enabled desk phone.
Key Features of Microsoft Teams Phone
Several key features make up Microsoft Teams Phone, making it stand apart from other applications:
- All-In-One: Microsoft Phones Team is an all-in-one app that enables secure and reliable calling directly within the Teams application, eliminating the need for a separate phone system. This is especially beneficial for businesses with heavy call volume.
- Conferencing: Conferencing features allow employees, customers and vendors to get together, especially if they are working remotely. Call management gives companies better control over cloud telephony, meaning companies can easily manage communications with seamless transfers, call queues, hold music and more.
- Auto-Attendant: Microsoft Teams Phone also comes with an auto-attendant that ensures calls aren’t missed. It can create a menu system for your company that lets callers move through the system to find and place or transfer calls to users or departments within the system.
- Voicemail and Transcription: Teams Phone includes voicemail functionality, ensuring that missed calls are captured and accessible. Voicemail transcriptions enhance accessibility by converting voice messages into text, saving time and improving communication efficiency.
- Direct Routing: Microsoft Teams Phone integrates with Direct Routing, allowing companies to connect Teams to their existing phone system or choose a preferred telecommunications provider. This flexibility ensures a smooth transition and compatibility with existing infrastructure.
- Emergency Calling: Teams Phone supports emergency calling, providing a critical feature for user safety. This ensures that Teams can be used as a reliable communication tool in emergency situations.
Benefits of Using Microsoft Teams Phone
As you can imagine, numerous benefits come with using Microsoft Teams Phone:
- Unified communication: Microsoft Teams Phone consolidates communication and VoIP tools into a single application, reducing the need to switch between applications. This unified experience fosters collaboration and streamlines workflows, making communication easier for staff. You can set up new users and assign new phone numbers in minutes.
- Enhanced collaboration: With calling capabilities seamlessly integrated into Teams Phone, users can transition effortlessly from chats to calls and meetings. This enhances collaboration by providing a centralized space for all communication.
- Increased productivity: By eliminating the need for multiple communication tools, Teams Phone simplifies the user experience, saving time and reducing complexity. Users can focus on tasks without interruption, leading to increased productivity and organization.
- Scalability: Microsoft Teams Phone is highly scalable, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re a small startup or a large enterprise, Teams Phone can adapt to your company’s evolving communication needs.
- Security and compliance: Teams Phone inherits the security and compliance features of the broader Microsoft 365 ecosystem, ensuring that sensitive communication data is protected. This is critical for businesses operating in heavily regulated industries.
- Make calls from anywhere: No matter if your employees work in the office, at home or a combination of the two, they can easily make and receive calls. This increases your company’s ability to respond to customers and vendors.
Thriveon and Microsoft Teams Phone
At Thriveon, we offer managed IT services, including dedicated Microsoft Teams support for your modern workplace and Microsoft Teams Phone. By implementing Teams, we can help your company save time and increase productivity. For example, our clients save over 250 hours and $800 per user annually by moving to the Microsoft modern office.
Schedule a meeting with us and find out how we can enhance your workplace with Teams.