Having a unified system of communication for your business can be difficult in this day and age. People communicate in many different ways – call, text, email, meetings, face-to-face – depending on the situation. And as a business owner, it’s your job to make sure that you have a communication solution that will cover whatever need arises.
Not only do you need to facilitate various forms of communication, but you want to keep all of your shared data from person to person secure. For example, you can’t have employees texting each other confidential details or emailing Dropbox links containing customer information from their personal emails. But if you don’t provide a communications system that allows these various types of communication in an accessible format, these “workarounds” that are high-security risks will inevitably occur.
Fortunately, there is a product created just for small- and medium-sized businesses to solve these communication problems: Microsoft 365 Business Voice.
Find out how you can incorporate UCaaS to your offering with our guide
What is Microsoft 365 Business Voice?
Business Voice is an all-in-one communication solution, meaning it brings together calling, messaging, and meetings all under one umbrella called Microsoft Teams. It also conveniently integrates into Office 365. Right now, it is only available for Canada but will be available globally in 2020.
Business Voice is a cloud-based telephony solution like many others, but one that will integrate seamlessly with other 365 features, creating the unified communication solution that your employees crave.
Microsoft 365 Business Voice Features
Business Voice has many features that make it uniquely suited for success in the SMB marketplace.
Audio conferencing
Business Voice is an enterprise-level phone system capable of audio conferencing up to 300 users at once.
Easy audio/video start
During text-based chats, users can start an audio or video call with just one click. They can switch to a different mode with another click, or even start a full-blown meeting with presentations. This flexibility is essential and unmatched by the competition.
VoIP dial in and dial out
Users will have the ability to dial in or out via tools they are likely already using, such as Microsoft Teams or Skype for Business. And for business owners, Microsoft offers flexible and scalable calling plans.
Call transfer and queuing
Like any true enterprise phone system, Business Voice allows users to queue or transfer callers. And when callers are placed in the queue, the system will provide them with a greeting to put them at ease.
Legacy number migration
As an owner, you may have concerns about losing your old number – after all, that’s where your existing customers have been reaching you for years. Business Voice allows you to migrate this legacy number into the new system, so you can get all the benefits without disrupting your existing customer base.
BYOD
Another reality of today’s workplace is that employees constantly switch between devices – desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. They will need to be able to use your system no matter which device is most convenient for the situation, and fortunately, with Business Voice, that’s possible. Users can use Business Voice on any smartphone or computer system as well as a desk phone or conferencing system.
Easy setup
Business Voice has an easy setup similar to other Microsoft tools and even comes with a “Getting Started” wizard to help you on your journey. The wizard will also allow you to set various Business Voice licenses to specific users on your team.
AI technology
Business Voice will also give you access to AI technology for transcribing voicemail and translating chat messages.
Benefits
As we’ve alluded to throughout the article, Microsoft 365 Business Voice comes with many benefits for both employees and business owners.
All-in-one solution
While multiple tools have come together to solve most individual business communications problems for years, this is the first time that everything has come together in one solution. Call, chat, meetings, and audio conferencing are all run in a single app, and modes can be switched with one click.
This will allow your employees to easily satisfy all their modes of communication on one company approved app. It is simple to use, and this alone will discourage people from using non-company tools that could be a security risk.
Integration
Microsoft 365 Business Voice integrates seamlessly with other Office 365 tools, meaning that employees can use tools like Word and PowerPoint during meetings, and use Outlook to manage calendar and contact information.
Bringing all the tools together really helps users easily collaborate, present, and more.
Multi-device support
The BYOD feature enables users to work from anywhere, anytime – an essential need in today’s remote workforce. In fact, 56% of managers cite the only reason they don’t currently have a remote workforce is due to a lack of essential tools. Six times as many small businesses believe that these dynamic team structures will become the norm.
It is clear that to attract top talent, the days of forcing employees to sit in an office from 8 to 5 are over. Employees now expect flex time and remote work as part of a package, and you need the tools to support that.
Top cloud technology
Moving so much of your workload to the cloud can come with very real concerns, but this solution is backed by the assurance that you’re within Microsoft’s cloud – one of the top tier cloud solutions in the industry.
With load balancing and a 99.9% uptime guarantee, you’ll feel safe using such a reliable and secure cloud solution.
Teamwork
Finally, implementing an all-in-one solution like this will allow your employees’ teamwork and collaboration to improve drastically. No longer will they have to deal with one department’s “favorite” tool versus another department’s “favorite” tool that may or may not work well together. Instead, everyone communicates on one platform and can work together easily.
Contact a Sherweb representative today to find out how Microsoft 365 Business Voice can help skyrocket your business to even more success!
