Leading IP handset manufacturer AudioCodes are taking the pain of choosing when to migrate to Skype for Business or Microsoft Teams by introducing an Investment Protection Programme.
Under the new programme, end user customers buying AudioCodes Series 400 IP phones will get a full credit on their original purchase when they upgrade to a qualifying native Microsoft Teams phone within the next 2 years.
“The programme is designed to help customers with any inertia they may have on whether to go for Skype or Teams.”
“We hope that this will encourage them to make the move to either Skype or Teams now with our IP Phones and get a credit back if they choose to use our native Teams phones with the native Teams client in future,” explains Andy Elliot, VP of EMEA Marketing & Business Development at AudioCodes.
The AudioCodes 400HD series of endpoints support both Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams environments as part of the Microsoft interoperability programme. These devices carry the range of essential business features such as HD voice quality and reliability but they also have certified interoperability with Microsoft’s Unified Communications solutions. However, a new range of native Teams phones are also being introduced which will provide closer integration in a Microsoft Teams environment.
“The C450HD is the first of the native Teams phones in that in runs an Android OS and allows users to run the Microsoft Teams app just like you would on your mobile device. It is also a dual boot phone so not only does it have the Android Teams client but it is also certified for Skype for Business as well so now you can switch intelligently between the two platforms on the one device,” adds Jason Wyatt, Technical Marketing Manager for EMEA at AudioCodes.
As the C450HD is very much a high-end device, the Investment Protection Plan allows users to choose one the most appropriate handset for their needs from the range today and then when the native Teams handset becomes available, they can receive a 100% credit towards their new device.
“The 400 Series IP Phones are all certified for Microsoft Skype for Business online and let’s just say you buy 1,000 445 devices but at a later stage you wanted to upgrade to the native Teams version with the Teams client running on the phones. With the IPP you’d be able to do,” continues Jason.
Audiocodes have been working in the Microsoft ecosystem for over 15 years, helping to voice enable Microsoft from the connectivity piece with gateways and SBCs as well as now supporting Direct Routing to give voice to Teams, all the way through to devices.
In order to help customers’ plan their migration to Microsoft, AudioCodes’ have also introduced their One Voice for Microsoft Office 365 offering, a unified solution intended to simplify and accelerate voice-enablement of Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams implementations.
