Migrating to Teams Phone Real-World Experience & Dealing with the Pace of Microsoft 365 Change
Jan 10, 2024
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In this podcast, digital workplace specialist Damian Lewis discusses the challenges of migrating legacy telephony into Teams, the operational model for telephony in Teams, staying on top of Microsoft updates through the Message Center, and the need for following the YouTube channel '365 Message Center Show' for additional insights.
Migrating legacy telephony to Teams involves complex number porting with unpredictable timelines and inconsistent procedures across different operators.
Active monitoring of the Microsoft message center is crucial for staying informed about upcoming changes and effectively communicating them to users.
Deep dives
Dealing with Microsoft 365 change and challenges
Damian Lewis, a digital workplace specialist at a global enterprise, discusses the challenges of managing Microsoft 365 change and the message center. He shares insights on migrating legacy telephony to Teams, including the complexities of number porting and the differences between operators. Lewis highlights the benefits of Teams phone, such as simplified holiday routing and increased efficiency in managing user responses to forms. He also emphasizes the importance of staying informed about changes through the message center and shares his process for reviewing and communicating updates to users.
Migration to Teams phone: Porting challenges and benefits
Lewis reveals that one of the major challenges in migrating to Teams phone is the porting of numbers, which often involves unpredictable timelines and inconsistent procedures across different operators. However, he highlights the positive impact of Teams phone on user experiences, such as simplifying processes like managing holidays and providing seamless call routing. Lewis also discusses the ongoing shift in operational responsibilities, as telephony becomes integrated with the broader collaboration and cloud ecosystem.
Importance of staying informed through the message center
Lewis emphasizes the significance of actively monitoring the Microsoft message center to stay informed about upcoming changes and updates. He describes his weekly message center review board, wherein a team evaluates messages and determines their impact on the organization. Lewis underscores the value of communicating these updates to users through a 'did you know' series, ensuring that they are aware of upcoming changes and can adjust their workflows accordingly. He also acknowledges the importance of external resources, such as the 365 message center show, in supplementing and streamlining the review process.
Damian Lewis is a digital workplace specialist at a global enterprise responsible for Teams telephony, Microsoft Teams Rooms, and other Teams-related projects.
Tom and Damian discuss the challenges of migrating legacy telephony into Teams, especially the porting of numbers, which can be unpredictable and time-consuming.
An ideal operational model for telephony in Teams is still being defined, including allocating responsibilities between the network team and the collaboration/digital workplace team.
Damian's organization has established a weekly Microsoft Message Center review board to stay on top of updates, assess their impact, and communicate them to users through a "did you know?" communication.
Keeping track of Message Center updates is crucial to avoid surprises and ensure smooth operations, especially for significant changes like the retirement of Stream Classic or introducing new features.
Damian recommends following the YouTube channel "365 Message Center Show" hosted by Daryl Webster and Daniel Glenn for additional insights into Microsoft updates.
Thank you to Numonix, this episode's sponsor, for your continued support of the community.
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