Teams has been one of the big winners over the past two years as companies around the world embraced remote working – but what role will it play as offices reopen? 

We asked senior execs from Kurmi and Call2Teams for their view on how Teams will be used in hybrid working environments. 

What role does Microsoft Teams play in the Hybrid Workplace? 

Mark Herbert, President, Call2Teams: 

“In 2022, as a hybrid work model becomes established, it is reasonable to expect Teams to further grow and become the number one UCaaS provider. 

“Teams is well established within the SMB sector. The next chapter will be the adoption of Teams by larger enterprises. 

“Microsoft’s ambitions in UCaaS, and CCaaS, as well as the launch of Operator Connect, support this.” 

Vincent Le Thiec, Product Manager, Kurmi: 

“Microsoft underpins around 85 percent of business IT processes. Users understand it, know how to use it, and can easily navigate around it.  

Teams was built to enhance the entire Microsoft environment and give users the ability to share, collaborate and connect in one place. And it does this well.  

“When any organisation is looking to introduce a new technology one of the main measures is adoption. It needs to be intuitive. With a vastly improved ‘Voice’ option now available, strong security options, ease-of-use, and broad usage already across IT environments, it is no wonder businesses are building their hybrid policies on solid Microsoft Teams foundations” 

Does Teams solve many Hybrid Workplace challenges today or are businesses likely to remain in a multi-vendor landscape? 

Mark Herbert, President, Call2Teams: 

“Some UC platforms, that run alongside and with Teams can come in at a much lower price point than Microsoft. Providing an alternative for the cost-conscious customer.  

“The features in the Microsoft PBX platform itself are not advancing as quickly as would be needed for many customers and importantly Microsoft has provided an interface for PSTN and PBX integration with Microsoft Teams.   

“This is where a multi-vendor approach still has value.” 

Vincent Le Thiec, Product Manager, Kurmi: 

“Teams is good at lots of things, but there are some areas where other providers absolutely shine. Organisations need top tier functionality, not just the convenience of an all-in-one suite. 

“In a multi-vendor environment, solutions such as Kurmi are key as they help to re-unify what is a complicated array of communications platforms and collaboration tools.” 

How will the Hybrid Workplace evolve this year and how do you expect the Teams product to address this evolution? 

Mark Herbert, President, Call2Teams:  

“The introduction of Teams company-wide will become more prevalent in 2022. As hybrid working sets the precedent for non-desk-based staff to also have access to Teams.  

“Teams putting pressure on Zoom and Slack is reaching a tipping point. Teams incorporates office capability inside one collaboration suite, no one else can do that. 

“Accessibility has also been a pivotal play in the rise of Microsoft Teams. Teams is shipped with Windows 11. Teams have an established foothold in the education sector. So, looking to the future Microsoft Teams will become more familiar and established as a day-to-day tool for both work, education, and home life” 

Vincent Le Thiec, Product Manager, Kurmi: 

“We are now beyond the point of settling for tools that ‘just do the job’ and are now looking for the best solution possible to empower the entire workforce.   

“Teams will look to address this by further improving its own offerings. It is a great all-rounder, but it still has its limitations. Products such as Contact Center aren’t as strong as they could be and as Voice becomes even more important this will need to be tackled.” 

 



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