When it comes to transitioning from a legacy system to unified communications (UC), your IT team shouldn't have to do it on their own. A Microsoft Teams transition is a big project, and it takes a special set of skills to make sure it goes off without a hitch.
Microsoft Teams is more than just another collaboration tool. It's a total system evolution that will change the way you work. Enabling it isn't as simple as flipping a switch.
Between routing calls in the Cloud, migrating to a SIP environment, and onboarding your users, your IT team can feel overwhelmed at the volume of work involved in deploying Teams. It requires the right telecom knowledge, and it can be easy to overlook the importance of user adoption.
It's understand to want your IT team to facilitate your transition. You would have total control over the deployment and implementation if people on your payroll do it.
There's also the possibility of cost savings. A new systems integration seems in line with what you pay your IT team to do. They could do it and help you save money from not having to hire new personnel. Unfortunately, this isn't true in practice.
How many members of your IT team are Microsoft experts? If they're not Microsoft experts, it's easy to make critical errors in the transition process. They may assume a Teams implementation is done with the press of a button. If they neglect user adoption, it can create negative a user experience.
The time it would take to make your IT team into Microsoft experts isn't worth it. This is also true of time wasted if the whole migration fails. Relying on your IT team may cause serious damage to your productivity and ROI.
A Microsoft Teams integrator will come alongside your IT team to help them transition to Teams. Integrators provide high levels of expertise in Microsoft products and services. They design and deploy a Microsoft solution that fits your budget, infrastructure, and workforce.
Many integrators also have expertise in legacy systems. If your organization still relies on a PBX for its communication, your integrator will help you keep it running until your transition is complete. They will also help you integrate it into your Teams solution if you want to keep it.
User adoption is another area where Teams integrators excel. An integrator will help your organization devise a plan to create positive user experiences throughout your organization. They also help your teams decommission redundant applications and replace them with Microsoft 365. This will help you dramatically increase your ROI on your Microsoft licenses.
Continuant is a certified Microsoft Teams integrator. For more than 25 years, we've helped organizations improve their communication and collaboration with quality solutions and services.
We can design, deploy, and manage a Teams solution that works best for your organization. Our goal is to come alongside your IT team and lend them our expertise. Your team will be able to focus on their day-to-day tasks while we handle the transition.
Our services will ensure your transition is successful. We'll even continue to monitor the system afterward to make sure your efficiency is improving. We'll also help your organization plan and implement effective user adoption strategies.
Ready to make the transition to Microsoft Teams? Schedule a call with one of our experts to determine how we'll help your IT team.
* Editor's Note: This article was originally published in March 2019 and has been revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.