Why a Microsoft Teams Conference Call Is Useful and How to Set One Up

Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business both offer the ability to call into a meeting instead of using a video device. Why is this useful? Here are some major advantages to being able to use a Microsoft Teams conference call rather than a video call.

The Advantages of MS Teams Conference Calls

Everyone is familiar with a conference call. Conference calls are easy to schedule on-the-fly, don’t require any advanced technology, and are intuitive and simple to use. Here are some major advantages of using MS Teams conference calls:

• Some people are more comfortable over audio than video. While video can be a great way to communicate, there are some people who feel nervous about using a video conference. They may not feel prepared to use video, or they may feel as though they haven’t properly set up or made their area professional. Video conferencing does require more preparation than an audio call; an audio call can be scheduled last minute, where it may be harder to schedule a video call in the same way.
• Connection quality may be an issue. Video conferencing requires that you have a high-speed, reliable connection. Audio calls can travel over slow, erratic lines without any noticeable drop in quality. Video conferencing, on the other hand, is difficult to manage without a high-speed connection; it can be very unnatural to try to talk people while the conversation is lagging.
• People may be on the road, commuting, or otherwise unable to access a video device. An employee driving a vehicle can use hands-free Bluetooth devices to connect to a call through audio. Video conferencing means that someone needs to stay in a single place, while an audio conference call can be taken anywhere, even when traveling.
• Technical difficulties could prevent connecting to the right platform. Accessing Skype for Business or Microsoft Teams may not be possible on an employee’s device, and consequently they may need to use another conference call solution. An audio conference can be joined on virtually any phone and with any technological platform.

Conference calls are an easy way to connect with multiple people at once, in an easy-to-use and user-friendly format. Video conferencing isn’t always the solution: When people are busy, on-the-go, or in areas that don’t have the best technology, a traditional audio conference call may be better.

Setting Up a Conference Call with Microsoft Teams

First, it’s important to make sure that all parties are using Microsoft Teams compatible phones. Fortunately, that’s virtually every phone, including all modern smartphones. From there, setting up a conference call through MS Teams requires the following steps:

1. Get the licenses that you need. Audio conferencing is included in Office 365 Enterprise E5 licenses, but licenses may need to be purchased for audio calls otherwise. Each user who wants to complete audio-conferencing calls should have their own license.
2. Get service numbers. Rather than using phone numbers, you will need to connect through service numbers. These toll-free or tolled numbers will be used by users to call in. Once the service number has been acquired, it needs to be connected to the conferencing bridge.
3. Configure the bridge settings. Under the dashboard, you can select “meetings” and then “conference settings.” Bridge settings can be opened from there. You can configure bridge settings and conference settings through this dashboard, as well as the rest of the relevant conference settings.
4. Assign phone numbers for those who run conference calls. Those who run conference calls will need a dial-in phone number, which they will be able to connect to in order to initiate a conference.
5. Set up invitations for meetings. Through the platform, you can invite people directly to meetings if desired. Meetings can also be held on-the-fly by handing out the relevant number, after which everyone can call into the platform. This is optional, but it can help for the purposes of coordinating meetings.

An MS Teams conference call is a flexible communication option, letting people connect to each other wherever they are, and communicate on their own, simple terms. While video conferencing is usually clearer and more personable for everyone involved, it isn’t always a feasible solution. Through the services provided by MS Teams, conference calls can be launched quickly, affectively, and easily.

However, a transition to a Microsoft Teams infrastructure isn’t always that easy. Companies need to be able to transition their entire company over to using MS Teams, both the platform and the processes. A professional partner can help a company implement MS Teams and improve upon its organization.

Interested in some other great features of Microsoft Teams? Contact Red River to learn from our experts.