Celebrating Teams Voice Phase 2 success

22 Feb 2024

Over 21,000 landlines replaced - and nothing goes to landfill

More than 21,000 colleagues’ phone numbers across the University of Manchester estate have now been successfully migrated to the new, supported Teams Voice platform.

The technology enables colleagues to make and receive external calls within the Microsoft suite on their devices, which for the majority means doing away with old desktop handsets and using personal mobiles for work purposes.

The cloud-based service can be used from anywhere, enhancing colleagues’ experience when working hybridly and flexibly, with 76% of colleagues surveyed reporting they are either satisfied or very satisfied with the technology now it has been set up on their computer.

So what happens to all the old handsets?

As part of the Teams Voice project, a major recycling venture has been undertaken. 1,680kg of old equipment has been collected for recycling so far – which is just heavier than two large grizzly bears. Colleagues are encouraged to carry on bringing their old handsets and cables to four handy points across campus where they will be stripped for recycling – nothing will go to landfill.

New Teams Voice handsets are being rolled out as part of the migration project, with 215 deployed so far and 980 more due to be sent out. Colleagues can request handsets by raising a ticket with their Telecoms Liaison Officer (TLO).

Moving to Teams Voice means outdated systems like hunt groups are now being replaced with more efficient auto-attendance systems, while new starters will need to request a number if they need one to carry out their day-to-day operations. Colleagues who have not been assigned a number for making and receiving external calls yet and require one can submit a ticket requesting one on the IT Support Portal.

More information is available on the Teams Voice Support site, including information about where to recycle old calling equipment, while colleagues seeking help with their external calling setup can raise a ticket in the IT Support Portal.

The next phase of this flagship, University-wide IT Strategic Change project begins in earnest this month, focusing on transforming calling technology for meeting rooms, call centres, as well as non-voice systems like security devices.