Microsoft Teams Voice: The Service Provider’s Playbook for Direct Routing

Microsoft Teams has swallowed the corporate world. With over 300 million users, it is no longer just a chat app; it is the new PBX.

For Service Providers, this presents a binary choice:

1. Ignore it and watch your customers move their voice traffic to Microsoft directly.
2. Embrace it and become the engine powering their Teams experience.

This guide outlines the Best Practices for Service Providers looking to deploy Direct Routing efficiently, maximize margins, and build a sticky ecosystem around the Microsoft stack.

1. Don't Just Sell "Connectivity," Sell "Voice Management"

The biggest mistake SPs make is selling Direct Routing as a commodity pipe. If you compete solely on the price of the SIP Trunk, you will lose to the giants.

Best Practice: Position your offer as a Managed Service.
Your customers don't want to manage SBCs (Session Border Controllers) or learn PowerShell. They want a "Green Button" experience.

• Offer a Portal: Use a white-label interface where customers can assign numbers to users in clicks.
• Bundle Support: Charge a premium for handling the Microsoft tenant configuration on their behalf.

However, offering this level of management can be costly if done manually. To maintain your margins while delivering a premium experience, you must automate the backend processes. Discover how to achieve this in our guide on the API Economy and why automation is your only true margin lever.

The Solution: Our Microsoft Teams Integration handles the heavy lifting, giving you a simplified management layer to resell.

2. Solve the "Mobile Gap"

Microsoft Teams is great on desktop, but its native mobile experience can be data-dependent and clunky for heavy voice users.

Best Practice: Integrate your Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC) with Teams.
By linking the Teams user to a native mobile SIM (via your MVNO offer), you ensure that:

• Calls ring on the Teams app AND the native mobile dialer.
• Presence is synced (if they are on a mobile call, their Teams status shows "Busy").
• This creates a seamless experience that Microsoft alone cannot offer.

3. The Ecosystem: Beyond the Dial Tone

Voice is just the start. To make your customer truly "sticky" (impossible to churn), you need to integrate Teams with their other business tools.

Best Practice: Connect the CRM.
A customer using Teams for calling and Salesforce for data is constantly switching windows. By bridging these two worlds, you add immense value.

Learn More: Read our guide on How to Boost Business with CRM Integrations to see how this drives revenue.

4. Security & Compliance as a Differentiator

Microsoft guarantees the uptime of the app, but you guarantee the quality of the call.

Best Practice: Monetize your infrastructure.

• Fraud Protection: Explain how your SBCs block IRSF attacks (which Microsoft might not catch instantly).
• Emergency Routing: Highlight your compliance with local 112/999 regulations, which can be a headache for multi-national companies to manage directly with Microsoft.

5. Direct Routing vs. Operator Connect: The Hybrid Approach

Should you bet on Direct Routing or the newer Operator Connect?
Best Practice: Don't choose. Offer the path of least resistance.

• Use Operator Connect for simple SMB deployments (fast, easy).
• Use Direct Routing for complex enterprise needs (analog devices, contact centers, complex routing).

Deep Dive: Not sure which path to take? Check our comparison: Operator Connect vs. Direct Routing Strategy.

Conclusion

Microsoft Teams is not a threat to your business; it is the biggest distribution channel you have ever had. By following these best practices—focusing on management, mobility, and integration—you transform Teams from a competitor into your most profitable product.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Do I need to host my own SBCs to offer Direct Routing?
A: No. With Enreach, you leverage our carrier-grade, multi-tenant SBC infrastructure. We sit between Microsoft and the PSTN, so you don't have to buy hardware.

Q: Can I sell Teams Voice to a customer who already has a PBX?
A: Yes. This is called "Hybrid Routing." We can connect Teams users and legacy PBX users on the same dial plan, allowing for a smooth, phased migration.

Q: Is this solution White Label?
A: Yes. Your customer sees your brand, your portal, and your invoice. The "Enreach" technology remains invisible.

Turn Teams into Revenue
Equip your customers with the voice solution they are asking for.

Discover Our Teams Integration