Optimizing Microsoft Teams Telephony: Why Standard Processes Often Fail

A classic scenario in everyday office life: The phone rings at reception. A voice answers and asks to be connected to a project manager. The person at reception hesitates. Only an unknown number appears on the display, no name. It is also unclear whether the requested project manager is actually available or just in an internal meeting. The call is put through on the off chance – and ends up on voicemail. The customer hangs up disappointed. This example clearly shows that telephony is more than just a technical connection between two devices. It is a central business process. If this process is disrupted, it costs time, nerves and, in the worst case, revenue. Many companies today face the challenge that, although they have introduced modern tools, the quality of communication suffers. They wonder how they can optimize their Microsoft Teams telephony to eliminate such inefficiencies. Interestingly, simply switching to the Microsoft platform does not automatically solve all problems. On the contrary, without the right adjustments, new gaps often arise.

Let’s first analyze the three most common problems in general telephony and then look at where you need to start in order to professionally expand your Teams environment.

Part 1: The Three Most Common Problems in Business Telephony

Regardless of the technology used, there are three weaknesses that slow down the flow of communication in almost every company. If you want to optimize your telephony, you need to understand these process errors.

1. Lack of Caller Identification

It seems unprofessional, but it’s an everyday occurrence: A long-standing customer calls, but the employee doesn’t recognize them. They answer neutrally, have to ask for the customer’s name, and ask them to wait while they search for their customer number in the system. This lack of recognition creates distance. The customer feels like a number, not a partner. A conversation that begins with “Hello Ms. Meier, nice to hear from you!” immediately takes place on a more positive, trusting level.

2. Unclear Availability and Misdirected Calls

The switchboard or reception acts as a hub. But this hub often lacks the most important information: Is the colleague really available to talk? Calls are often put through even though the recipient is not at their desk or is already on the phone. The caller is put on hold, transferred back to the switchboard, or ends up on an answering machine. For the caller, this is a frustrating experience that leaves them feeling that the company lacks competence.

3. The Unresolved Management of Missed Calls

What happens to calls that are not answered? In many companies, there is no defined process for this. The call may appear briefly on the display and then disappear into a call list that no one checks. This is particularly critical in sales or support teams. If no one is explicitly responsible, no one feels responsible. The call is not returned, and the potential lead turns to a competitor. Without clear assignment or overview, business opportunities are lost.

Part 2: Where the Standard Microsoft Teams Telephony Reaches Its Limits (and You need to Optimize)

Many Swiss SMEs are currently migrating their telephony to Microsoft Teams. This makes strategic sense, as it centralizes communication. However, Teams is essentially collaboration software and not a traditional telephone system. Those who use the standard version of Microsoft Teams telephony (i.e., without extensions) often encounter three specific shortcomings. This is precisely where you need to focus if you want to optimize your Microsoft Teams telephony.

1. No Automatic Name Resolution (Lack of CRM Integration)

Microsoft Teams is a closed system by default. It knows the contacts stored in the employee’s personal Outlook or Active Directory. However, it has no native connection to external data sources. The problem: If a customer whose data is neatly maintained in your CRM, ERP, or a public phone book calls, Teams still only displays the raw phone number (e.g., +41 44 …). The employee does not know who is calling, even though the data is available within the company. There is no bridge between the telephony system and the database.

2. Lack of Reporting and Overview

How accessible is your hotline? At what times of day do most customers call? How long do they have to wait on average? Microsoft Teams only provides very rudimentary data in the standard admin center.

However, a team leader in sales or support needs detailed key performance indicators (KPIs) to plan human resources and ensure service quality. Without professional dashboards, management is flying blind.

3. Media Breaks in the Workflow

An employee wants to call a customer from the ERP system (SAP, Abacus, Bexio). In a classic CTI (computer telephony integration) solution, one click is all it takes. This function is missing in the standard Teams environment. The employee has to copy the number, switch to Teams, paste the number, and start the dialing process. With 50 calls a day, this manual effort adds up to a significant loss of time.

The Solution: Optimize Microsoft Teams Telephony with TwinCap First

The good news is that these limitations are no reason to forego Teams. Teams provides a solid foundation. However, specialized solutions are needed to close the gaps mentioned above.

This is exactly where TwinCap First comes in. We supplement the Microsoft standard with targeted functions that ensure professional everyday telephony:

• Ensure identification (Easy Lookup): We connect Microsoft Teams directly to your data sources (e.g., CRM, ERP, or phone book providers such as local.ch / search.ch). As soon as the phone rings, the system compares the number and displays the caller’s name. The employee is immediately in the picture.
• Avoid media breaks (Easy Directory): Keep track of all your business contacts directly in Microsoft Teams – whether from Outlook, shared mailboxes, Microsoft Entra ID, or even ERP and CRM systems. Efficient contact management thanks to the central contact book for Microsoft Teams.
• Create transparency (Easy Call Report): Working with call queues in Teams was often confusing – until now. We not only provide you with dashboards for managers, but also real tools for the team, such as push notifications for answered and missed calls and a detailed call history.
• Professional call routing (Easy Calling): With Easy Calling, we offer a simple and compact contact center with advanced features for call routing and management. Includes live dashboard, caller ID, call history, reporting, and numerous configuration options for your call queues.

Act Now and Optimize Your Microsoft Teams Telephony

Professional telephony is characterized by efficiency and customer focus. Greeting callers by name, forwarding calls in a targeted manner, and making reliable callbacks gives you a competitive advantage.

Don’t wait for Microsoft to close these gaps. Take matters into your own hands. You can optimize your Microsoft Teams telephony – today. We provide you with the missing building blocks for the perfect process. Would you like to check where your current solution still has potential?al steckt? Buche jetzt einen Besprechungs-Termin!