Williams Keepers is an established and trusted accounting and advisory firm in Central Missouri. With nearly 60 CPAs on staff and 100 years of experience, they’ve built a strong reputation that they continue to uphold.
When Williams Keepers transitioned from a Cisco phone system to Microsoft Teams, they knew they needed something more powerful than Teams’ built-in call handling tools. That’s when they found Landis Attendant Console — a simple, Microsoft Teams solution that gave their receptionists everything they needed to manage calls with confidence.
A Simple Transition
For Williams Keepers, moving from Cisco to Microsoft Teams was a necessary step to modernize communication. But after the switch, their IT team realized native Teams call handling wasn’t built for receptionists managing high call volumes.
The Network Administrator at Williams Keepers shared how the firm’s previous IT director discovered and recommended Landis Attendant Console. That initial recommendation led to their adoption of the product, with Landis Attendant Console up and running without any complex setup or long delays.
“It was a matter of setting up and signing in,” he said. “We haven’t had any issues since.”
A Smooth User Experience
Williams Keepers’ receptionist admits that learning a new system can feel overwhelming at first. But with some easy-to-follow YouTube training videos and step-by-step instructions, she quickly became comfortable handling calls in the console.
The Favorite Features
For the receptionist, Landis Attendant Console makes life a lot easier and more efficient. Some of her favorite features include:
1. Real Ring Tones — Not Computer Sounds
One of the things Williams Keepers noticed after switching to Landis Attendant Console was the difference in how call notifications sound. Instead of the generic computer tones in Microsoft Teams, calls through Landis use traditional phone-style rings, making it much easier to track how long a call rings before moving on.
For a busy receptionist, that simple change brings back the familiar rhythm of handling calls that was lost after leaving their previous phone system. It’s a small detail, but it helps the whole process feel more natural.
2. Favorite Contacts Panel with Live Status
To keep calls moving smoothly, Williams Keepers uses custom contact groups organized by department — partners, customer service reps, auditors, and IT staff each have their own section. Every contact shows live presence status right in the panel, so receptionists can see who’s available, in a meeting, or out of the office before they even start a transfer. That instant visibility saves time on every call and helps reduce the frustration of chasing down someone who’s unavailable.
3. Quick Call Transfers
Landis Attendant Console offers several transfer options — including blind, safe, consult, and chat consult transfers — and Williams Keepers’ front desk team takes advantage of them. Whether quickly sending a call to voicemail or checking with someone first, the process is faster and more intuitive than Microsoft Teams’ built-in tools.
With fewer clicks and no need to manually search for contacts, transfers happen in seconds instead of becoming a multi-step process. That flexibility helps the receptionist adapt to every caller’s needs, whether they need to leave a message or wait to speak directly to a staff member.
4. Multiple Call Handling Made Simple
Handling multiple incoming calls at once can easily become overwhelming, especially with the pop-up overload in native Teams. With Landis Attendant Console, all active and holding calls appear in a clean, organized list that makes it simple to toggle between them.
Reception staff at Williams Keepers found this layout far more manageable and less stressful, especially during busier periods when calls stack up. Being able to clearly see which calls are on hold, which are being transferred, and who’s still waiting makes staying organized much easier.
5. Direct to Voicemail Transfers
One feature that made an immediate impact at Williams Keepers was the ability to send calls directly to voicemail without ringing the recipient’s phone. Before this option was set up, the receptionist had to ask staff to ignore incoming calls or wait for them to ring out.
Now, voicemail transfers happen with a single click, making it easier for callers to leave messages and reducing unnecessary disruptions. This simple improvement gave the receptionist more control over the call flow, which helps keep client service smooth — especially when transferring to busy staff.
6. Built-in Callback Reminders
The team at Williams Keepers was excited to learn about Landis’ callback reminder tools, which allow receptionists to send a quick follow-up reminder to any colleague via Teams chat or email. These reminders automatically include the caller’s name and number, along with an optional AI summary of the conversation.
That means even if the intended recipient misses the original call, they have all the context they need to follow up quickly. It’s one more way Landis helps keep communication flowing without adding extra manual work.
Saving Time in Training
Because Landis Attendant Console keeps everything visible and easy to navigate, current users feel confident training new receptionists — even those with limited experience using Microsoft Teams. At Williams Keepers, the receptionists have already created a clear, organized layout with contact groups for every department, making it simple for new staff to follow the same process. Instead of needing to explain how to search for people or check their status, new receptionists can see everything at a glance.
A Great Recommendation
When asked if they would recommend Landis Attendant Console to other firms using Microsoft Teams, the staff gave it a perfect 10, highlighting both its ease of use and how much it has improved their daily workflow.
Ready to Simplify Call Handling in Teams?
If your organization needs a trusted, Microsoft Teams Certified solution for receptionists and front desk staff, Landis Attendant Console delivers. Whether you’re in professional services, higher education, or any industry relying on fast, accurate call transfers, Landis makes it simple.
