Solutions · Teams Phone
Teams Phone: make calls directly in Microsoft Teams
With Direct Routing, we connect Teams Phone to your operator and your PBX, so that your staff can make and take calls in the same tool they already use for chat and meetings.
What we do
Teams as your phone, on your terms
More and more people work in Microsoft Teams all day. With Teams Phone, Teams also becomes their phone, with your usual numbers and connections to your PBX, your contact centre and presence and diversion status.
We build the solution with Direct Routing and SBCs from AudioCodes, and we are an AudioCodes partner. An SBC (session border controller) is a secure bridge between Teams, the operator and the PBX. You can keep your operator and let Teams and your existing PBX work side by side for as long as you need.
What’s included
- Review of how Teams Phone fits your organisation
- Direct Routing with AudioCodes SBCs
- Integration with your existing PBX for a gradual transition
- Your numbers in Teams
- Integration with contact centres, including Mitel CX
- Operations, monitoring and support
Benefits
What you get
One tool
Chat, meetings and calls in one place, on your computer and your mobile.
Gradual transition
Teams and the PBX work together, so you can move one group at a time.
Your choice of operator
With Direct Routing you choose your own operator and can often keep your existing contracts.
Customer service in Teams
Mitel CX can be connected to Teams, so that your customer service team can work there too.
How a project works
Direct Routing in nine steps
Teams Phone is the phone system in Microsoft 365. Every user with their own number needs a Teams Phone licence, which is included in some Microsoft 365 plans and otherwise available as an add-on. The connection to the phone network is chosen separately, and with Direct Routing you pay for calls to your own operator.
| Step | What it covers | Who is responsible |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Assessment | PBX, number ranges, operator contracts, contact centre, analogue devices, alarms and network | You and us |
| 2. Numbers and operator | Numbering plan, SIP trunk, number porting and addresses for emergency calls | You and the operator, coordinated by us |
| 3. SBC | Physical or virtual, location, redundancy, domain, certificates and firewall | Us |
| 4. Routing | Voice routes and policies in Teams, routing to the PBX and the operator, and the route for emergency calls to 112 | Us |
| 5. Licences | Teams Phone, and licences for common area phones and call queues | You or your licensing partner |
| 6. Pilot | A test group: inbound and outbound calls, emergency calls, backup routes and call quality | Us and you |
| 7. Moving the numbers | Group by group, with routing changes in the SBC and the PBX | Us, plus the operator for number porting |
| 8. Training | Users, switchboard operators and administrators | Us and you |
| 9. Operations | Monitoring, updates, certificates, changes and support | Us, with AudioCodes escalating to Microsoft |
Products
Products we work with
Product
AudioCodes SBC
The Mediant family for Teams Direct Routing, SIP trunks and secure telephony integration.
Product
Mitel CX
Contact centre for voice and digital channels, with AI, on top of Mitel PBXs such as MX-ONE and OpenScape.
Product
Enghouse Trio
Attendant console, presence and diversion status for switchboard operators and agents.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions about Teams Phone
Can we keep our operator and our numbers?
Yes. With Direct Routing you keep your contract with the operator for your numbers, and the numbers are set up in Teams and assigned to users.
Do we need an SBC?
With Direct Routing, yes: an SBC that is certified for Teams. With Operator Connect or a Calling Plan, the operator or Microsoft handles the connection. If Teams is to be connected to your PBX, you need an SBC for that part.
Can we use Teams as our PBX and replace the one we have?
Teams Phone has PBX features such as call queues, voicemail, call forwarding, call groups and call park. What often needs a separate solution is the contact centre, advanced attendant consoles, alarms and analogue devices. We go through what you have and propose how to handle each part.
What happens if the internet goes down?
With survivable mode in an AudioCodes SBC, Teams clients at a branch office can keep making calls through the local SBC, with some limitations. Where telephony is critical, we also build backup routes to the operator.
How does emergency calling work?
With Direct Routing, we set up and test the route for 112, the emergency number, and the address for each number is registered with the operator, because the emergency call centre looks up the address from the number.
How long does it take?
The connection itself is quick. What drives the timeline is the assessment, number porting and how many groups need to move. We draw up a plan after the assessment.
Further reading
Guide
Direct Routing or Operator Connect?
Four ways to connect Teams to the phone network, and which one suits you.
Guide
Teams and your existing PBX: coexistence and gradual migration
How to let Teams and your PBX work together while you move at your own pace.
Solution
PBX and telephony
Delivery, upgrades and operation of PBXs from Mitel and Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, such as MX-ONE, OpenScape and OmniPCX Enterprise.
Solution
Teams Phone in multiple countries
Teams Phone and numbers in several countries, with an architecture that follows local rules.
Solution
Contact centre
Phone, chat, email and social media in one place with Mitel CX, on your own servers or in the cloud.
Let’s talk about your communications
Tell us where you stand today with your PBX, Teams or contact centre, and we will come back to you with a proposal. It costs nothing to ask.