With the UK PSTN switch-off well underway, every business eventually has to move off an ISDN or analogue phone line and onto a modern cloud-based system. The question almost every SME asks us is: do we use Microsoft Teams as our phone system, or do we keep a dedicated hosted VoIP platform alongside it? Both work. They are good at different things.
Where Microsoft Teams Phone wins
If your team already lives in Microsoft Teams for chat and meetings, adding Teams Phone means one app, one identity and one set of admin tools. Calls follow the user across desk, laptop and mobile. Voicemail goes to Outlook. Call recording sits in OneDrive. For office-based knowledge workers, the experience is unbeatable and the admin overhead is tiny.
Where dedicated hosted VoIP wins
If you have a busy reception, a sales floor, a contact centre, or any team that handles high call volume, a purpose-built VoIP platform usually beats Teams. The wallboards are better, the call-flow editors are more flexible, and supervisor features (whisper, barge, real-time queue stats) are built for the job. The hardware story is also stronger — most decent IP phones, headsets and DECT systems are designed VoIP-first, with Teams support as a secondary path.
The hybrid pattern we see most often
- Knowledge workers on Microsoft Teams Phone — one app, follow-me calling, voicemail in Outlook.
- Reception, sales and support on a dedicated VoIP platform integrated with Teams presence.
- A single externally published number, intelligently routed to the right system.
- One UK invoice covering both platforms, with consolidated reporting.
We design, deploy and support both Microsoft Teams Phone and dedicated hosted VoIP — including the hybrid setups that get the best of both. If you are facing a PSTN switch-off deadline or your current contract is up for renewal, get in touch for an independent recommendation.
