March 11, 2024
In the past two years many leading enterprises have been replacing legacy PBX with Microsoft Teams Contact Center. But still there are companies that don’t dare to take the leap.
Today, on the 5th anniversary of Microsoft Teams, we’re diving into the 4 most common reasons for that. And we’ll tell you why they are BS.
1. Replacing Legacy PBX with a Teams Contact Center Is Technically Difficult
Some IT managers are afraid that replacing the legacy services will cause them a lot of work. But it is actually relatively easy to replace legacy PBX with Microsoft Teams Contact Center. In fact, below you can see an example of how Anywhere365® Dialogue Cloud easily performs direct routing between your PTSN network and the Teams backend. Without the need to port the number provided by your carrier, or change hardware.
The real challenge is not technical, it’s organizational. It’s a matter of daring to choose firmly. Because replacing legacy PBX with Microsoft Teams Contact Center capabilities is not just about a new function set. Instead, management and core users will need to buy into a disruptive approach to customer communication. Probably the most disruptive trend in CX in the coming years.
So, it is important that every stakeholder sees why things need to change and how it will work. Luckily, leaders in many industries have already paved the path.
Management and core users will need to buy into a disruptive approach to customer communication. Probably the most disruptive trend in CX in the coming years.
Native Teams Communication Capabilities
Although Microsoft Teams is a great collaboration platform, it offers limited dialogue routing functionality and falls short when it comes to customer service. Gartner recognized that adding a native solution with the right communication capabilities will really drive value. In fact, they mention our Dialogue Cloud as a best in breed option. And in ISG’s 2021 CCaaS Provider Lens study Anywhere365® was the only Teams native cloud-based communication solution.
We natively leverage the voice and omnichannel capabilities of Microsoft Teams to intelligently route calls directly to Teams users. Our zero code contact center automation app Dialogue Studio even lets you build custom dialogue flows. By simply dragging and dropping nodes without codes to a canvas; no coding experience required.
2. Replacing Legacy PBX with a Teams Contact Center Is A Complicated Process
OK, honestly, it could be compicated. But is that really a reason not to take your shot? Your legacy PBX systems are probably more complicated. How do you think legacy call center agents liked packing their own homes with complicated hardware and create complicated call forwarding to their own phones? They needed to ask customers to dial a different number if the question was beyond their pay rate and the appropriate department was not on the same system.
But it was also complicated for their managers. Imagine leading a customer service team without monitoring productivity on the premise. It takes cloud-based dialogue management software to safeguard productivity and customer happiness.
With Microsoft Teams as a single UC platform, you can have 1 version of presence for every enterprise user. For example, agents can use 1 environment to see availability, make transfers, or consult with their managers. It’s become easier than ever.
Contact center managers or C level don’t have to be satisfied anymore with just tracking customer dialogues in the contact center. You can continue to track the conversation beyond the contact center. And you can report on the time a customer spent with your entire organization. The future is here!
3. Replacing Legacy PBX with a Teams Contact Center Brings No Real Value
Definitely wrong. With 2,000+ enterprise customers we have seen that replacing legacy PBX is a great way to make giant leaps. Both in workforce productivity and customer engagement. And, again, not just Contact Center, but also for other enterprise dialogues. Everyone in an organization can be part of any dialogue at any time.
Think of your IT helpdesk, sales account teams, reception or even your finance department. You can fully benefit from one central platform and leverage existing investments in the Microsoft ecosystem.
Remove Chinese Walls
Replacing your telephony system with Microsoft Teams and leveraging that for the entire organization, removes Chinese walls between departments. It also gives you the opportunity to build your business on a powerful platform that connects and empowers agents, other enterprise users and even customers. Bringing not just voice, but also chat, video and even screensharing in the very heart of your customer dialogues. AI driven chat bots, voice bots and even video bots can take care of routine questions, leaving more complex dialogues to your agents.
4. Working From Home Will Go Away
Ah, the famous ostrich strategy. Well, we can be short. There are numerous reasons to believe that working from home is here to stay. May be not for everyone, and may be not 5 days a week. But it fits in a trend of reducing office spaces for hybrid teams.
Many companies are also planning a new combination of remote and on-site working, giving rise to a hybrid work model. In a survey by Gartner in 2020 it already became clear that 74% of CFOs plan to permanently shift employees to remote work after the Covid-19 crisis ends. That number has only gone up since.
Benefits For All Stakeholders
So yes, transitioning your calling system to Teams is a change, but one with lots of benefits down the road for all the stakeholders. Agents get to work in an easy to understand environment based on the Microsoft technology they are already familiar with. And they can do their work from any device, from any location, and at any time. IT teams will see their infrastructure simplified and customers will experience a higher level of service. Giving back a lot of time to them both. And they will love it.
