Traditionally, Microsoft Teams has been seen as a means of internal communication for employees, but over the past 3 years, Microsoft has developed a way to transform Teams into a corporate phone system.
The capabilities of a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) have been added to the platform. From now on, users can:
- Call external users from Teams using laptops, tablets, or mobile devices.
- Let others know when they are available, on the phone, or away from work.
- Make and receive PTSN (Public Switched Telephone Network) phone calls.
- Forward and hold calls, transfer or make simultaneous calls, view call history, leave voice messages and make emergency calls.
The new functionality is demonstrated in the video below in English.
Here are several reasons why the SMART business team suggests paying attention to the Teams Calling platform.
Ease of use
Making and receiving phone calls in Teams is extremely simple. It is also possible to move seamlessly between corporate chats, calls and meetings.
From a group conference, you can easily call a regular number. This is a very handy feature in situations where employees have gathered but cannot start a meeting without a specific person. Now you will connect them to the meeting, even if they are out of Internet reach.
Using an officenumber
The system makes it possible to use your office phone number when you are out of the office.
One system for all communications on single device
By adding voice to Teams, your business creates a unified communication platform on one device. You don’t have to switch between chats, telephony and mail, as you can combine meetings, chat, file management and collaboration with outgoing and incoming calls, creating truly unified communications.
Basic telephone system features are retained
Teams Calling supports basic phone system features such as call forwarding, call queuing and holding, simultaneous calling, call history, voicemail, and emergency calling.
Summary
Adopting the Teams platform as a business PBX and leveraging its telephony capabilities is a tremendously beneficial service for any business. You can find out about the cost of such telephony on the official Microsoft resources.