An unreliable call service or a call service that is not secure can negatively impact your business. If your organization has poor call service, your customers may not be able to reach you resulting in lost revenue and business relationships.
If your employees are experiencing call breakups or call drops, they may not be very productive during the workday which could also result in lost revenue.
Additionally, if your phone system is not secure, you could be a victim of a cyberattack and incur significant expenses to repair your voice network.
Coeo has delivered Microsoft Teams Direct Routing to thousands of customers and knows the importance of a reliable call service.
We want to give you information on Microsoft Teams Direct Routing so you can make a better buying decision and improve your calling service.
By the end of this article, you will know what Microsoft Teams Direct Routing is, the features of the service, and whether your organization is a good fit for the service.
What is Microsoft Teams Direct Routing?
Microsoft Teams Direct Routing allows your organization to make and receive phone calls over the internet using the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN).
Microsoft Teams Direct Routing takes Microsoft Teams telephony and allows a third-party provider to manage the service for you.
Contrary to popular belief, Microsoft Teams is not just a collaborative platform that allows you to chat with employees and host video conferences and meetings.
You can also use it as a phone system that allows your traditional phone lines to transfer to the cloud so you can make calls over the PSTN.
Customers can connect their existing on-premise telephone service to the Microsoft Teams Phone System using SBCs and a Microsoft-certified partner like Coeo, in order to bring their phone system to the cloud.
A Session Border Controller (SBC) is a dedicated software or hardware device that controls how phone calls are initiated, conducted, and terminated on a voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network. This tool helps transfer your phone system from traditional phone lines to the internet.
If you would like to speak with our team to talk about Microsoft Teams Direct Routing or ask any questions you may have you can schedule an appointment.
Features of Microsoft Teams Direct Routing
Microsoft Teams Direct Routing comes with plenty of features that can benefit your organization.
PSTN calling
PSTN calling is one of the main features Microsoft Teams Direct Routing brings to an organization. PSTN calling gives your organization the ability to make and receive calls over the internet.
This allows your calling system to be much more flexible than a regular traditional phone line. A traditional phone line makes and receives calls using a copper wire which makes it hard to scale or move your phones.
With Microsoft Teams Direct Routing, you can make calls over the internet which frees your phones from copper wires.
Without copper wires, you can add or take away as many phones as you need and you can take your phone anywhere allowing for more flexibility.
This allows your employees to work from anywhere using any device which is perfect for today’s remote work environment.
Call actions
Microsoft Teams Direct Routing allows you to perform actions on your calls that can increase efficiency. These actions include call hold, call forward, and call transfer.
If employees are busy and the phone rings they can answer the call and put the caller on hold. This will help with efficiency and allows your employees to finish the task they are doing while the customer is still on the line.
Call forward allows your employees to forward calls to another representative usually in the same department. Call transfer allows your employee to transfer the caller to a different phone line typically in a different department.
These actions can be performed when a caller is requesting information or a task that the original respondent cannot perform.
In this way, it gives you the ability to forward or transfer callers to the right department or respondent to best address to callers’ needs.
Auto attendant and call queues
Microsoft Teams Direct Routing can provide your organization with a phone auto attendant. An auto attendant is a virtual receptionist used to describe a voice menu system.
A few features that an auto attendant can bring to an organization include:
Custom greeting
An auto attendant allows your organization to create a custom message that will greet customers after the number is dialed.
Voice menu
The menu option of the auto attendant follows a pre-set script to guide callers along their journey directing them to the correct person.
An example of this pre-set script could say something like “press 1 for customer service” and the system will transfer the caller to the customer service phone line if 1 is selected.
Is your organization a good fit for Microsoft Teams Direct Routing?
Most organizations can benefit from an upgraded calling service like Microsoft Teams Direct Routing. However, if your organization does not receive much call volume, you may not fully benefit from the service.
If your organization receives a lot of call volume or works in a remote or hybrid remote work environment, your organization will benefit from the cloud-based phone system that Microsoft Teams telephony provides.
Microsoft Teams Direct Routing allows you to make and receive calls from any environment on any device making it perfect for remote work.
Next steps to purchasing Microsoft Teams Direct Routing
Now you know what Microsoft Teams Direct Routing is, the features of the service, and if it is right for your organization. This will allow you to make a better purchasing decision when it comes to Microsoft Teams Direct Routing.
If your organization has a poor-performing call service, your employees may be less productive. If this is the case, your organization could lose customers which can result in lost revenue.
Microsoft Teams Direct Routing can give your organization a more reliable and secure calling service. This can result in better productivity and efficiency within your organization.
Coeo has helped thousands of customers improve their calling service. We want to give you information on Microsoft Teams Direct Routing so you can make the best decision to improve your calling service.
If you would like to speak with our team to talk about Microsoft Teams Direct Routing or ask any questions you may have you can schedule an appointment. 
Now that you understand what Microsoft Teams Operator Connect is and whether it is a good choice for your organization, read this article to understand the differences between Microsoft Teams Direct Routing and Operator Connect:
