Microsoft Teams has firmly established itself as the business world’s dominant communication and collaboration platform. Organizations increasingly rely on Teams for their day-to-day operations making it the focal point of many employees’ working day. With its tight integration into the 365 suite, it’s a compelling proposition which few vendors can match.
This presents a significant opportunity for channel partners, resellers, and service providers to move beyond selling licenses and start adding value where it matters most.
“The reality is, if you are a UC provider and think you can sell against Teams, you’re not going to win that battle,” Mark Herbert, Chief Partner Evangelist at Dstny noted.
According to Herbert, the most successful channel partners are integrating Teams into their offerings and adding value beyond simple voice connectivity.
Finding Success Through Differentiation
Channel partners who embrace Teams are finding innovative ways to differentiate themselves.
Herbert explained that successful partners attach business applications to existing services. “For example, we have a partner in the U.S. who built a micro-CRM for small businesses.”
The partner had sold this micro-CRM into a florist so they can track customer calls, set birthday reminders and double down their efforts on growing repeat business.
For the florist, that could utilize the benefits Microsoft Teams with an integrated CRM which directly impacted revenues, Herbert said, “That’s a game-changer.”
By bundling teams with industry-specific applications or pairing with specific use-cases like analytics or compliance tools, service providers can offer tailored solutions that meet unique business needs and transform a commodity service into a value-driven proposition.
Long-Term Customer Retention
One of the most significant advantages of selling Teams-based voice solutions is customer stickiness.
Herbert emphasized that customers are not coming off Teams once they’re on it.
“It’s typically a one-way journey. If you sell Teams Voice, you’re selling a service that could last indefinitely.”
This represents a golden opportunity for providers to establish long-term customer relationships and ensure recurring revenue through Team-based integrations and support services.
Overcoming Deployment Barriers
Some resellers and service providers find Integrating Teams Voice into their portfolio a daunting technical challenge. Telephony has long been viewed as a technical ‘dark art’ but the more IT-centric partners, but this isn’t necessarily the case today.
Solutions like Dstny’s direct routing and call integration technology make adopting a voice-integrated proposition easier than ever.
Herbert explained that providers want something simple to deploy, something that doesn’t require a massive investment in technical resources, i.e. engineers.
“That is a huge win for providers. if they can scale their business without adding support headaches and excessive costs it’s great for them.”
“By leveraging plug-and-play direct routing solutions, providers can seamlessly connect their voice services to Teams without the complexity of traditional telecom infrastructure.”
Monetizing Microsoft Teams Beyond Voice
The opportunity for channel partners extends beyond basic voice connectivity. Providers can unlock new revenue streams by bundling Teams Voice with value-added services. These might include:
Compliance & Call Recording
Industries with strict regulatory requirements, such as finance and healthcare, require call recording and analytics tools. Herbert noted that high-compliance markets are also high-revenue markets. “They have no choice but to pay for those services.”
Advanced Analytics & Reporting
Businesses need insights into their call patterns and collaboration trends, making analytics and reporting an attractive upsell.
Mobility & Hybrid Work Solutions
Mobile integrations allow businesses to extend Teams Voice to employees either at home or on the move.
Microsoft Support Services
Once a provider starts managing Teams Voice, customers may naturally turn to them for broader Microsoft support. Even though they’re not paying you for Microsoft stuff, they might call you when they have an issue with Excel, Herbert pointed out. That’s a service you can monetize.
A Multi-Platform Approach
While Teams has become a dominant UC platform, service providers can still position themselves as valuable intermediaries by offering multi-platform integrations.
Running multiple platforms, such as Teams, Zoom, and Webex, is common for multinational organizations that may inherit platforms through acquisition or just want the best service in a particular region.
For partners, it allows them to sell and support a robust solution regardless of the location. Herbert explained “If you’re bridging RingCentral into Teams, for example, then if Teams goes down, you can log into the UC provider and still be able to use voice services. That spreads the risk and adds resilience to the customer’s business.”
Dstny allows providers to integrate numbering and minutes across multiple platforms and regions. That’s a significant revenue opportunity for those serving large enterprises.
The Path to Success
Microsoft has made it clear that channel partners cannot rely on selling Teams alone. Channel partners can capture the Teams opportunity by adding vertical-specific applications, ensuring compliance, and providing expert support. The partners that succeed will be the ones who innovate, delivering tailored, high-value solutions that customers can’t get from Microsoft alone.
