For most small-medium businesses, the switch to remote working meant losing access to their fixed office telephony. To keep disparate staff connected with colleagues and customers, many adapted by using other solutions like Microsoft Teams for communication. However, whilst Teams offers the ability to make calls to other Teams users (whether internal or external), the challenge over the last 18 months has been how staff can make and receive traditional phone calls. To date, many have had to use their own phone or personal devices. With 73% of employees wanting the option to continue to work remotely, a better, more sustainable solution is needed as we settle into the world of hybrid working.
The challenges of managing external calls
For hybrid to work, communication is key. Offering clear and concise communication, as well as a variety of ways for your team to communicate, means that hybrid workers can enjoy all the benefits of home and office working. As such, the right technology that enables staff to communicate both internally and externally is crucial. Some of our customers have spoken about difficulties they face without this capability, including managing incoming calls to landline numbers and transferring external calls to colleagues. Supporting remote staff who need to make external customer calls is another challenge, when employees are reluctant or refuse to use a personal mobile or landline.
Seamless communication, cost-effective convenience
Using Teams as a communications tool for making and receiving external calls offers many benefits, particularly in today’s hybrid workplace. For example, staff will already be familiar with using headsets for internal Teams calls, reducing the need for any training. There is no longer a need to pay for a separate phone system, deploy desk phones, or additional desktop telephony equipment, which all helps save costs. From a user perspective, combining external and internal call functionality with a tool for collaboration and meetings all in one place offers a seamless user experience. It also enhances mobility by allowing staff to make and receive calls from any location, on any device. With Teams, staff can even move an active call from one device to another, meaning uninterrupted customer support and no disruption to conversations. And with the ability to move your existing phone numbers to Teams, you can easily maintain business continuity.
