Many organizations have been asking questions about Microsoft Teams and its potential as a call center or customer service platform. While Teams offers some communication tools, on its own it doesn’t fully meet the demands of a modern contact center.
In this article, we’ll answer key questions about Teams’ capabilities, explore integration options, and help you determine the best approach for turning Teams into an effective contact center solution.
What is Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams is a communication and collaboration platform included in Microsoft 365 and Office 365.
Key Features of Microsoft Teams include:
- Chat and Collaboration
- Instant messaging with individuals or groups.
- File sharing and real-time document co-editing.
- Seamless integration with Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Video and Audio Meetings
- Host virtual meetings with high-quality audio and video.
- Screen sharing, recording capabilities, and breakout rooms for smaller discussions.
- Teams Calling and Phone System
- Make and receive calls directly from the Teams client.
- Advanced calling features such as calling plans, voicemail, and call history.
- Auto attendants to direct calls to the appropriate person or department.
- Call queues to handle high call volumes effectively.
- Custom Integrations and Apps
- Access thousands of apps and connectors from the Teams App Store.
- Build tailored workflows with Microsoft Power Platform integration.
- Security and Compliance
- Enterprise-grade security powered by Microsoft 365.
- Data encryption and compliance with global security standards.
Can Microsoft Teams be used as a call center?
No, Microsoft Teams is not a call center, though it does offer some very limited call center functionality.
While it may suit basic needs, such as small-scale or internal customer service tasks, it lacks advanced features like skills-based routing, detailed analytics, or CRM integrations.
For a more complete solution, there are certified contact center integrations designed for Teams. Microsoft themselves recommends this approach, saying:
“For organizations that want solutions with business tools and workflows to drive the customer journey, contact center integration for Microsoft Teams allows Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) solution providers to integrate their solutions into Teams.”
Jump to Does Microsoft have call center software? to learn how to evaluate a contact center’s capability of integrating with Microsoft Teams.
What are the call functions of Microsoft Teams?
Here are the basic features that could make Teams suitable for limited use as a small-scale contact center.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Auto Attendants | A menu system that directs incoming calls to the right department or individual. |
| Call Queues | Organizes incoming calls into a queue, with hold music and custom greetings for a professional image. |
| Teams Calling | Allows making and receiving phone calls directly from the Teams app. |
| Shared Voicemail | Enables group access to voicemail, so multiple team members can monitor and respond to messages. |
| Call Holds and Transfers | Lets users place calls on hold or transfer them with basic or consultative options. |
| Microsoft Teams Integration | Fully integrated with other Microsoft 365 apps (e.g., Outlook, SharePoint, Dynamics 365). |
| Real-Time Collaboration | Enables teams to chat, share files, and co-edit documents during calls. |
Can Microsoft Teams be used for customer service?
Although it’s primarily known for collaboration, Microsoft Teams has features that can be used for supporting customer inquiries.
Here’s how Microsoft Teams supports customer service:
- Real-Time Responses: Support teams can address inquiries or direct the inquiry to another team using features like Teams Calling and call queues for efficient handling of customer interactions.
- Collaboration-Driven Support: With its built-in collaboration tools, Teams fosters cooperation. Microsoft Teams contact center integrations ensure smooth communication between departments to resolve issues faster.
- Convenient and Centralized Operations: Teams integrates customer service with your business workflow. Support agents can connect with colleagues via chat or calls, using Teams phone and features like auto attendants to deliver quick solutions.
- Customization and Scalability: Tools like live chat widgets and proactive chat invites make it easy to tailor support to your brand while scaling up as your business grows.
Does Microsoft have call center software?
Microsoft offers call center software through its Dynamics 365 Contact Center. However, for organizations seeking a Microsoft-based contact center, we recommend a platform that can integrate directly with Microsoft Teams.
Microsoft Teams supports three models for integrating contact centers: Connect, Extend, and Power. Each offers different levels of integration, capabilities, and trade-offs. Here is a breakdown of each model: how they work, pros and cons, and guidance on choosing the best solution.
1. Connect Model: Loosely Integrated via SIP Connectivity
How It Works
The Connect model integrates contact center solutions with Teams using Direct Routing and Session Border Controllers (SBCs). It relies on SIP connectivity to manage calls and Graph APIs to retrieve Teams presence information. Calls are handled externally and then routed into Teams, either through a third-party app inside Teams or an external client.
Pros
- Can integrate with other telephony systems.
- Enables routing contact center calls to any Teams user, reducing licensing costs.
- Offers flexible deployment options for organizations using multiple communication platforms.
Cons
- Calls leave the Teams environment, potentially introducing security and compliance concerns.
- Requires agents to use multiple platforms, increasing complexity.
- Limited access to native Teams features, such as video calls or chat integration.
