As we near the final stretch of the year (and quarter), it’s an appropriate time to reflect on goals that have been accomplished and new intentions to be set.
What are you most proud of? Perhaps you smashed sales records this year. You might also be proud of taking risks that paid off. Or maybe you took initiative and started voicing your opinions.
Regardless of what your best achievement might be, there is no doubt that clear communication was key to your success. And the platform that truly took the world by storm this year, Microsoft Teams and Business Voice, has been the ally of many remote and hybrid businesses.
In this edition of Point of View, we cover the go to communication platform of the year and highlight some excellent tools to compliment it.
The Race to Accelerate
The average employee’s work day has increased as a result of remote work. Unsurprisingly, voice, video, and chat communications make up more than 80% of the workday.
Microsoft Teams continues to grow at an accelerated rate, with 70 million new users between April of 2020 and April 2021. Mobile users increased by 300% in the same time frame.
As new challenges and conditions present themselves, businesses are racing to craft flexible working environments. As of last year, 91% of fortune 100 companies implemented Microsoft Teams as their main platform of communication.
Why Race Towards Microsoft Teams?
While Teams is growing in popularity, there are concrete benefits motivating this shift.
The VoIP, meeting, and messaging resources within Microsoft Teams have reduced downtime in companies by 14.6%. This translates to $258,000 in savings when compared to on-premises solutions.
Information workers using Microsoft Teams save an average of 4 hours a week as a result of elevated collaboration and sharing. The potential savings equate to $14.3 million.
From a budgeting perspective, Microsoft Teams also has much simpler pricing than other platforms.
Teams offers many integrated features in addition to VoIP, such as file sharing and messaging, that it’s competitors do not. Adding 3 separate platforms for these features instead of opting for Teams is not only more expensive, but also becomes a budgeting nightmare.
Pricing, productivity, and efficiency are just a few of many reasons why Microsoft Teams and Business Voice are becoming the preferred choice of both small and large organizations.
VoIP or PSTN? We Settle the Debate
It’s clear that Microsoft’s Teams resources are growing in popularity, and for good reason. But what is Microsoft Business Voice and what makes it so great?
Before we answer that, let’s take a quick look at VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) versus PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) calling.
VoIP vs. PSTN
The fundamental difference between these two services is that VoIP calls are digital and PSTN uses the traditional telephone system.
VoIP transmits voice signals through IP addresses using the internet, which is what makes it digital. PSTN uses circuit-switched telephony (just like a traditional phone line).
Because of this fundamental difference, PSTN is very limited in it’s features. VoIP, however, has several benefits.
VoIP’s flexibility makes it the preferred choice because it enables calls to and from laptop and tablet devices, in addition to mobile devices. Users can also add multiple phone numbers and devices on a single VoIP service, making it a scalable choice.
It also includes features that PSTN does not, such as call hold, call forwarding, voicemail, and do not disturb mode. A great bonus is that VoIP solutions allow users to create menus that direct callers to the correct department or person.
Not only does VoIP have more features and flexibility than PSTN, it is also the more affordable option. With all of these benefits, it’s not surprising that even small to medium businesses prefer VoIP solutions.
Give Your Business the Right (365) Voice
Microsoft Business Voice is a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calling solution that exists as an add on to Microsoft Teams (and under a few different subscription plans).
This means that, much like any other VoIP solution, you can make calls from your laptop, tablet, or mobile device as long as you have internet.
However, Business Voice can also receive calls from phone lines. Calling within your country or region also comes at no additional cost, whether you call a landline or another Teams user.
With Business Voice, you can also set up audio conferencing with landline users and Teams users who don’t have an internet connection.
Another great feature? The platform has a text-to-speech call menu system that’s easy to set up and has options for after hours and holidays. This is helpful especially when there are many potential departments a customer or client could be trying to reach.
Is Microsoft Business Voice Ideal for Your Organization?
Microsoft Business Voice enables external (and if required, international) calls using cloud-based telephony (or, the internet) through Microsoft Teams.
If your organization has to make international or external calls, then Microsoft Business Voice is an excellent solution in terms of cost and features. If your organizations calls are all internal, however, you only need Microsoft Teams.
Also note that Business Voice is an excellent option for small to medium businesses because it allows up to 300 users. For larger user numbers, Enterprise Voice is what you’ll want to look into.
Even if budget is not a large concern for you as a small or medium business, Microsoft Business Voice is an ideal solution because it is extremely affordable and goes beyond basic PSTN features.
A very important detail in making the decision is noting that, because Microsoft Business voice is an add on, you must ensure you have the right Microsoft 365 subscription. As long as you have the following subscriptions, you can add Business Voice to Teams:
- Microsoft 365 Business (basic, standard, or premium)
- Microsoft 365 F1, F3
- Office 365 F3
- Microsoft + Office 365 Enterprise E1 or E3
- Microsoft 365 + Office 365 Education A1 or A3
- Microsoft 365 + Office 365 Government G1 or G3
- Microsoft 365 Nonprofit Business (basic or standard)
- Microsoft 365 and Office 365 Nonprofit E1 or E3
Don’t have a Microsoft subscription or need to switch? Point Alliance is more than happy to help!
GET VOCAL WITH 365 VOICE
Spotlight: Poly Products
Poly’s high quality voice, video, and video-interop solutions work seamlessly with Microsoft Teams. They enable existing video and conferencing equipment to work with current and future Microsoft collaboration platforms.
Take your communications to the next level with products that perfectly compliment your Microsoft devices and platforms.
Poly products available through Point Alliance include:
- Poly Voyager Headsets
- Poly Blackwire Headsets
- Poly CCX Series Desk Phones
- Ploy Trio Series Smart Conference Phones
- Poly Studio Family Video Bars
Spotlight: Microsoft Surface
There is not a more classic pair than Microsoft Teams and Business Voice on a Microsoft Surface laptop. Talk about the dream team!
The modern workplace starts with Surface for Business. Surface and Microsoft 365 give your team the freedom to work from anywhere, from home office to kitchen table to living room couch.
Surface also delivers hi-res touchscreens, crisp audio, HD cameras, and the Windows system you know protected by Microsoft security.
- Surface Laptop 3
- Surface Pro 7
- Surface Laptop Go
- Surface Book
