A guide to Microsoft 365 Business Voice for SMBs

By Talia Brooks By Talia Brooks May 27, 2021 / In Hosted Voice, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams,

Does your business need Microsoft 365 Business Voice?

The SMB business is booming. However, with so much competition the pressure can be on for SMBs to remain competitive.

That means trying to keep ahead of the digital curve while ensuring great ROI. Previously, access to the most cutting-edge communications solutions could be cost prohibitive for small- and medium-sized businesses, and often became an obstacle to deployment.

For instance, businesses with any number of users can leverage Microsoft Enterprise Voice; a complete Voice over IP (VoIP) solution that is a core component of Teams and integrates with Exchange. Headsets or VoIP-enabled phones replace traditional PSTN/PBX phones, with calling managed through the Teams interface.

That’s where Microsoft 365 Business Voice comes in.

What is Microsoft 365 Business Voice?

Put simply, Microsoft 365 Business Voice offers most of the same benefits as Enterprise Voice, but without the higher price tag. It’s limited to businesses of 300 users and under, giving smaller organizations a cost-effective way to leverage a single interface for calling, conferencing and chat.

It integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365, connecting Teams and Outlook for access to your contacts and calendar, as well as making Word, Excel and PowerPoint available for in-call collaboration. Complete with a phone system, domestic calling plan and audio conferencing, it’s essentially a replacement for your PBX and offers a sophisticated, cloud-based phone and collaboration system built on a well-established and resilient platform. The interface is simple and efficient – making its straightforward for user adoption – and its virtual nature allows you to connect via any Microsoft Teams-enabled device, whether on your desktop, mobile, web browser or desk phone.

There’s also a 99.9% uptime guarantee, but choosing the right technology partner can help mitigate any additional costs should the worst happen.

Why is Microsoft 365 Business Voice a good choice for SMBs?

The biggest advantage for SMBs is the cost savings Microsoft 365 Business Voice brings. Firstly, it offers a transparent price for telephony, making it easier for you to budget. It’s cloud-based so you can scale up and down with ease – meaning you’re not tied into paying for more licenses than you need – and negates the time and expense associated with maintaining a traditional PBX.

You can also consolidate your systems and billing, disposing of expensive on-premise infrastructure or other existing voice platforms and negating the need to go to another interface to make a simple phone call. And with the collaboration features offered in Teams, your users will be able to communicate and work together much more easily and effectively.

Want to learn more about Microsoft Teams or Business Voice? Schedule time to chat with one of our experts.

About Plow Networks

Plow Networks is a leading IT services provider, connecting businesses to technology since 2012. Our expertise spans designing and managing networks for multi-location companies, provisioning and optimizing Microsoft 365 and Azure subscriptions, and designing cloud-based voice systems for companies with complex business requirements. Plus, we’re dedicated to supporting the devices and users that rely on these critical systems every day.

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