Microsoft is launching a new service plan for business customers called “Teams Phone with Calling Plan.” The company is consolidating its Microsoft 365 Business Voice and Enterprise bundles to simplify the purchasing process and bring “enterprise-grade capabilities” to small and medium businesses (SMBs).
The Teams Phone with Calling plan is a cloud-hosted phone service that will let customers make and receive PSTN (public switched telephone network) calls on landlines and mobile phones in Microsoft Teams. This secure and reliable solution includes features such as voicemail transcription, call queues, consultative transfer, and auto-attendants. It should help to cater to the calling needs of small and medium businesses.
“Teams Phone with Calling Plan is an all-in-one communication solution that helps SMBs reduce costs and simplify operations. It brings together calling, chat, meetings, and collaboration into a single app, enabling users to make phone calls from anywhere, on any device—including computers, smart phones, desk phones, and meeting rooms. It combines essential telephony components: A phone system and domestic calling plan, into a single package,” the company explained in a blog post.
Microsoft says that this new Teams Phone with Calling plan bundle will be available for customers through its partners in 33 markets starting on January 1, 2022. Alternatively, businesses based in the UK, US, or Canada will also be able to purchase the plans directly from the official website on January 3. The company plans to expand its availability to all Microsoft 365 subscribers worldwide in the coming months.
As for availability, the new Teams Phone with Calling plan will automatically be available to organizations with “Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium, F1, F3, E3, A3 and Office 365 F1, F3, E1, E3, A1, A3” licenses. Microsoft will also offer a free 30-day trial for eligible customers interested in trying the Teams Phone with Calling plan on behalf of their organization.
