If your team already spends its day in Microsoft Teams for chat and video, there’s a good chance you can use it for your actual phone calls too — the ones to and from customers, suppliers and anyone outside your organisation. It’s a genuinely good option for a lot of Irish businesses, but it’s not right for everyone. Here’s what it involves.
What “Teams calling” actually means
Out of the box, Microsoft Teams lets your staff call each other. What it doesn’t do on its own is connect to the outside world — you can’t ring a customer’s landline or take a call from a supplier. Adding proper calling turns Teams into a full business phone system: staff make and receive external calls on their normal business number, straight from the Teams app on a laptop, desk phone or mobile.
How it works
There are a couple of ways to enable it, but the flexible route for most businesses is what’s known as Direct Routing. In plain terms, a provider connects your phone lines to your Teams setup, so your existing numbers work inside Teams. You keep the app your team already knows, and it quietly becomes your phone system as well. We set this up and manage the connection so you don’t have to worry about the technical side — see our Microsoft Teams calling page for how we do it.
The upsides
- One app for everything — chat, video and phone calls in the same place, on any device.
- Work from anywhere — staff answer the business line from the office, home or on the road, without giving out personal mobile numbers.
- Keep your numbers — there’s no need to change the number customers already have. Here’s how porting works.
- Often cheaper — you’re using software you likely already pay for, and calls run over the internet.
What to watch for
Teams calling suits businesses that are already committed to Microsoft 365 and want everything in one place. If you rely on features like a busy reception console, call queues for a support line, or specific desk phones, those are all possible — but they need setting up properly, which is where a provider earns its keep. It’s also worth having a plan for calls if your internet drops, the same as any VoIP system.
Is it right for your business?
If Teams is already the centre of how your team works, adding calling to it is often the simplest, tidiest move — one system, one login, calls that follow your people wherever they are. If you’re not on Microsoft 365, or you want a more traditional phone setup, a Cloud PBX may suit you better. Either way, it’s worth a quick chat before you decide.
Curious whether Teams calling fits your setup? Talk to our Mullingar team for a free, no-obligation review and a clear recommendation.