Why a Microsoft Teams Integration May Be Better for Your Business than Teams Alone

The prevalence of Microsoft products as standard business tools is well-established across industries and markets. It might seem obvious that using products such as Microsoft Teams on their own is enough for modern businesses. But this may not be the best option in practice.

Considering that Microsoft Teams has experienced several large-scale outages affecting thousands of users and doesn’t have the most robust feature suite compared to other business phone and collaboration systems, companies may want to consider a close alternative: a Microsoft Teams integration. 

Microsoft Teams Integration: Business Benefits 

Microsoft Teams as a standalone solution offers a basic platform for voice and video calls, collaboration, file storage, and other core business needs. However, there are a few areas where a Microsoft Teams integration adds an edge: 

Features 

The right Microsoft Teams integration will provide enhanced features for voice calling, team collaboration, and enhanced workflows. Depending on the provider, you can maximize your Microsoft Teams investment with an integration that ties it together with all your corporate data, contacts, and advanced communications needs. Many Teams users often find the Microsoft feature suite lacking some mission-critical capabilities, which is where an integration can fill in the gaps. 

Reliability 

Even more critical is the reliability of the Microsoft Teams platform. Despite its widespread popularity, Microsoft Teams is also infamous for its numerous outages and lost productivity for users. By enhancing the platform with a Microsoft Teams integration, businesses can also increase its reliability by choosing a provider that offers 99.999% guaranteed uptime. Even when Teams goes down, the integration’s services will act as a backup that keeps business running with less than 6 minutes of downtime per year on average—rather than hours or days, as is common with Teams alone. 

Support 

Finally, when leveraging a Microsoft Teams integration from a trusted provider, you can also enhance your overall experience with more personalized support. Being the technology giant that it is, Microsoft doesn’t provide the kind of attention to detail and support that a more dedicated vendor can. The right Microsoft Teams integration provider will also offer more accessible support for their service, ensuring you always have all the resources you need when questions or issues arise. 

Choosing a Microsoft Teams Integration Provider 

When looking for a Microsoft Teams integration provider, here are a few things to look for: 

• Comprehensive Services & Support: Find a provider that offers a Microsoft Teams integration plus fully-managed services and support to ensure it’s installed and maintained properly, according to your needs and goals. 
• Seamless Voice: Your Microsoft Teams integration should allow you to place and receive calls seamlessly within the Teams interface without any hardware to install, configure, or maintain.   
• Extensive Suite of Included Features: Extend the capabilities of Teams with more robust features such as SMS/MMS messaging, advanced contact center functionality, E911, advanced call routing, and more. Some providers will also offer more custom integration services to create a tailored-fit solution based on your Teams platform. 
• Reliable & Secure Voice Communications: Secure your peace of mind with a Microsoft Teams integration provider that guarantees 99.999% uptime, comprehensive security, and built-in business continuity regardless of whether Teams is experiencing an outage. 
• Cost-effective Communications: Look for a Microsoft Teams integration that saves you money in the long-term by allowing you to share your MS Teams service across users and locations. Also look for the ability to further cut costs with all-inclusive voice services that help you save on Microsoft’s Calling Plans and additional licensing fees.  
• Reporting & Insights: Your Microsoft Teams integration provider should offer enhanced reporting and insights to help you reach your goals with the data needed for strategic decision making. 
• Customer Service Support: Enhance your MS Teams environment with sophisticated customer service capabilities through a specialized Microsoft Teams integration. This advanced option can transform your Teams environment into an all-inclusive workspace tailored to your needs. 
• Advanced SLAs: Make sure you get the best level of service with a provider that offers enterprise-grade, high-availability infrastructure and advanced SLAs. 
• Support for Wide Range of IP Phone Models: When you enhance your Teams environment with an integration, make sure you’re also choosing a provider that allows you to use all the tools you prefer. Your Microsoft Teams integration should support the devices best suited for your needs, including desktop, mobile, and conferencing models. 

Ready to Upgrade? 

If you’re interested in learning more about a Microsoft Teams integration that can offer all these benefits and more, consider S-NET’s Microsoft Teams Enhanced Integration. Contact S-NET today to discuss your needs and how we can help you make the most of your MS Teams environment with our tailored-fit solutions, service, and support!