A Native Microsoft Teams Contact Center: Why Consider Enghouse Interactive?

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A Native Microsoft Teams Contact Centre - Why Consider Enghouse Interactive - UC Today
Contact CenterInsights

Published: December 2, 2024

Charlie Mitchell

When Microsoft released Teams in 2017, it’s unlikely that the company knew it had such a smash hit on its hands. By October 2023, the platform had gained 320 million active monthly users.

That’s no small feat, especially considering the fierce competition from prominent enterprise technology pioneers, including RingCentral, Slack, and Zoom.

Yet, Microsoft won the most COVID contracts and has continued its upward trajectory. Indeed, its CEO even predicted that “Teams will be as big as the internet.”

While it may have a long way to go, the contact center presents an exciting growth opportunity for the tech giant.

Microsoft has recognized this, introducing a Queues App for Teams. However, it also offers a contact center integration program for larger organizations, certifying 30 regional and worldwide partners (as of November 2024).

Through this program, Microsoft proposes to ultimately offer three integration models, as shared below.

Enghouse Interactive already offers two of these – Connect and Extend – as a key differentiator and is due to release the third, Power, to coincide with Microsoft’s own GA of this feature in 2025.

However, buyers should note that there’s much more to mull over when picking a Microsoft Teams contact center partner than the integration method – as will be noted further in this article.

First, though, is a brief overview of those integration models.

A Microsoft Teams Contact Center: The Three Models

As noted, Microsoft Teams offers three models for integrating a contact center solution. These are:

Model #1 – Connect

As the oldest integration model, Connect directly routes into Teams with a session border controller (SBC), enabling connectively over SIP only.

The contact center software manages the calls, and delivers them to users’ Teams endpoints.

Additionally, the Connect model utilizes the Microsoft Graph API for presence.

The integrations allow the contact center software to assess which back-office users are available and whether agents are already engaged in Teams interactions before attempting to route calls.

Model #2 – Extend

The Extend model integrates with Microsoft Graph and Communication APIs to control calls delivered to live and virtual agents.

Moreover, Extend scraps the need for SBCs and direct routing. Instead, calls may flow via Microsoft calling plans or Operator Connect. And, as the media stream is within Teams, Microsoft ensures quality, encryption, and security.

Both Extend and Connect models give users a deep level of integration, with agents able to handle calls within a UI embedded within Teams.

Model #3 – Power

Power is still in development by Microsoft. As such, no vendor currently offers a certified Power integration.

Nevertheless, the model represents the future direction of contact center integrations with Microsoft’s ecosystem.

The Power approach uses SDKs to embed the Microsoft Phone System experience within a third-party client.

As a result, a contact center can centralize its contact center tech, including voice, recording software, analytics, and more.

5 Considerations for Picking a Microsoft Teams Contact Center Partner

The process for whittling down Teams integration partner options shouldn’t vary significantly from choosing any other contact center vendor.

For instance, contact center decision-makers must still consider peer reviews, the user experience, SLA & uptime, etc. Nevertheless, here are five more criteria worthy of careful consideration.

  1. Does My Contact Center Need to Be in the Cloud, Too, Like Teams?

The short answer is no, it does not. And since, according to 2023 Gartner estimates, two-thirds of contact centers remain on-premises, this is just as well.

However, right now, some contact center vendors only offer a cloud contact center integration – which means that based on the Gartner figures, those providers cannot present viable solutions for most contact centers.

Also, regarding the IT infrastructure, it is not simply a choice of one deployment or the other – or cloud vs. on-prem. Many organizations have invested in applications across both cloud and on-prem. So, for these, a contact center like Enghouse’s offering that can support any environment, including a hybrid mix of deployments, works well.

  1. How Resilient is the Architecture?

Regardless of the model, not all contact center integrations for Microsoft Teams will be the same, so ask about the architecture.

Raise questions like: do you use Azure-based virtual machines or a global microservices cloud? How resilient is the setup if a region or data center experiences downtime?

Remember, a reliable vendor should be transparent about their architecture.

  1. Can This Partner Ensure I Meet All My Business and Regulatory Requirements?

A contact center should document all its business and regulatory requirements and obtain sign-off from contact center stakeholders.

These regulatory requirements – regarding privacy and security – often vary from country to country, and the vendor should ensure the contact center environment will respect these.

In terms of business requirements, ensure the business has a clear rationale for any third-party solution, especially if native Teams functionality could suffice.

After all, in some cases, simpler native Teams options like call queues or auto attendants may be sufficient, especially for basic PBX replacement scenarios. However, ensure that key contact center stakeholders fully engage in your decisions and understand any differences in the proposed call handling and processing.

  1. What’s the Cost Model?

Whether organizations select a per-agent, per-queue, per-minute, or hybrid model – the contact center should carefully consider the cost model a provider puts forward.

Per-minute pricing is becoming more common as it allows for unlimited agents. But it will charge for usage. So, make sure the business understands the financial implications of each model.

Moreover, the contact center should understand the total cost of ownership (TCO) beyond the upfront costs. These can include administration, support, and third-party integration expenses. Be mindful that some vendors use a different pricing model for additional features, especially AI, so organizations may find themselves paying much more than anticipated – or worse, barred from innovation by prohibitive cost.