2. Extend Model: Deeply Integrated via Cloud Communications API
How It Works
The Extend model is a more advanced integration, built directly into Microsoft Teams using Teams Graph APIs and Cloud Communications APIs. Calls stay within the Teams tenant, and all communication—including voice, video, and chat—is managed inside the Teams interface.
Pros
- Provides a seamless experience for agents within Teams—no switching between apps.
- Ensures better security and compliance, as media streams stay within Microsoft’s ecosystem.
- Delivers better call quality and lower latency than Connect solutions.
Cons
- Cannot integrate with non-Teams communication platforms.
- Dependent on Microsoft’s API roadmap, meaning new features are tied to Microsoft’s updates.
Extend is best for organizations fully committed to Microsoft Teams as their unified communication platform.
3. Power Model: Direct Access to Teams via SDKs (Coming Soon)
How It Works
The Power model will allow solution providers to embed Teams’ full voice capabilities directly into their own applications using Microsoft Teams SDKs. Unlike Extend, Power solutions won’t just direct Teams on what to do; they will directly handle call routing, agent management, and other core contact center functions.
Pros
- Will enable the most advanced and flexible Teams-native experience.
- Will reduce agent workload by providing a one-app, one-screen solution inside Teams.
- Will maintain optimal security and compliance since calls stay within the Teams environment.
Cons
- Not yet available—Microsoft has not released the necessary SDKs.
- Solution providers will need to develop new applications from scratch.
Which Integration Model is the Best?
While all three models—Connect, Extend, and Power—offer unique advantages, we believe the Extend model stands out as the best choice for organizations using Microsoft Teams.
Why Choose the Extend Model?
Seamless Agent Experience
Agents work entirely within Teams, eliminating the need to switch between platforms. This leads to higher productivity, fewer errors, and a more intuitive workflow.
Enhanced Security and Compliance
Since all media streams stay within Microsoft’s ecosystem, organizations benefit from industry-leading security and compliance standards. The Extend model is ideal for institutions that prioritize data privacy, and secure communications.
Superior Call Quality
With all calls managed inside Teams, the Extend model offers better call quality, reduced latency, and a more stable connection compared to external integrations.
For businesses seeking a powerful, Teams-native contact center, Landis Contact Center is the best choice. Built entirely within Teams, Landis delivers real-time analytics, queue management, call routing, and seamless integration with Microsoft 365, making it the most effective and scalable contact center solution for Teams users.
What happened to Microsoft Digital Contact Center?
Microsoft’s Digital Contact Center Platform, launched in 2022, aimed to revolutionize customer service by integrating tools like Dynamics 365, Microsoft Teams, Power Platform, Azure Communication Services, and Nuance AI.
Despite being branded as “open and extensible,” the platform acted more as a reference architecture than a standalone CCaaS solution, offering guidance to enhance existing contact centers rather than a unified product. This approach led to customer and analyst confusion and lacked the advanced capabilities of many other market leaders.
Landis Contact Center Solution for Teams
For organizations looking for trusted Microsoft Teams certified call center solutions, Landis Contact Center stands out as the ideal solution. Unlike Connect-model integrations that require external platforms or multiple applications, Landis is built directly into Microsoft Teams using the Extend model, delivering a secure, native Teams integration.
Agents can handle calls, manage queues, track performance, and collaborate within Teams—without switching between apps. With features like real-time analytics, intelligent call routing, live queue monitoring, and built-in CRM integrations, Landis delivers the power of an enterprise-grade contact center while maintaining the simplicity of Microsoft Teams.
Here are some of the most-loved features of Landis Contact Center.
| Contact Center Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Teams App | The app is directly integrated into Microsoft Teams for seamless functionality. |
| Live queue stats and wallboards | Provides advanced real-time queue statistics with customizable wallboards. |
| Queue history | Allows managers and agents to view the history of calls handled by the queue. |
| Agent queue options | Agents can manage their own availability for queue participation. |
| Manager queue options | Managers can control agent participation, add members, and change greetings. |
| Delegated queue management | Allows managers to assign others to manage users and settings for queues. |
| Historical reports | Provides comprehensive reporting for at least 24 months, with export options. |
| Call coaching | Managers can coach agents with whisper, barge, or take over. |
| Auto Attendants | Includes automated call routing menus to direct callers effectively. |
| IVR | AI supported intelligent call routing with data dips and regex capabilities. |
| Call journey reports (with IVR/queue data) | Tracks the complete call journey, including IVR and queue interactions. |
| Detailed agent timeline | Displays a detailed view of agent activities and status changes over time. |
| Policy call recording | Enables recording policies to be applied at queue or organization levels. |
| Webhooks for queue calls | Sends webhooks at the beginning or end of calls for custom integrations. |
| Wrap-up time and wrap-up questions | Provides configurable wrap-up times and prompts for agents after calls. |
| Dedicated US-based support team | Includes 24/7 emergency support and a responsive, US-based support team. |
Schedule a demo to see the powerful features of Landis Contact Center in action!
