How to enable a Teams-contact center integration
Integrating Teams with contact centers offers agents advanced calling and collaboration features. Explore the three integration models: Connect, extend and unify.
While Microsoft has expanded its contact center functionality, organizations may choose to integrate their existing contact center with Teams. This integration enables companies to still use the collaboration capabilities they rely on, such as VoIP features, like call queues and auto attendants, while still supporting functionality needed for contact center agent needs.
Benefits of a Teams-contact center integration
Many organizations rely on their contact centers to support inbound and outbound customer calls. A system that supports auto attendants, call queues, call routing and reporting capabilities on call volumes and other statistics is a must. And organizations want to ensure they can continue to use their call center platforms alongside their Microsoft Teams deployment.
The general premise behind a Teams-contact center integration is to eliminate staff from performing duplicate tasks, such as customer lookups when switching between applications, as well as to use existing investments when adopting Teams as a VoIP platform. Integrating Teams can also provide contact centers with additional features, such as presence and skill-based routing.
But not all integrations are the same. Microsoft offers three models to connect and use a contact center alongside Teams.
1. The connect model
This model uses session border controllers and Direct Routing to integrate a contact center with Teams' calling infrastructure. The approach uses Teams Graph APIs and Microsoft Graph cloud communication APIs to enable features, including the following:
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- Agent presence visibility.
- Automated virtual assistants
- Skill-based routing queues.
- Transfers and group call support.
- Multi-tenant Session Initiation Protocol trunking.
2. The extend model
The extend model offers companies more capabilities in using a contact center within Teams and uses the Teams phone system for all contact center calls. This integration model uses the Teams client platform, Teams Graph APIs and cloud communications APIs to enable contact center organizations to use Teams for internal and external communication, as well as to design workflows.
The features of this integration include the following:
- Analytics and workflow management, as well as role-based experiences for agents.
- Integrated chat and collaboration experiences.
- Teams client calling for all call controls.
- Teams-based app for agent experiences on web and mobile.
3. The unify model
Formerly known as the power model, service providers use Microsoft's Azure Communications Service to develop contact center apps using Teams calling infrastructure.
This model uses Azure Communications Services call automation and calling SDK, OpenAI and other tools to extend Teams Phone capabilities into the contact center app. This enables organizations to have a single phone system for contact center agents and back-office employees, which simplifies management, security and performance.
Choosing the right integration model depends on a company's chosen contact center vendor, the functionality offered by the platform and whether the vendor participates in a Microsoft contact center certification program. Each contact center vendor also has its own preferred integration model.
The advancement in AI is also bringing new functionality to contact centers. The ability to integrate Teams with external contact centers supports the adoption of AI-based voice capabilities, such as real-time translation, sentiment analysis, advanced reporting and interactive bots. Over time, the need to integrate with Teams will be key as these features become more popular and widely used.
Editor's note: This article was updated in April 2026 to provide updated information and to improve the reader experience.
Reda Chouffani runs the consulting practice he co-founded, Biz Technology Solutions, Inc. He is a healthcare informatics consultant, cloud expert and a business intelligence architect who helps enterprise clients make the best use of technology to streamline operations and improve productivity.
