Your Microsoft Teams Phone Integration Made Easy
Making Microsoft Teams your all-in-one voice solution is not a one-size-fits-all situation.
Here’s how 1Source thinks about phones + Teams
There are many ways to make calls with Microsoft Teams and they are not all created equal. We’ve seen too many businesses move toward integrations that over-charge and under-deliver. Before you make move to integrate, let us help you assess the right fit.
Microsoft Direct
Benefits:
- Straightforward
Downsides:
- No SLA
- Good luck with customer support
- Porting your numbers over is almost always a mess
- Very few desk phone options
*Because this option does not have an SLA and fails most often, we offer backup calling/conferencing options to improve the audio quality and resiliency of your Teams calls.
Direct Routing*
Benefits:
- SLAs from Vendors 3, 4, 5 9’s (up to 99.999%) of uptime
- Typically the least expensive route
- Seamless user experience for your team
- Paying for total call paths, not total employees (expect ~20% of employees)
Downsides:
- You have to access Powershell, which is complex.
- You’ll need a Microsoft certified partner or Cloud Solution Provider
- You might need to upgrade your Microsoft Licenses to E5
*You’ll see the term Direct Routing thrown around a lot in this space. When we use it, we mean it in its truest sense. Direct Routing is a full integration with Microsoft Teams and SIP trunk provider.
Middleware
Benefits:
- SLAs from Vendors 3, 4, 5 9’s (up to 99.999%) of uptime
- Generally affordable
- No tech to setup (third party apps)
- High-quality vendor support
- No user seat upgrade needed (E3 licenses work)
Downsides:
- Multiple apps need to be open on devices to operate correctly
- UX is not seamless
Calling with Teams via UCaaS
Benefits:
- SLAs from Vendors 3, 4, 5 9’s (up to 99.999%) of uptime
- Seamless UX
- Strong vendor support
- Intuitive provisioning of licenses
- One solution for Hosted Voice + Microsoft Teams
Downsides:
- Requires an upgrade from Microsoft E3 to E5 licenses + the UCaaS license
- Costs can add up as you are paying for user seats across an organization
- Often prohibitively expensive at 1000 people but perfect for 200, or so.
So, you are all-in on Microsoft. Smart.
And now you are thinking that you would like to consolidate, simplify, and create more value for your team. You want Microsoft Teams to handle your phone system — but how?
Let us be perfectly clear, turning Microsoft Teams into your voice solution complex—and there are 4 ways to do it—but it doesn’t need to be hard.
When you think about connecting your phones to your Microsoft licenses, there’s a lot to think about. It’s not uncommon to see companies get frustrated by the intricacies and abandon the project. Or, commit to the “straightforward” implementation to be surprised by that the folks at Microsoft provide very little (read: “basically no”) support.
And so you might be wondering, “what third parties — if any — should I use to pull this off? And how green is the grass on the other side of this fence?” Great questions! The answers, as always, are it depends.
We’re glad to answer the next question, “on what?” in email or on the phone. It’s always free to get our perspective. Just follow the links on this page.
GET THE REPORT
Download: “5 Questions Before Integrating Phones and Microsoft Teams”
3 Steps to Source Your Solution
Discovery
Tell us about your business, how you’re hoping to grow, or the specific problem you’re looking to solve.
Review
We bring 1-3 solutions to the table for you to review and walk you through the options.
Selection
These solutions work to earn your business and if you like one — you select it.
WE WORK WITH
- Fortune 500 Companies
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We are not consultants.
You can explore all of your options with no obligation or commitment.
Why Use 1Source For Teams Provisioning Solution?
As always, it costs nothing to get an in-depth consultation from our team and expert partners. 1Source gets paid by the vendors you select, if and only if, you choose to go forward. There are never strings attached when we do a discovery call, a scoping call, and bring vendors to the table.
Introductions
We make introductions easy and keep sales reps at arms-length until you’re ready to engage directly with technology vendors.
Negotiations
We’ll negotiate on your behalf to get you the best possible terms.
Implementations
A project manager will advocate for you during implementation.
Vendor Relations & Escalations
Fewer suppliers, fewer headaches. Our partners represent millions of dollars in contracts with your suppliers, so when we push suppliers, they respond.
Talk to a 1Source Solution Expert today.
