Microsoft recently released Business Voice as an add-on to small/medium business (SMB) Office 365 Plans (Office 365 Business Essentials and Office 365 Business Premium).
What is Business Voice? Up until now, only the Office 365 Enterprise Plans (E1, E3, E5) had the ability to leverage Microsoft Teams Phone functionality within Teams.
Business Voice unlocks that same functionality for SMB Office 365 subscribers! As an Office 365 Business Essentials or Premium subscriber you can now take advantage of the same full featured telephone and conference system that has been available to enterprise subscribers. All the features and functionality enjoyed by enterprises is now at your fingertips as a SMB!
Ok, you say, that is great! Break it down for me, what does this really mean and how can it benefit my business? Great questions, let’s try and keep it simple and outline some scenarios that may sound familiar:
1
I have an existing Teams Phone and/or conference system with an existing agreement with one or more years left in the agreement. Do the benefits of Business Voice still make sense?
- Does your existing Teams Phone give you the ability to work from anywhere in the world on any device?
- Does your existing conferencing system allow up to 250 participants? Full audio and video? Dial-in phone numbers in over 190 countries around the world? Screen sharing? Whiteboarding?
- Do your current systems create a cohesive experience in a single user interface that is easy to use and familiar to users as they move between PC, Mac and Mobile devices?
Business Voice with Microsoft Teams can integrate with and enhance existing telephone systems by extending current capabilities to include all of the above. The enhanced unified communications and video-enabled meeting experience could even reduce costs along the way by simplifying vendor management.
2
I currently have a ph system and/or conference system that is aging/ approaching end of life/out of support/ renewal. Can Business Voice replace these systems?
- Leveraging the power of the Microsoft Cloud, Business Voice with Microsoft Teams can completely replace existing phone systems and/or conference platforms to enable a cohesive work from anywhere on any device meeting experience through an intuitive user interface that is easy to use. You may even save some money along the way by simplifying vendor management and actually improving agreements.
3
I don’t currently have a single source phone system and/or conferencing solution. Does Business Voice make sense for me?
You bet! Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?
- We are a small company we use cell phones and free (or nearly free) conferencing solutions on a case by case ad-hoc basis.
- We use the cable/phone company to provide a main number and a few lines that we share in the office. We don’t really have a conferencing solution we use free or nearly free tools and everyone has their choice of tool.
- We have a hodge-podge of communications solutions that have served us adequately over the years, but as we have grown maintenance and support is getting unwieldy, funneling resources away from more valuable endeavors.
Business Voice with Microsoft Teams can address these common scenarios for small and growing businesses. Leveraging the power of the Microsoft Cloud, Business Voice with Microsoft Teams effectively enables the creation of a common unified platform for all your communications and collaboration needs. Business Voice is designed to empower your team to work from anywhere on any device.
Microsoft Business Voice with Teams can fit any SMB scenario enabling your business and employees to achieve greater productivity. Are you ready to put the power of the Microsoft Cloud and Business Voice with Teams to work for your business? Let AudioCodes Live for Microsoft Teams help you create a roadmap to success today, schedule a conversation with one of our team members to address your questions and discuss next steps.
Want to learn more about Business Voice with Microsoft Teams?
About the Author
Scott Middlebrooks is a Sales Solution Consultant at AudioCodes and has over 20 years of experience in the IT Industry. Most of Scott’s career has been in IT consulting with an emphasis on Microsoft solutions. Scott got bitten by the unified communications bug in 2010 with the release of Microsoft Lync 2010 and has been specializing in communications and collaboration solutions ever since. Outside of his professional life, Scott is an avid runner who has a bucket list item of running a race in all 50 US states. Scott is also passionate about aviation, cooking and serving his community.
