In recent years, the integration of communication tools like Microsoft Teams with traditional phone systems (PBX or Private Branch exchange) has become a trending topic in the business world.
This fusion of technologies aims to enhance collaboration and streamline communication processes.
In this report, we’ll delve deep the advantages and disadvantages of integrating Microsoft Teams with your existing PBX system, helping you make an informed decision for your organization and telephony allowing you to focus on what matters, your clients.
Advantages of using Teams / PBX Communication Hub
Microsoft Teams with your phone system creates a centralized platform for all communication needs.
This means employees can seamlessly switch between voice, video calls, messaging, and file sharing within a single application.
This can be acheived using your existing PBX with direct routing to your microsoft 365 account, thus allowing a teams user to make and receive calls via the teams login, or you can deploy a microsoft teams phone for all or selected users to make and revive calls.
Enhanced Microsoft Teams Collaboration
Teams offers a plethora of collaborative features such as document sharing, screen sharing, and real-time co-editing. When integrated with your business phone system, it allows for smoother collaboration and quicker decision-making. It anables better call control, and the meshed microsoft teams pbx system gives you pbx capabilities that ms teams alone does not have including the ability for users of teams to place and receive calls, use a cloud voicemail, have a pbx system with a set of features not normally available with teams alone.
Cost-Effective Business Voip
By integrating Teams with your PBX, you can potentially reduce communication costs by leveraging voip providers, Unified communications can lead to more effective use of resources and streamlined billing. It enables users in your organization to not only place teams calls, but to also make a phone call to other users outside of teams, from within teams.
Flexibility and Mobility
With Teams integrated into your PBX, employees gain the ability to work from anywhere with an internet connection, or use their mobile devices to make calls from the office. This flexibility is particularly beneficial for remote teams and businesses with multiple locations.
Advanced Security and Compliance
Microsoft Teams employs robust security measures and compliance standards, ensuring that your communications remain secure and in line with industry regulations.
Complex Call Operations
Pbx fuctionality in teams
By adding the capabilities and features of your PBX, You can get a good local calling plan with a good local PSTN (public switched telephone network) ( or voip (voice over ip provider), or move your existing phone numbers and receive calls directly via your Teams app using your PC and suitable headset. Using the PBX will enable complex call routing like automated attendant, call queues, ring groups, voicemail, internal and external calls.
Other advantages are that administrators can manage calling options and settings easily via the existing phone system inteface login without the need for extgernal contractors saving cost.
Disadvantages
Complex Implementation
Using Microsoft Teams as your PBX system can be a complex process, especially for organizations with intricate existing infrastructure. It may require careful planning, testing, and potentially third-party support and possibly some new hardware. Im may also be a requirement of some isntallations that any changes to directory or users can only be done in the microsoft portal, which can be more difficult and may not update in real time. This compared to a PABX management that is done instantly, in real time.
Training and Adoption
Employees may require training to become proficient with the integrated system. Adapting to a new communication platform can take time and might face resistance from some team members.
Dependence on Internet Connectivity
Since both Microsoft Teams and Phone system integration rely on internet connectivity, any network outages or issues can disrupt communication.
Licensing Costs
While the ms integration offers a wide range of features and calling capabilities and to place and receive phone calls, it may come at an additional cost. Licensing fees for both Microsoft Teams and PABX integration should be considered in the budget. You will require e1 or e3 level microsoft office 365 account and you may also require additional licensing on your cuurent phone system, or indeed even a pbx replacement . Business voice is included on e5 plans
Customization Limitations
Depending on the specific needs of your organization, you may find that certain customizations or features you require are not readily available within the integrated system. There maybe some features like presence between PBX calls and teams calls that are not visible to each other. This means you may have users ona phone call, and teams users may not see them as busy. This seems to be a limitation on most PABX applications that is a microsoft limitation rather than the PABX limitation.
Hardware for teams phone system
If you want to retain the traditional pbx experience using microsoft teams as a pbx , you may need to use a teams specific desktop phone. These phones can be a lot more expensive than a standard pbx phone. For example Yealink entry level Teams phone retails for around $430 which is in the price range of a mid to higer range tradional PABX version model.
Conclusion:
The decision to set up teams as your PABX system should be based on a thorough assessment of your organization’s communication needs, existing infrastructure, and long-term goals. While there are significant advantages in terms of unified communication and collaboration, it’s crucial to be aware of potential implementation challenges. It may also be signifcantly more cost to your business if you dont currently have the neccessary microsoft licensing.
Ultimately, a well-planned integration can lead to increased productivity and streamlined communication processes for your business.
