Back in November 2019, I brought you the news that leading communications and technology company, Microsoft would soon be delivering a new phone system. The Business Voice service, designed for companies with up to 300 users, provides access to telephony technology across all devices. What’s more, Business Voice by Microsoft also integrates with the Microsoft Teams experience, offering a full UCaaS solution for Microsoft fans.
Now, Microsoft has revealed that it’s opening the Business Voice SKU to over 70 countries via resellers in the community. The Microsoft 365 Business Voice calling plan is available in a go-to-market strategy that will allow telephony partners to provide the connectivity and minutes to the business user, while Microsoft offers the Office 365 ecosystem, and other bonuses, like in-built AI.
Business Voice was previously only available in the UK and Canada, but now it’s available everywhere that you can access Microsoft PSTN audio conferencing, except for Australia.
What is Microsoft Business Voice?
Business Voice is an intelligence add-on SKU for the Office 365 plans available for small businesses. It comes with access to Microsoft AI for translating chat messages, transcribing voicemails, and even providing real-time captioning. Suitable for all companies with up to 300 users, the solution will combine audio conferencing, calling plans (from Microsoft or a third-party provider), and a complete phone system.
According to Microsoft, the solution will streamline communications and productivity tools into the Microsoft Teams applications. In other words, you can have all of your communication stacks in one place, unifying calling, chat, calendar, emails, meetings, and more.
Because the Voice solution is delivered via the Microsoft cloud, you know you’re getting a secured cloud-based environment, and Microsoft is promising 24/7 customer support too. Within the Voice system, you’ll get all the benefits of a full enterprise telephony solution alongside your Teams collaboration tool.
This means that you’ll have access to:
- Call transfer
- Multi-level auto attendants
- Call Queues
How to Get Microsoft Business Voice
Depending on individual needs, SMBs can access Microsoft Business Voice in one of two ways. The first option is to take the solution straight from Microsoft, with access to phone numbers and calling plans from Microsoft, starting at around £12 per user per month ($20).
The alternative option, perhaps more appealing to those who already have a relationship with an existing communications company, is to work through a CSP partner who can deliver their own calling plans for customers. This means that you’ll be paying for a low-cost version of the Microsoft SKU and the price that your partner charges for the plan.
Microsoft Business Voice is only available as an add-on; it can’t be used as a standalone service. However, you can access this functionality on a range of packages, including:
- Office 365 F1
- Office 365 E1
- Office 365 E3
- Microsoft 365 E3
- Microsoft 365 A3
- Microsoft 365 A1
- Office 365 Business Basic (Previously Office 365 Essentials)
- Office 365 Business Standard (Previously Office 365 Premium)
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium (Previously Microsoft 365 Business)
The generally available new Business Voice plans from Microsoft are available to explore today.
