Microsoft Teams Integration: Keep What Works, Add What You Need

Microsoft Teams has over 320 million monthly active users worldwide (1). But when it comes to phone calls, the options multiply, and the right choice depends on what you already have, what your team needs, and where you want to go next.

But here’s the thing: when it comes to Microsoft Teams Integration, you don’t need to choose between Teams and your current phone system. What if you’ve already got Wildix, 8×8, Cisco Webex, or Horizon already doing the heavy lifting? Keep it. Want to go all-in with native Teams calling through Direct Routing or Operator Connect? We can do that too.

Better yet, you don’t have to disrupt what’s working to get what you want. Evoke connects everything so your team gets modern collaboration and calling without the upheaval of starting from scratch.

What This Actually Means for You

Getting Teams calling sorted isn’t just about ticking a technical box. Done right, here’s what changes:

blue circle, white dotted inner border and the number 1

Your team stops wasting time switching between apps with chat, calls, meetings, files, all-in one place.

Whether someone’s working from home on their laptop, commuting on their mobile, or at a desk phone in the office, it’s all the same experience.

Need to add ten people? Or scale back a bit? No problem. No engineers required, no three-week wait.

Someone from your CRM pops up on the screen when they call, great, your team instantly knows who they’re talking to.

Security and compliance sorted from day one, not scrambled together later when someone asks about it.

You can actually see what’s going on, who’s calling, how long they’re waiting, what’s getting resolved.

1. Five Ways to Get Microsoft Teams Calling Up and Running (SBC is the piece of the puzzle that makes the connection safe, reliable, and compatible).

Perfect if: You’ve recently invested in your phone system or have features you can’t lose.

Got a phone system that’s doing the job? Don’t bin it. We can connect it to Microsoft Teams using a Session Border Controller (like AudioCodes), giving you the best of both worlds:

Your existing phone system keeps running (and you keep the investment you made in it)

Call recording and compliance tools you rely on? They’re not going anywhere

Fancy call centre features, hunt groups, custom routing, all stay put

Roll Teams out gradually without causing chaos

This works brilliantly if you’ve invested in your phone system recently, need specific features Teams doesn’t do natively, or just want to take your time moving to the cloud.

How It Works: Direct Routing Explained

Direct Routing lets Microsoft Teams connect to your existing phone system or SIP trunks through a certified SBC.

This approach is ideal if you:

Want to keep your existing PBX or contact centre
Rely on advanced call handling or compliance recording
Need greater control over call routing and costs
Prefer not to rely solely on Microsoft calling plans

SIP Trunking is what makes Direct Routing work, it’s the secure voice connection linking your phone platform to Teams and Evoke handles the whole thing from planning through to support.

Microsoft Teams logos large and small in vertical format

2. Connect with Wildix

Perfect if: You’re already using Wildix for your communications.

Use Teams for chat, meetings, and collaboration.

Keep Wildix in charge of the voice and call‑handling.

Let your team choose the tool that suits how they work.

Keep all your existing Wildix features, integrations, and workflows running smoothly.

The Technical Bit:

Using Direct Routing and SIP integration, we connect Teams users to Wildix extensions, which means you can:

Make and receive outside calls directly in Microsoft Teams
Keep using Wildix to manage your voice services and call control
Hang onto all your Wildix features, integrations, and workflows
Let people work in Teams while keeping the telephony that already works

Calls flow in and out of Teams through Wildix, so you get Teams collaboration combined with the straightforward reliability of your existing phone system. Setup is usually quick, low-hassle, and doesn’t disrupt your team.

3. Connect with 8×8 Work or Contact Centre

Microsoft Teams for 8×8 Contact Centre: You reply on 8×8 Contact Centre for queues, agents, reporting, or compliance.

With this setup, you keep the full power of 8×8 Contact Centre while using Microsoft Teams for collaboration:

Keep all 8×8 Contact Centre features: queues, wallboards, analytics, call recording, and compliance

Use Teams for chat, meetings, and internal collaboration

Maintain all existing 8×8 integrations (CRM, analytics, workflows)

Agents continue working in 8×8, exactly as they do today

Give supervisors and managers access to Teams without disrupting contact centre workflows

Key Takeouts:

8×8 Contact Centre: Teams handles collaboration. 8×8 Contact Centre handles customer calls.
Everything works together without breaking your setup.

8×8 Work (phone system): You use 8×8 Work for everyday business telephony rather than full contact centre features.

