How Can Microsoft Teams Integration With UCaaS and CCaaS Help Your Business?
Does your business use Microsoft Teams? You're not alone. Since its introduction in 2017, Microsoft Teams has become a hugely popular collaboration tool. In fact, a recent Metrigy study notes that nearly 62% of global organizations use Teams through their Microsoft 365 licenses.
But did you know that you can enhance your Microsoft Teams investment by adopting a single UCaaS and CCaaS solution?
Read on to learn why a communications solution with native Microsoft Teams integration matters for employees and customers, and what to look for when selecting a vendor.
How are businesses using Microsoft Teams?
Many businesses that use Microsoft Teams for meetings and messaging are looking for ways to improve communications by adding calling and contact center capabilities. According to the Metrigy study, only 18.6% of businesses using video meetings and team chat features in Microsoft Teams are also using its phone system. In fact, 71.8% of participants in the study are planning to integrate UCaaS and CCaaS solutions to their Teams investment.
Cloud communications 101
To understand why integrating UCaaS and CCaaS into Microsoft Teams is important, we first need to define the terms. In short, UCaaS and CCaaS are examples of cloud-based solutions that allow businesses to host communications systems in the cloud. This is different from traditional communication systems that rely on complex equipment setups. Operating in the cloud empowers employees to connect with each other and with customers from various locations — on the road, remote at home, or in an office -— all using the internet.
What are the differences between UCaaS and CCaaS? UCaaS, or Unified Communications as a Service, brings together voice, video, SMS, and team messaging channels into a single platform. CCaaS, or Contact Center as a Service, focuses on the customer service component of businesses. A cloud contact center lets your agents engage with customers via voice, chat, messaging, and social media channels.
Find the right communications vendor
How can you find the right UCaaS and CCaaS vendor that has an organic Microsoft Teams integration? There are five capabilities to consider that can positively impact employee and customer engagement at your business.
Seamless integration: UCaaS solutions with a native Microsoft Teams integration allow employees to avoid switching between apps and interfaces to communicate internally and externally. This helps employees save time and frustration. In addition, a CCaaS solution with CRM integration provides quicker and more fluid communications with customers.
Reliability: Enhancing your Teams investment with UCaaS and CCaaS solutions that have enterprise-grade reliability ensures employees are able to connect with each other and customers without interruption. The combination of Teams and an integrated communications provider also provides organizations with redundancy in case of outages.
Advanced calling: A UCaaS provider that offers a robust suite of features — such as call history, call recording, call forwarding, in-call Microsoft Teams presence, and SMS texting to and from business phone numbers — enables easy and effective communications between employees and customers.
Omnichannel capabilities: Integrating a CCaaS solution with your Microsoft Teams implementation has cross-channel benefits to customers and agents. “Omnichannel capabilities” means that your customer service or contact center agents are equipped to connect with customers on the channels the customers prefer, from email to chat, social media to SMS. This allows agents to easily consult with subject matter experts on customer issues and drive first-contact resolution.
Analytics: A UCaaS and CCaaS solution can offer valuable analytics that enhance business operations and customer service. Call reporting data like total calls answered, total calls missed, and time most inbound calls are received helps uncover insights on engagements and needs.
Ready to learn more?
Selecting the right UCaaS and CCaaS provider that integrates with Microsoft Teams can improve day-to-day customer and employee experiences through better collaboration, increased efficiency, improved productivity, and more personalized service. These improvements can ultimately lead to larger business impacts, such as higher employee retention, improved customer loyalty, increased sales and operational efficiency.
Ready to learn more? Check out the Bringing Calling and Contact Center to Microsoft Teams whitepaper by Metrigy.
