Transforming Customer Experience: Teams Queue App vs. Contact Centres

Written by 
Adam Hand, Head of Digital Workplace and Microsoft Cloud

Starting October 2024, Microsoft will be launching their new, much awaited Teams Queues App – note this does require a Teams Premium license to be used. – Microsoft 365 roadmap. This innovative solution will enable organisations to manage call queues more effectively, enhancing the standard Queue feature in Microsoft Teams rather than needing to use (and pay) for third party add-ons and tools. The Teams Queues App will provide “Contact Center Lite” features including reporting, agent performance tracking, and the ability to opt users in and out of queues as needed, all without the hefty price tag of a full-fledged Contact Centre product.

A Game-Changing Offering for Price-Sensitive Organisations

As a new experience within Microsoft Teams, the offering is game-changing at a glance since it now offers call queue features for organisations that are more price-sensitive or don’t need/want to invest in full-featured  Contact Centre solutions. The features of a “contact centre lite” are an added bonus, along with all the other advanced Teams Premium features such as AI-Powered Intelligent Meeting Recap, which brings AI meeting summarisation, actions, and other valuable insights.

The expansive list of the current 29 Microsoft certified contact centre providers offers a wide range of options, features, and functionalities depending on your needs. These could include full omnichannel integration with SMS, Email, WhatsApp, Socials, and deep integration into CRM platforms such as Dynamics or Salesforce, detailed reporting/wallboards. All these vendors will provide some level of integration into Teams from the Connect, Extend, and Power models that Microsoft has defined.

Microsoft is aiming the Queues App at the “Lite” market for organisations that want some of the features but not a fully-fledged contact centre. Here are some of the features:

Teams Queue App Features

• A full view of the agents’ Call Queue performance with real-time stats
• Opting in and out of queues
• Integration into CRM
• Self-management of users from nominated power users
• Power Users also get an analytics dashboard
• Copilot integration (requires a separate Microsoft 365 Copilot license)

Coming Soon

In a future release, this service will include Monitor, Barge, Whisper, and Call Takeover by Power Users.

What Has Happened

Since its launch in 2017, Microsoft Teams has become a popular choice for companies’ voice needs. With the PSTN shut off looming in 2027, the shift to VOIP solutions is accelerating. Without advanced queuing features like Teams Queues, organisations have had to rely on full-fledged Contact Centre providers like Cisco Webex Contact Centre, Enghouse, Anywhere365, Five9, or Genesys. Alternatively, they might opt for providers with similar services such as Luware, Netcall, Landis, or Audiocodes.

Microsoft is not trying to compete with these larger players but is offering services based on customer feedback as part of an Enterprise Platform. While there is some crossover, these providers offer more advanced features. Microsoft’s aim is to provide additional services for an Enterprise Telephony platform without competing directly with the larger players.

Conclusion

In summary, there are many options on the market, and ultimately the product chosen must meet the demands of the role. Otherwise, organisations are sacrificing the right product for their users, thus not empowering their users to fully deliver the needs of the service. Having this all wrapped within Microsoft does make a compelling argument, and if you want Intelligent Meeting Recap as well, it makes the jump even more compelling. But organisations must ensure it is the right fit against the system demand; otherwise, you are putting in a solution that doesn’t meet the demand.

Ready to transform your customer experience? Book a call to discuss how we can elevate your contact centre with Teams Queue App

Get in Touch with Cisilion

At Cisilion, we understand the importance of staying ahead of the curve. That’s why we’re excited to offer our expertise in integrating these new technologies into your business. Our team is ready to help you explore the full potential of the new Teams Queues App and other Microsoft advancements.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to transform your business with the latest Microsoft innovations. Contact Cisilion today to learn more about how these new features can elevate your productivity and creativity to new heights.