  1. Does the Roadmap Align with Our Future Needs?

Consider future requirements, not just current needs. Ensure the vendor’s roadmap aligns with anticipated needs, such as supporting live chat, AI-based call routing, and video.

Moreover, make sure the vendor is fully committed to the Teams ecosystem. After all, with the rising popularity of the UC platform, many vendors are now jumping on board.

So, look for those with a solid track record in Teams integration and a long-term commitment to ensure the contact center won’t be left unsupported.

Why Consider Enghouse Interactive as Your Microsoft Teams Contact Center Partner?

By going through the criteria above, buyers can arrive at a shortlist that will likely include Enghouse Interactive.

That’s because it stands out for more than just presenting multiple models for a Microsoft Teams Contact Center. Indeed, it also offers the following six differentiators.

  1. Longevity

When Microsoft first started offering voice – in competition with existing PBX applications such as Avaya, Cisco, and NEC – it didn’t have its own contact center solution.

Instead, it partnered with specialist contact center vendors to offer high-end contact center functionality to supplement its UC/voice capabilities.

Enghouse – which already integrated with Avaya, Cisco, and NEC platforms – was one of the first contact center solution providers to build Microsoft integration, starting with Microsoft OCS in 2008, then Lync, Skype for Business, and now Teams.

As a long-time Microsoft gold partner and member of the elite Microsoft TAP (Technology Adoption Program), Enghouse was the first contact center vendor globally to achieve Microsoft Teams certification in 2020.

That close relationship and commitment to the Microsoft roadmap is a significant differentiator.

  1. Deep Contact Center Understanding

For 40 years, Enghouse Interactive has designed, deployed, and supported global contact centers. It understands the complexity of what it takes to develop a well-oiled, international customer experience operation.

Additionally, it has the regional partnerships, carrier relationships, and technical support staff to successfully deliver any flavor of contact center for Microsoft Teams from ten to 10,000 seats.

  1. Exclusive Contact Center Focus

Enghouse Interactive aims to be a more consultative contact center provider. It works extensively with contact centers, understands all the pieces, and plots a path for a customer’s CX future.

Importantly, this is not just about understanding the technology but about understanding and pre-empting the needs of the people who manage and deliver customer service for the business.

After making this point, Anna Stokes, Director of Product Management at Enghouse Interactive, told CX Today:

“We think Microsoft is great, and Teams UCaaS is without question an excellent product – that’s why we build integrations to it. But the Enghouse experts are dedicated contact center professionals.”

“Microsoft and Microsoft resellers don’t yet have that specialized experience, and perhaps we won’t ever see them offering the depth of specific contact center understanding, focus, and support that businesses want for such a critical function as their contact center or front of house.”

  1. AI Enhancements

AI is becoming table stakes in the contact center, driving cost efficiencies and streamlining service experiences. Yet, some tech providers have become a little too distracted by the technology and all the possibilities for innovation it brings.

Instead, solutions should focus on simplifying customer journeys and supporting users so they can be better at their work.

Leveraging its in-house expertise, Enghouse takes a more mindful approach, blending its own and Microsoft’s AI to bring enhancements, insights, and specifically CX-focused automation to the Teams contact center.

  1. Costs

Enghouse Interactive presents a flexible pricing model with customization opportunities, so customers pay only for what they need.

On the other hand, many competitors focus on the ‘enterprise’ audience for their solutions. Their user licensing reflects this and is often more costly.

While this may suit higher-end contact centers, most contact centers globally are well within the sub-100 seat category. Enghouse is equipped to cater cost-effectively to both ends of the scale.

  1. Choice

Enghouse Interactive is one of the few vendors that provide multiple Microsoft Teams integration models. Yet, it offers much more choice beyond that.

For instance, Enghouse customers can be in the cloud (public or private) or deploy their contact center on premises within their secure infrastructure. They can also go hybrid.

Additionally, they can retain and integrate connectivity to their legacy platforms.

All customers also have access to the comprehensive Enghouse customer experience portfolio. That portfolio enables full omnichannel routing and reporting, recording for all channels, and CX-focused AI within the Teams environment.

On top of that, there’s an outbound dialer, survey tool, fully integrated rich-featured attendant console, and enterprise call accounting – again across all channels.

Is Microsoft Teams Really the Best Option for My Contact Center?

In the contact center space, businesses have no shortage of options.

Yet, for those leveraging Microsoft Teams within the broader business and wishing to democratize customer service, a Teams Contact Center is something to consider.

There are several reasons for this. Number one is brand power, as Microsoft’s name alone gives businesses confidence in what they’re buying. Of course, there’s also an element of: “No one gets fired for buying Microsoft.”

Then, there’s the integrated infrastructure. With many Teams-integrated Contact Center solutions, businesses can closely integrate with their CRM of choice along with other back-office systems. That’s a quickly expanding ecosystem to buy into, with lots of exciting AI innovation to boot.

Moreover, agents can work from a familiar, consistent UI and across all Teams end-points, the desktop, and mobile. That enables work from anywhere.

Finally, contact centers can spread customer cases across the business, leverage external expertise, and more quickly resolve complex issues.

That’s the whistle-stop tour of benefits, but the Enghouse Interactive team can share many more.

To reach out and learn more about its Microsoft Teams contact center portfolio, visit: https://www.enghouseinteractive.com/

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