Read the article by UC Today ‘Embedding Cisco BroadSoft into Microsoft Teams‘ based on an interview with our Commercial Director Steve Tutt.

Embedding Cisco BroadSoft into Microsoft Teams

Leading app provider Kakapo Systems on the power of unifying smarts

It’s become the dichotomous communication dilemma facing millions of enterprises post-pandemic – they’re all-in with Cisco Broadworks, but they want the benefits of Microsoft Teams too.

Indeed – seemingly acknowledging that increasing interdependency – both of those global giants recently announced a device accreditation partnership: signalling that they understand their customers’ desire to simultaneously leverage the separate strengths of both.

However, there’s the rub: the separated, unconnected nature of a multi-vendor stack can deliver a clunky, dis-satisfying, and ultimately inefficient user experience.

That means, for Cisco resellers and Managed Service Providers, the opportunity to equip their customers with a means of seamlessly marrying their BroadWorks platform with Microsoft Teams is a huge opportunity they should be pursuing at pace.

Of course, third-party applications now exist to enable precisely that. All those resellers and MSPs must do is partner with a provider able to make it happen easily and cost-effectively.

“Microsoft Teams has become the go-to communication and collaboration platform for many and, if you are a Cisco BroadWorks user, you understandably want the best of both worlds,” says Steve Tutt, Commercial Director at leading enterprise communication application provider Kakapo Systems, which has just launched a smart integration which adds Microsoft Teams functionality to its Cisco BroadWorks-powered Unity Contact Centre solution.

“It’s a case of seamlessly marrying the two in a way which enriches the overall communication experience. For users, that’s a win, win.”

In short, for any BroadWorks provider selling Direct Routing, Unity for Microsoft Teams greatly enhances the overall solution by adding all the BroadWorks overlay services, such as call centre, and enabling full management from within Teams.

Once a call is answered, functionality such as advanced call control, including recording start/pause, barge-in, and escalation, is available as well as voicemail playback and access to corporate directories. Crucially, all of that BroadWorks voice and Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) functionality is integrated with the video and collaboration capabilities in Teams – all accessed and managed via a single new interface, meaning no swivel-chairing between platforms or screens.

“Many BroadWorks-enabled enterprises are mapping their BroadSoft users to Microsoft Teams, but Teams has no visibility of BroadSoft itself,” explains Tutt.

“So, for example, hundreds of people in a business may use Microsoft Teams every day but they are unable to do so in tandem with their BroadSoft directories or associated functionality. Our application adds some glue between the two to convert it into a single solution via which users are able to manage calls. It provides a richer dialling experience and core management experience than that provided natively through Teams, all via a clear, simple, and intuitive interface.”

It’s easy to see why it is demand from MSPs that has fuelled Kakapo Systems’ innovation in the area.

Its wholesale Unity platform is open and allows additions, integrations, and customisations. It is offered via a single, uncomplicated ‘Anywhere License’, meaning there is a choice between a web version, a Teams version or a Windows version at no extra cost.

Also, the ability for end user organisations to continue to sweat their Cisco investment whilst instantly and simultaneously benefitting from enhanced Teams compatibility can make for a compelling MSP upsell or pre-sale conversation with existing or potential customers.

“The benefits are clear for all parties,” says Tutt. “The demand is there right now – and we’re ready to help our MSP customers capitalise.”

To learn more about how Kakapo Systems can help your Cisco BroadWorks customers get more from the platform, click Unity for Teams

Original article  ‘Embedding Cisco BroadSoft into Microsoft Teams‘ featured in UC Today, written by Simon Wright published in December 2023