MetTel Announces Availability of Microsoft Teams External Voice

NEW YORK, April 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MetTel, a digital transformation and communications leader, today announced a unified solution that allows customers to use Microsoft Teams to enable external calling to or from any source, directly from the Microsoft Teams application.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many American workers are now working remotely, using new collaboration tools, and looking for ways to maintain productivity. Microsoft Teams usage has grown exponentially during the pandemic. In fact, according to Microsoft, this past fall, Microsoft Teams climb to 115 million users, generating more than 30 billion collaboration minutes in a single day. 

Traditionally, employees using Teams were only able to place calls to colleagues internally but were unable to make outbound calls to any public-switched telephone network number (PSTN). As a result, workers must frequently shift out of their workflow to gain live external expertise or they are forced to supplement Teams with additional voice plans or expensive flat-rate packages. In fact, 40% of the average employee's 44-hour workweek – 17.6 hours – is spent multitasking between communications platforms and other tasks.

CRV Insurance needs to stay in close touch with its clients.  As a Rhode Island-based provider of insurance solutions to businesses and consumers, its phone lines are lifelines for clients who need their help, and employees who need to be there for them, whether it's for a routine conversation or a stressful claim call.

"We are now able to give our employees the power to make and receive external calls to any wired or wireless phone number directly from their Microsoft Teams application," said Susan Landry, Director of Administration, at Carey, Richmond & Viking. "Because of the app and MetTel's External Voice service, it becomes a portable business line that goes wherever we go with our devices. The sound is crystal clear... better than any VOIP phone ever was. Even if the Internet connection is down, the app continues to work on your mobile phone. We've also been able to retire our old PBX phone system in the process. In our current environment as well as post-COVID, our employees will maintain productivity remotely, in the office, or through a hybrid schedule by using Teams with MetTel's External Voice service."

"Increasingly, public and private organizations are turning to MetTel for mobility solutions and collaboration tools to maintain productivity as they navigate the 'new normal' of remote work," said Ed Fox, CTO, MetTel. "MetTel's Microsoft Teams External Voice provides our customers and channel partners with the best of both worlds—the ability to make and receive PSTN calls using their existing phone numbers and the collaboration features with single app experience that comes with Microsoft Teams."

What makes MetTel's service special is the painless voice enablement of Microsoft Teams which is typically a rigorous process for enterprises to directly manage. MetTel also provides a user-friendly, seamless migration from legacy to modern technology, maintaining the continuance of key functions such as call centers that are tied to the company's PBX system.

Direct or Integrated Routing Provide Flexible Solutions for Every Business Need
While collaboration tools are helping to facilitate team productivity in this new era of "remote everything," many organizations still require their current phone systems and all the features and benefits it provides. To provide customers and channel partners with the best solutions to meet customers needs, MetTel offers two Microsoft Teams External Voice options:

Direct Routing: This cost-effective solution makes Microsoft Teams the primary source for enabling PSTN calling while eliminating the need of a premise PBX and desktop phones altogether, while making and receiving all voice calls natively through Teams. Additionally, users can keep their current phone number using a desktop or mobile app, as well as a desktop phone. Direct Routing includes rich functions like call recording, auto attendant and real-time analytics and organizations only pay for the minutes used. For users that still desire or require a desk phone, MetTel can also provide Poly CCX series phones, designed specifically for Microsoft Teams Voice.

Integrated Routing: This innovative solution integrates Teams with a company's existing PBX, including MetTel's Cloud PBX. Users can make and receive PBX phone calls in Microsoft Teams while maintaining existing features, settings, and phones as well as the ability to answer calls on a handset or through the app. MetTel's Microsoft Teams External Voice solution also provides call recording, auto attendant and real-time call analytics.

Additional benefits of MetTel's Microsoft Teams External Voice solution:

• Pooling calling Minutes: As always, through the MetTel Portal®, customers can still pool their total usage minutes, and only pay for minutes used, at a competitive rate.
• Streamlined Management: Eliminates the need to manage multiple voice apps and systems.
• Seamless Conversion: MetTel ports all numbers so your employees can keep their current phone number.
• Ease of Use: Calling features will intuitively fit into employees' existing Microsoft Teams workflow.
• 24/7 MetTel Customer Support: As with all MetTel products and solutions, MetTel provides award winning, always on support to facilitate integration of Microsoft Teams external calling into PBX systems.
• Over 20 years in IP Telephony: MetTel has deep expertise in offering UCaaS and VoIP services to enterprise customers which include Cloud PBX, SIP Trunking, IP PRI and POTS Transformation.

About MetTel 
MetTel is a leader in communications and digital transformation (DX) solutions for enterprise customers. By converging all communications over a proprietary network, MetTel gives enterprises one, unified view and control point for all their communications and advanced network services.  MetTel's comprehensive portfolio of customer solutions can boost enterprise productivity, reduces costs and simplifies operations. Combining customized and managed communication solutions with a powerful platform of cloud-based software, the company's MetTel Portal® enables customers to manage their inventory, usage, spend and repairs from one simple, user friendly interface. For more information visit www.mettel.net, follow us on Twitter (@OneMetTel) and on LinkedIn, or call us directly at 877.963.8663.  MetTel. Connect Smarter. ™

Media Contact:
Mike Azzi 
mazzi@mettel.net  
347.420.0957

SOURCE MetTel