Alone, Microsoft Teams is a powerful and versatile tool for collaboration. It provides users with everything they need to connect with colleagues through messaging, video, audio, share files, and even schedule meetings. However, there are still ways to derive more value from your Teams solution.
Investing in the right hardware, such as desk phones and displays, gives companies a fantastic way to boost productivity and business performance. The best solutions provide staff from all parts of the business with the resources they need to collaborate, meet, and communicate efficiently.
The challenge is in figuring out which displays or desk phones to add to a technology stack. With countless options to choose from, tracking down the best toolkit can be daunting.
Fortunately, the following steps should assist any business buyer in making the right choice.
Step 1: Certified or Non-Certified
First, companies can narrow down their range of vendors to choose from for desk phones and displays, by asking themselves whether they want their solutions to be officially certified by Microsoft. While there are many tools out there which can work seamlessly with the Microsoft ecosystem, only a portion have achieved certification.
A Microsoft-certified device essentially guarantees the solution will work effectively with the Teams toolkit. Many Microsoft certified solutions also come with specialist features which make it easier to leverage the full capabilities of Teams. For instance, the camera system on a video desk phone may leverage Teams AI algorithms to improve alignment between distributed workers. A display could come with it’s own Teams button, to help users launch meetings at the tap of a button.
The majority of Teams certified solutions also come with the collaboration software already pre-integrated and installed, which can save teams a lot of time on initial setup and configuration.
Step 2: Define User Needs
The next step in comparing Teams desk phone and display solutions is defining exactly what employees in the workplace will be using the solutions for. At this stage, it may be helpful for business owners to research their “employee personas”, or the different kinds of workers in their team. The needs of an administrator responsible for arranging appointments and connecting with customers may vary from the requirements of a business leader or supervisor.
The majority of Teams desk phones and displays will come with specific features as standard, such as a screen for managing conversations and viewing video streams, a built-in camera, and excellent audio capabilities. However, it may also be worth considering the needs of users for things like:
- Collaboration: Deskphones and displays certified for Teams can feature virtual whiteboard tools (through a touchscreen display), simple solutions for sharing content, and quick-dial options for connecting teams quickly and efficiently.
- Telephony features: Different styles of desk phone can feature different capabilities, such as speed dialing, call history, and call groups. There are also solutions which can be designed specifically to cater to hot-desking requirements, in a flexible working environment.
- Meeting capabilities: For meetings, displays which make it easy to set up calendar invites, track information about room usage, and share information in a range of formats can be extremely useful. Some tools even come with virtual assistant technology built in.
Step 3: Explore Innovative Capabilities
Alongside examining core essential features, such as the ability to dial contacts in seconds, or launch meetings with the tap of a button, business buyers should also explore the innovative capabilities certain tools can offer to improve productivity.
While there are various budget-friendly, and straightforward displays and desk phones on the market, the number of advanced solutions is increasing too. These state-of-the-art tools can feature everything from HD voice and video quality to built-in artificial intelligence. Some worthwhile capabilities to consider when sorting through endpoints include:
- Convenient controls: For shared spaces or meeting rooms, a device which allows for hands-free controls can improve efficiency and workplace safety. Consider leveraging a solution with gesture control, or built-in support from a voice assistant like Microsoft Cortana.
- Artificial intelligence: AI solutions can help to improve the quality of conversations and collaborative sessions featuring displays and desk phones. For instance, an AI-enhanced camera on a desk phone can instantly increase the image quality, or track speakers as they move around a room. An AI voice assistant can minimize echo.
- Customization: The ability to customize a desk phone or display can also have a direct impact on user experience. Giving users the freedom to set up their own hot keys, arrange their display according to their needs, and connect their solutions to other devices such as tablets, laptops, and smartphones, can all boost adoption levels too.
Step 4: Prioritize Simplicity
While the core requirements each business needs to consider when selecting a desk phone or display may vary, ease of use is a universal demand. The simpler a solution is to use, the more likely it is that employees will leverage the tools available to them, rather than opting for their own devices.
Fortunately, the majority of Teams desk phones and displays on the market today are built with user-experience in mind. Most include their own dedicated buttons for launching team meetings, as well as simple-to-navigate touchscreens with access to the Microsoft Teams app already included. However, the user experience offered by each solution will vary depending on the employee using it.
Some staff members may prefer using something similar to a traditional deskphone, such as the Yealink MSP42, or the AudioCodes C470HD phone. Others may benefit from a solution that works similarly to their smartphone, like the Poly CCX 500. Any device chosen for a collaborative team should be simple to set up, configure, and use in any environment.
Step 5: Consider Management and Security
Finally, it’s worth thinking about how easy it is to configure and secure devices for a distributed workforce. The good news is that innovative AV devices certified for Microsoft Teams today undergo stringent testing to ensure they’re simple to configure, manage, and protect. Many approved solutions will automatically update to eliminate patch issues, and come with security built in.
Additionally, thanks to back-end software solutions in Microsoft Teams, administrators can remotely provision and configure tools, assign devices to team members, and track important details about their inventory, licenses, and device usage.
However, depending on the structure of the business, some companies may want to take extra precautions, like ensuring a video phone comers with a detachable camera for privacy reasons, or choosing a display with built-in tools for two-factor authentication.
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