IP telephony is an exciting topic and can open the doors to many opportunities. But what are these opportunities and is it beneficial for any business? In this article, we'll look at the advantages and disadvantages of using Voice in Teams, a popular version of IP telephony.
Microsoft Teams has seen a drastic increase in the number of users as a result of working from home, and more people needed a common platform where employees could meet and interact. This is software that many companies use today to give presentations, share files and make calls to colleagues both with and without video. Many have also become increasingly interested in the concept of Voice in Teams. That's why we'd like to give you a brief overview of what Speech in Teams is and whether it's actually something that could be beneficial for your organisation.
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What is Speech in Teams?
Voice in Teams is a service provided by Microsoft and is an extension of the basic Microsoft Teams client. You can get it by upgrading your office package to Microsoft 365 E5 or Microsoft 365 Business Voice.
A regular licence for Microsoft Teams makes it possible to call other users on Teams. If you have Voice in Teams, you can receive calls and make calls to anyone, even those without Teams users. There are two options for doing this. Either you can integrate the solution of the mobile provider you use today, and make calls from their own phone number (also called One Number). In other words, you can integrate your mobile phone into the Teams client and receive and make calls from both your mobile phone and the device Teams is installed on. If you receive an incoming call, you can decide where it should ring. For example, both on your mobile phone and in Teams at the same time, in a specific order, or only on one of the devices.
If you don't want to integrate your mobile phone into the Teams client, the alternative is to enter into an IP agreement and connect it to a SIP trunk. Then it will only ring on the device where you have installed Teams, and not on the mobile phone. In other words, it will be like a landline phone.
What are the benefits of Speech in Teams?
Voice in Teams can provide great opportunities for companies, but it's usually greatest for those who struggle with coverage where they work or for companies with a lot of international travel or voice abroad.
We have also written an article about coverage, read more about it here.
The features of Voice in Teams may seem tempting, but good things don't come for free. As mentioned above, a specific licence of Microsoft 365 is required to enable voice calls in Teams. If you choose the option of using a SIP trunk and not connecting it to your mobile provider, you're looking at a fixed monthly cost of a few hundred dollars, in addition to paying for the usage.
If you want to make calls from Teams using your own mobile number (One Number), this must be integrated into the mobile agreement, and the cost picture is somewhat different. Then there is a cost per month from Microsoft, in addition to a set-up cost + monthly cost from the mobile provider. This also comes on top of the cost you already have from the mobile provider.
It is also important to note that not all mobile providers in the enterprise market deliver this type of integration, which can lead to a need for a change of supplier.
Do you want to know if your organisation can benefit from Speech in Teams?
Whether it's worthwhile or not depends entirely on your company's needs. Do you have problems with mobile coverage or do you have disproportionately high costs for international traffic? Adite can help with financial analyses and needs mapping.
Written by: Solveig Hansen (04.03.2021)
