With Microsoft Teams’ staggering 300 million monthly active users, it’s clear that businesses are searching for streamlined communication solutions that integrate natively into the apps they live in. While Teams facilitates internal collaboration, a missing link is using Teams to connect with external parties like partners, customers and suppliers. And that is where we come in.
We’re thrilled to meet that demand with the next generation of our Microsoft Teams Direct Routing (Cloud PBX 2.0) solution. In an effort to make communications simpler and more efficient for everyone involved, we are introducing our Cloud PBX for Microsoft Teams 2.0 —an intuitive, reliable, all-in-one telephony experience tailored to the modern workplace.
An enhanced direct routing solution built, managed & owned by RingCentral
Who is this for?
This enhanced Direct Routing solution is designed to benefit a range of users, from current RingCentral Direct Routing customers using Cloud PBX 1.0 to businesses that are contemplating implementing a new Direct Routing solution with their Microsoft Teams client.
Additionally, Microsoft Teams Administrators and IT decision-makers will find our updated offering particularly valuable for its streamlined administration and cost-saving features.
Taking a step back… what is Direct Routing?
Direct Routing is a way to connect your own telephony services to Microsoft Teams. In essence it allows you to utilize more robust phone system features than those that are natively available in Microsoft Teams.
It allows you to
- Maintain Freedom: keep control over your inbound numbers & make your own decisions & deals on your calling plans
- Save money: avoid Microsoft’s own expensive calling plan bundles
- Improve Resilience: gives you better resilience options in terms of not having all your services with one vendor (Microsoft)
- Improve Disaster Recovery: gives you more disaster recovery options – example: if Microsoft goes down or has an outage, you are at least able to rely on voice communications in the meantime
- Drive Productivity: Embed a softphone into more than just your Microsoft apps – choose a cloud phone provider that has a robust integration platform & you’ll be able to have softphones in Salesforce, Zendesk, ServiceNow and whatever else you use daily
What’s new with RingCentral Direct Routing (Cloud PBX 2.0):
99.999% reliability: Reliability is the cornerstone of RingCentral’s cloud telephony. With Cloud PBX 2.0, RingCentral now offers a 99.999% reliable Direct Routing solution for Microsoft Teams customers.
Easier deployment: Deploying Cloud PBX 1.0 could be challenging. Most customers leveraged professional services to help navigate the complexities of implementing the solution. We’ve architected Cloud PBX 2.0 so that you self-deploy the solution. This will not create cost savings, but will reduce your time to implementation.
Better support: With this homegrown solution, RingCentral will manage all support requests in-house. This will lead to better service and faster resolution times for Direct Routing customers.
Migration made easy: For Cloud PBX 1.0 customers, we’ve developed a custom-built migration tool that does all the heavy lifting for you. You won’t even need to hire professional services to make the switch, which means you save money right from the start.
Simpler admin experiences: Our refreshed Cloud PBX 2.0 Direct Routing solution brings even more features designed to make your life simpler. Administrators can now add and manage end-users, connecting them to Teams directly from the RingCentral admin portal. That means you’ll spend less time navigating through multiple tools.
If your business doesn’t have specialized needs for unique trunking or configurations, our Dynamic Trunk regionalization could be a game-changer for you. This feature lets you save even more, making our already cost-effective solution an even better deal.
There’s just one thing to keep in mind: our new platform doesn’t support GCC/Microsoft G licensing. But for most businesses, the benefits of migrating to our enhanced Direct Routing solution will far outweigh this limitation.
Addressing real business needs
Looking to optimize your use of Microsoft Teams for in-house calls with a solid option for external communications with customers? Our solution has you covered. With Teams-to-Teams calling, you get smooth internal communications via Microsoft, while RingCentral handles your outside calls.
Sick of juggling multiple admin platforms? Our new Direct Routing solution streamlines it all into just two main admin centers: Microsoft and RingCentral.
Want an easy setup? We’ve got you covered. Our Direct Routing solution is designed for ultimate user-friendliness, with self-guided setup and clear documentation that eliminates the need for costly professional services.
Finally, if you’re aiming to scale up your communications without the expense of hiring professionals, our self-manageable platform is a cost-saver that grows with you. And speaking of costs, our solution is a long-term money-saver, designed to reduce your operational expenses over time. Simple, user-friendly, and cost-effective—that’s how we roll.
Why RingCentral for Teams: 3 unique features
Choosing the right direct routing option will depend on your needs. But if you’re looking for a complete package of enterprise-grade Cloud PBX, here are 3 advantages of having RingCentral as a partner for your Microsoft Teams deployment:
1. Breadth of service
With RingCentral Cloud PBX 2.0, enjoy native PSTN in 46+ countries and virtual phone numbers in more than 105 nations around the world, allowing users to reach any customer anywhere they need to connect, with emergency services available at all of these locations as well. We also guarantee quality of service globally with 34+ data centers, 40+ carriers, 65+ BYOC countries and 200+ ISPs.
2. Industry’s best reliability track record
We’ve just clocked 5 years of a public record of delivering on our 99.999% uptime SLA – reliability is job #1 at RingCentral and we are the gold standard in cloud-based phone systems. Compared to Microsoft Teams’ own SLA, RingCentral users experience only six minutes of downtime per year. And when every minute counts, teams can collaborate with confidence knowing that their communications are backed by RingCentral’s high standards for reliability and business continuity.
In the event of a service disruption (such as a power outage or natural disaster), Microsoft Teams users have another option: the RingCentral App. Accessible from any device (PC, smartphone, tablet), the RingCentral App gives your users multiple ways to access their communications and peace of mind that they’re not missing any important calls.
3. Telephony that integrates in every app you work in
RingCentral’s native out-of-the-box and custom integrations simplify the communications experience and eliminate having to switch between multiple applications by connecting RingCentral with your users’ favorite apps.
For example, you can schedule, start, or join a video call directly from Microsoft Teams and access phone capabilities right from Teams chat or integrate productivity and call efficiency into Salesforce, Zendesk or ServiceNow. No matter your workflow, our open platform can be customized to meet your unique business needs.
Get more done in Microsoft Teams
By migrating to RingCentral’s enhanced Direct Routing solution for Microsoft Teams, you’ll not only experience seamless communication but also enjoy reduced complexity and cost savings. Take your team’s productivity to the next level with RingCentral. And don’t forget about all our other handy communication tools designed to optimize business processes, including our conference call services and business phone services.
Ready to make the switch? Contact us today to get started!
Originally published Sep 21, 2023, updated Aug 23, 2024
