Microsoft Teams VoIP Integration: Benefits & Best Practices

Effective communication is critical for success in today’s business landscape. As remote and hybrid work are on the rise, companies need robust and flexible tools to stay connected. Microsoft Teams has become the go-to hub for collaboration, but to truly unify communications, voice calling needs to be part of the experience.

Integrating Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) with Microsoft Teams turns the collaborative chat system into a full-featured business phone system. Intermedia’s Teams Phone and SMS solution lets users make and receive business calls and texts directly within the application. Learn how our cloud-based service creates streamlined communication without Microsoft Calling Plans or on-site equipment.

What is Microsoft Teams VoIP Integration?

To make phone calls using Teams, you must enable Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) calling from within Microsoft Teams. By integrating VoIP and PSTN, you can communicate with other Teams users, mobile phones, landlines, and desk phones directly from the Teams interface.

There are two main integration methods for businesses, including:

Microsoft calling plans: Microsoft offers three calling plans for businesses, for outside and international calling, through Teams. However, these offer limited flexibility and have a higher cost.
Direct routing: Direct routing allows you to integrate Teams with your preferred VoIP provider, such as Intermedia, using your existing phone system. This solution offers more flexibility and is more cost-effective.

With Intermedia’s Managed Direct Routing, Teams becomes a cloud-based phone system, complete with text message support and other add-ons, such as auto attendants, chatbots, call queues, and more. Additionally, you don’t have to purchase additional software or hardware to make your phone system compatible.

Key Benefits of VoIP Integration with Microsoft Teams

Integrating a third-party VoIP service provider with Microsoft Teams phone capability offers numerous benefits for businesses, including:

Unified communications: Integrating Teams with your VoIP system results in a unified communication hub, allowing your team to make calls, send messages, attend meetings, and share files in real time. Centralizing communication eliminates the need to switch between different apps, which boosts productivity and improves efficiency.
Cost efficiency: Traditional phone systems involve significant setup and maintenance costs. Intermedia’s Teams integration allows you to avoid costly Microsoft Calling plans and provides you with flat-rate pricing, unlimited calling options, and increased functionality.
SMS and MMS support: Flexible work environments are on the rise. Partnering with Intermedia allows you to send and receive business text messages directly within Teams, which is ideal for customer service, sales, and remote teams.
Advanced phone features: Intermedia’s cloud-based voice platform allows customer-facing businesses to access features like voicemail-to-email, business text messaging, call recording, and analytics. These features help improve productivity, efficiency, and conferencing.
Business continuity: Cloud-hosted communications ensure your teams stay connected through voice and video calls during remote work, office closures, or outages. With continuous and seamless communication, VoIP systems promote teamwork, foster creativity, and improve problem-solving capabilities.

Best Practices for a Successful VoIP Integration

If you are a Microsoft Teams admin, the process of integrating VoIP into Teams may seem difficult. However, following these best practices and partnering with Intermedia makes it easy.

Assess Your Current Setup

Is your current communication system, including voice tools and MS Teams usage, meeting your business needs? Are there features you want but don’t currently have? Are there features you don’t need that are reducing your company’s efficiency and productivity?

Microsoft Teams doesn’t have native support for every feature you may want. By assessing your current setup, you can take a holistic look at your communication and identify existing gaps that may benefit from VoIP phone integration.

Choose the Right Integration Partner

Your business is constantly changing. You want to partner with a company that offers flexible, scalable, and all-inclusive solutions. Intermedia’s all-in-one bundle provides the voice platform, Teams integration, number porting, and support you need in an ever-evolving climate.

Optimize for Call Quality

Once you choose a partner, you need to ensure your network can handle VoIP integration. Does it have sufficient bandwidth for internet calling? Do you need to configure your firewall to protect against malware and ransomware attacks? Do you have proper security protocols to prevent data breaches and unauthorized access?

When you partner with Intermedia, we offer guidance and onboarding during the integration process to help you avoid common pitfalls. Our cloud solutions manage your network traffic and help optimize call quality.

Streamline User Training

New technology and processes require efficient training to help reduce downtime and the impact on productivity. When integrating VoIP into Microsoft Teams, you must teach your employees how to place and receive calls, manage voicemail, and send texts directly in the app.

Intermedia’s intuitive user experience and interface make onboarding quick and easy. Additionally, with round-the-clock support, you can have your questions answered promptly.

Customize Your Call Flows

Intermedia’s admin center makes it easy to configure call routing, chatbots, copilot, call forwarding, hunt groups, and conference calls. Our intuitive interface is great for small businesses without a dedicated IT department to customize their call flows. Our platform empowers companies to take control over their communication, both with their employees and customers.

Common Questions About Teams VoIP Integration

Can I use my current business phone number with Intermedia?

Yes, number porting is included in our VoIP integration, so you can keep your existing phone lines.

What if I don’t have IT support?

Intermedia provides white-glove onboarding and 24/7 support, allowing businesses of all sizes to communicate more efficiently.

Can I text from Teams?

Yes, Intermedia enables SMS and MMS directly in Teams to business and private numbers.

Is it secure?

Yes, Intermedia uses innovative encryption methods to ensure enterprise-grade security and compliance. Our firewall and security measures ensure your company complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and other regulatory requirements.

Elevate Your Business Communications with Intermedia

Integrating VoIP phone systems with Microsoft Teams enhances your company’s communication, simplifies operations, and supports hybrid work. Intermedia’s Teams Phone and SMS solution makes the entire process easy while providing you with innovative calling features, such as Teams voice and messaging, without a complex setup.

Our fully managed Direct Routing solution provides 99.999% uptime, without the need to toggle apps. With our scalable communication system, small and large teams can collaborate from anywhere on the globe in real time, without the need for on-site hardware or Microsoft Calling Plans.

To learn more about how Intermedia can help you unlock a complete business phone system inside Microsoft Teams, start a free trial today.