With this integration, Microsoft Teams becomes another way to use your 8×8 phone system:

Make and receive external calls in Teams while 8×8 powers the telephony
Keep all 8×8 Work features, including call routing, voicemail, and call recording
Let users choose how they work: the 8×8 app, desk phones, or Teams
Keep existing 8×8 integrations such as CRM, call logging, and analytics
Use Teams for collaboration without losing the reliability of your 8×8 phone system
Teams becomes the interface. 8×8 Work remains the phone system.

Image sources: 8×8

4. Connect with Webex/Cisco Horizon

Perfect if: You’re a Cisco shop wanting Teams for collaboration.

Running Cisco kit or using Webex? We can bridge that to Teams:

Connect Teams to your Cisco voice setup.

Keep the Cisco investment working for you.

Maintain Webex video alongside Teams chat and teamwork features.

Support mixed setups while you figure out your long-term play.

5. Go Native with Microsoft Teams

Perfect if: You’re ready to go all-in on Microsoft

Want Teams to handle everything – voice, video, chat, the lot? We’ll set you up with:

Running Cisco kit or using Webex? We can bridge that to Teams:

Direct Routing: Plug your own phone lines into Teams for more control and better costs.

Operator Connect: We become your Teams phone company, simpler to manage, one less thing to think about.

Native Teams calling makes sense when you:

Want one platform doing everything.

Like the idea of cloud first and keeping things simple.

Want everything licensed and managed through Microsoft.

Are ready to wave goodbye to the old phone system.

Have under 300 people or don’t need super-specialised phone features.

Connecting Teams to Your Current Phone System

The same Direct Routing approach works with:

On-premise or cloud-hosted PBX systems
Contact centre platforms
SIP-based voice services
Mixed setups with a bit of everything
Microsoft Teams logo

Rather than forcing you to replace everything, we design Teams integrations that work alongside what you’ve got. This supports gradual migrations and lets different parts of your business move at different speeds.

We know that was a lot to digest, so here is table to break it down:

Solution	Teams Integration?	Teams Calling?	Notes
Wildix	Yes	Yes	Teams users can make and receive external calls through Wildix PBX while keeping all Wildix features
8×8	Yes	Yes	Teams handles collaboration while 8×8 manages telephony and contact centre features
Webex / Horizon	Yes	No	Teams handles chat, meetings, and collaboration; calls stay on Cisco/Webex systems
Native Teams	Yes	Yes	Teams handles voice, video, and collaboration natively using Direct Routing, Operator Connect, or Microsoft Calling Plans

The Good Stuff You Get

Stop App-Hopping:

Your team makes calls in the same place they’re chatting and having meetings. No more “wait, which app am I supposed to use for this?” moments. Everything just lives in Teams.
Works Wherever Your People Are:

Laptop at home, phone on the move, desk phone in the office, doesn’t matter. It all just works. And when you need to add someone new or scale back? Takes minutes, not a site visit from an engineer.
Security That Doesn’t Keep You Up at Night:

End-to-end encryption and multi-factor authentication are built in. Need compliant call recording for GDPR or industry regulations? We can sort that too, properly, from the start.
The Little Things That Save A Lot Time:

Go from typing a message to jumping on a call to sharing your screen, all without switching apps. Voicemail gets turned into text you can quickly scan. Co-edit documents while you’re on the call. It’s just smoother.
Your CRM Talks to Your Phone Running Dynamics 365 or Salesforce?

When a customer rings, their details pop up automatically. Your team knows who they’re talking to and what the last conversation was about. Less “can you remind me…” and more actually helping people.
See What’s Really Happening:

Call volumes, wait times, resolution rates – you get the full picture. Smart routing gets calls to the right person, and auto attendants handle the basics so your team isn’t drowning in “I just need to talk to someone about…” calls.

Why Work with Evoke?

We’re Not Salespeople for One Solution: We’ll tell you what actually makes sense for your business. Sometimes that’s keeping what you’ve got. Sometimes it’s going all-in on Teams. Often it’s somewhere in between.

Fast Setup: We get you going without turning your business upside down.

We Stick Around: From the first conversation through setup and beyond, we’re here. Your Teams integration needs to work, and we make sure it does.

We Get Compliance: Recording calls for compliance? Data protection? Business continuity? We know the rules and make sure you’re covered.

Let’s have a chat

The right way to add Microsoft Teams depends on what you’ve got now and what you’re trying to achieve. Every business is different.

We’ll take a look at your current setup, understand what you need, and recommend an approach that actually works for you, not just what’s easiest for us to sell.

Get in touch today