When the pandemic hit in full force, it changed the way businesses operated. It sent employees scrambling to work at home and made virtual meetings among a distributed workforce the norm. Even as the pandemic fades, things aren’t likely to go back to pre-COVID operations. More than half (51%) of Fortune 500 CEOs surveyed believe that business travel will never return to pre-pandemic levels.
The virtual meeting is here to stay.
That means we need to find better ways to make our meetings more productive and secure. While there are plenty of different communication and collaboration apps on the market, the business community is moving toward consolidation on Microsoft Teams as the go-to app for business. 91% of the largest companies in the US are using Microsoft Teams. More than 115 million people use Teams daily for videoconferencing software, and many are using it all day as a way to communicate with coworkers and customers.
Microsoft Teams brings all of your Microsoft 365 (formerly known as Office 365) applications into a single platform. You’ll be able to use Word, Excel, SharePoint, PowerPoint and other Microsoft tools within Teams without having to juggle multiple apps. This fully integrated approach will make it easier to run a Microsoft Teams meeting.
It also eliminates the need to use tools like Zoom, Slack, Skype, FaceTime, Webex and other software because it combines the functionality of all of those apps in a secure environment. Bringing everyone onto the same platform streamlines communication and gives you access to the collaboration tools you need for more productive meetings. It brings a consistent approach to your organization’s communication that makes everything more seamless and eliminates additional software that your information technology (IT) team would otherwise need to manage.
Adding Voice Calling to Microsoft Teams with a Hosted PBX
Besides using Microsoft Teams as videoconferencing software, you can also use it to make Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls to any team members who are also running the app. It performs like an intercom system for employees inside the company. What Teams doesn’t do, however, is allow you to access external VoIP calls. Without access to a <a href=”https://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/PSTN”> public switched telephone network</a> through a private branch exchange (PBX), Microsoft Teams isn’t assigned a phone number. That means people can’t dial a number and call you on Teams unless you’re connected to a hosted PBX.
Connecting Microsoft Teams to a hosted PBX solves this problem and makes your entire organization more productive. Employees will have access to Teams, the entire suite of Microsoft 365 tools, and business voice calling features, all within one app. You’ll be able to add such features as an integrated dial pad, hold, forwarding, simultaneous ring, call history and voicemail within Teams.
A hosted PBX ties Microsoft Teams into your organization and allows everyone to handle all of their communication needs. It allows you to use your desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone to send and receive calls and use Teams videoconferencing software. It will work on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android software and can even replace traditional handsets or work with your existing hardware.
For employees working at home, using a hosted PBX and Microsoft Teams combines the applications from your desktop computer, videoconferencing software and your office phone for a complete communications suite hosted in the cloud. It makes everything more efficient.
The Power of Microsoft Teams and a Hosted PBX
Here’s an incredible statistic. Microsoft 365 users globally generated more than 30 billion “collaboration minutes” in just one day using Microsoft Teams as a hub for communication, sharing and creating content.
Combining Microsoft Teams with a hosted PBX can accelerate that use even further. Adding business voice calling to Teams lets you integrate all of the tools at your disposal into a single platform for internal and external communication. By bringing together everything into one app, you eliminate the need to use other software and shadow IT. When everyone uses the same platform, it makes onboarding and training easier. It will also improve your adoption rates as people get more comfortable working within the Microsoft ecosystem rather than bouncing between applications.
A study done by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Microsoft showed the impact of using Teams as a primary communication tool. Every customer in the survey reported increased employee productivity and improved collaboration across the organization. 88% of those surveyed said that having all of their solutions in one place saved them time – as much as four hours per week.
Whether you’re using Teams’ videoconferencing software or making VoIP calls with Teams and your hosted PBX, your business will run more smoothly, and your employees will be more productive.
Contact LOGIX Fiber Networks to request a quote, or to learn more about Microsoft Teams and hosted PBX.