In today's fast-paced and interconnected business landscape, effective communication and seamless collaboration are essential for organisations to thrive. Microsoft Teams has emerged as a leading platform, enabling teams to connect, communicate, and collaborate from anywhere in the world.

Microsoft is taking Teams' capabilities to the next level with Operator Connect, a ground-breaking partnership with key telecoms providers. This collaboration aims to improve deployment, reliability, and call quality, offering users enhanced service and uptime.

What is Operator Connect?

Microsoft Teams Operator Connect takes Direct Routing to the next level with key telecoms providers working in Partnership with Microsoft to link up their networks, improving deployment, reliability and call quality to enhance service and uptime. 

Research from Cavell have predicted Microsoft’s overall market share of the Cloud Communications Market to be at 33% by 2026 with Operator Connect becoming the dominant choice for circa 3 million individual users. 

Direct Routing requires a higher degree of technical expertise to implement but with Operator Connect, all management is simplified in relation to the initial setup along with number management being available straight through the Teams Admin Centre. With this method, changes to numbers for users, shared devices, auto attendants and call queues can be made almost instantly. 

Certified from Microsoft 

Partners must have accredited people and technologies to comply with the standards set by Microsoft. 

Quality Assured 

The solution requires that all partners must comply with end-to-end Quality of Service levels and Service Level Agreements.

Direct Connection to Microsoft (MAPS) 

Engineered to communicate directly from the carrier, straight into the Microsoft Azure Peering Service for reliability and performance. 

Compliant and Capable 

Carriers must be regulated /licensed operators within the geographic location of service as well as having fully compliant architecture, interconnections and integrations. 

Why choose Operator Connect & Chess 

Chess hold five Microsoft Solution Designations and are proud to also hold the Teams Calling Specialisation. Our knowledge and experience of Teams Calling is vast, we have deployed the solution for single users as well as Enterprise customers with over 1000 users. 

Easy Ordering, Porting and Additions 

Familiar experience in the Teams Admin Centre, easy to administer. In-life changes completed quickly with minimal training requirements. 

Easy Number Management 

Management of all DDI’s and Users in the Teams Admin Centre, putting control in the customers hands. Re-assign numbers, allocate new and deactivate whenever required. 

Simpler to Deploy 

Less back end configuration time means the basics can be setup in minutes to get up and running. 

Self Service 

Remove the need for Change Requests (although we can of course fully manage the solution), empowers our customers to be self sufficient and reduce wait times. 

Key Features of Operator Connect with Chess 

  • Number Management within the Teams Admin Centre.
  • Internal Calling and Group Calling - internal call transfer; auto attendants and call queues.
  • Text-to-Speech for auto attendants, queue messages and voicemail.
  • Users Voicemail - Voicemail transcription, voicemail to email.
  • Call Forwarding - User controlled call forwarding with admin controls to over ride.
  • Presence Based Routing - Forwarding calls when you're unavailable 
  • Queues - Routing options, customised music on hold. Calls to Channels.
  • Dashboards – Enhanced statistical information.
  • Fraud Management and Disaster Recovery platform included, which is not available with Microsoft Calling Plans.
Next Steps

We can provide full demonstration capabilities with our certified experts for all of the options available with Teams Calling for you to see the key differences between Microsoft Calling Plans, Direct Routing and Operator Connect so you can experience this yourself. Get in touch with your account manager to arrange a demonstration. 

Some of our customers like to try it out too and we can offer a free 30 day trial on the licensing for Operator Connect so you can really see how Teams Calling can revolutionise your business telephony.