Microsoft’s new Operator Connect model will enable a more seamless experience for users by removing a huge amount of the complexity involved with provisioning phone systems and allowing customers to consume and manage partner voice services in a similar means to Microsoft’s own services.
That’s the view of Andy Gibson, who is Director of Product at Intrado – one of the launch carriers of the program.
Operator Connect lets businesses plug PSTN calling from their existing carriers directly into Teams, without some of the more traditionally complex elements of direct routing. The service is set to enter private preview with 12 providers in Q2.
Speaking to UC Today, Gibson said: “Direct Routing was developed to allow customers extra flexibility if Microsoft didn’t have a calling plan in a specific country or they wanted to consume it on different commercial terms,” he said.
“The downside was that Direct Routing came with more of a disjointed experience. You have the Microsoft world on one side and the operator side on the other, but you had to bring the two together.
“Some operators created bespoke UIs and managed services, but most were reliant on PowerShell. When you got down to customer level, they were left with a choice of paying for a vendor-managed service on top of a subscription or learning PowerShell. Operator Connect closes that gap.”
Gibson said that phone numbers can be provisioned via the Teams portal in much the same way that a user would be created in Office 365, making it a simple process.
“Everything is graphical user interface driven and it’s all really easy,” Gibson added.
“This is exciting news for Intrado as we look down the market into the SMB space. Incorporating Operator Connect into our Direct Routing solution, Hoot Connect for Microsoft Teams, is going to open a lot of doors. Microsoft has done this to create a better experience for their customers and partners like us, so it’s great news.”
Gibson stressed that Operator Connect is an evolution of Direct Routing, rather than a replacement, but also said that it could lead to a reduction in the need for professional services.
“It’s not the total removal of services,” he said.
“We have a constant battle for finite resources. We have a lot of talented individuals that we employ and there are only so many hours in the day.
“I like to allocate our architects to do the larger more complex deals. That’s what they like doing, not the cookie-cutter, copy and paste of PowerShell.
“It’s when we get into advanced routing rules, Skype migration, legacy PBX migrations. Operator Connect doesn’t answer that so there is still a market for professional services and managed services layered on top. But it’s definitely a simplified user experience.”
A second component of the Operator Connect announcement came in the form of conferencing. This uses the same interface as Operator Connect and lets users add operator dial-in numbers to a Microsoft Audio Conferencing bridge.
Gibson said this is similar in benefits to ACP, which allows third-party apps to connect into Skype but will be retired in July after a prolonged phasing out. The technology and delivery model is markedly different, but the end customer benefits are still prominent.
“It provides customers a bit more flexibility, similar to Direct Routing,” he said.
“Customers know they can buy the service from Microsoft, but they might not want to be tied into those terms or markets. But if they want to go with another vendor, like Intrado – a long time Microsoft partner with a great deal of experience in conferencing – it gives them the power to potentially negotiate and find a fully qualified and supported alternative”
Speak to an Intrado expert to learn more about the benefits of Microsoft Operator Connect.
