Last November, Microsoft 365 Business Voice was launched in the UK and Canada. Starting on April 1st, Business Voice will be available in the U.S., giving small and medium businesses there a complete telephony solution built for Microsoft Teams. At that time, it will also be available in over 70 countries for businesses who use a calling plan provided by a third-party.
For those who missed the initial announcement, here’s a quick recap of Business Voice. It adds cloud-based telephony to Teams, for an all-in-one communication solution that brings together calling, chat, meetings, and collaboration. You can use Business Voice to make phone calls from anywhere, on any device—including computers, smart phones, desk phones, and meeting rooms. It uses Microsoft’s trusted cloud to deliver reliable, high-quality audio with intelligent and AI-powered capabilities. You can easily manage the solution in the same admin console as the rest of your Office 365 and Microsoft 365 services.
Microsoft 365 Business Voice combines essential telephony components into a single package for $20 per user, per month. It includes a phone system, audio conferencing, and domestic calling plan. Business Voice can be added onto any Office 365 or Microsoft 365 subscription that includes Teams1. There is also an option for businesses to bring their own third-party calling plan.
Business Voice has all the same features of Microsoft’s industry-leading Enterprise Voice solution. We then made Business Voice easy for small and medium businesses to buy, set up, and use. Let’s look at one example – the simplified setup experience for Business Voice:
1. Choose your company’s phone number
You can choose a local phone number, toll-free number, or use an existing number to serve as your company’s main line. The phone number you select will then be associated to your emergency address.
2. Get numbers for your employees
Next, you can select the employees you want to assign Business Voice licenses and give phone numbers to. Once your employees’ numbers are ready, they will get an email with instructions on how to start making and receiving calls right away.
3. Add a greeting for incoming calls
Many businesses want to provide a greeting for all incoming calls to their company phone number. With Business Voice, you can choose to upload a recorded greeting, or you can write out text that will create an audio greeting.
4. Set rules to answer calls
You can choose how your business answers incoming calls. Calls can be routed to a single person like a receptionist. Or you can create a call menu by associating a dial key with a voice command, and the caller will be forwarded to the correct employee or group of employees.
That’s it, four steps, and then you can start making and receiving calls in Teams. Additional configuration can be performed in the Teams Admin center for things like multi-level auto attendants and call queues.
How to get Microsoft 365 Business Voice
Business Voice is an add-on to Microsoft 365 and Office 365 plans that include Microsoft Teams1. It includes a phone system, audio conferencing, and domestic calling plan in one package for $20 per user, per month. Alternatively, you can also choose to get a calling plan from a third-party provider.
Both plans have been available in the UK and Canada since November. Starting on April 1st, you can purchase both Business Voice plans in the U.S. directly from Microsoft or through your current Microsoft partner. Business Voice with a third-party calling plan will also be available on April 1st in over 70 countries2 through a Microsoft partner.
To learn more about Microsoft 365 Business Voice visit our product page or documentation hub. We’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas on how we can make Business Voice even better for you in UserVoice or Microsoft Tech Community. We read every piece of feedback to make sure Business Voice meets your needs.
1 Microsoft 365 Business Voice can be added to the following plans for up to 300 users: Office 365 Business Essentials, Business Premium, F1, A1, E1, A3, E3; and Microsoft 365 Business, A3, E3.
2 Microsoft 365 Business Voice without calling plan will be available on April 1st in Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Vietnam.