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With generative AI, Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) providers can easily advise human agents so they’re responsive to customer needs, automate workflows, and ultimately improve the overall customer experience. However, workflows are often divided between Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) providers like Microsoft Teams and CCaaS systems. This division limits generative AI’s potential to streamline operations and deliver a consolidated view of data. Today, organizations want integrated, customizable solutions that unify telephony infrastructure for a complete view of customer interactions and robust data handling.

On June 2nd, 2025, we are proud to announce the public preview launch of Teams Phone extensibility (TPE) powered by Azure Communication Services, which enables CCaaS vendors to integrate seamlessly with Teams Phone, offering benefits such as consolidated telephony for UCaaS and CCaaS, conversational AI integration, extended UCaaS capabilities, agent notification handling, cost efficiency, broader geographic availability, seamless provisioning, advanced call routing and mid-call controls, and convenience recording.

Teams Phone with Azure Communication Services 

Teams Phone extensibility powered by Azure Communication Services enables CCaaS vendors to seamlessly integrate with Teams Phone, offering several benefits:

• Consolidate Telephony for UCaaS and CCaaS: Simplified setup with no need to configure and administer separate phone systems. Customers can use their Teams phone telephony investment for contact center deployments.


• Conversational AI Integration: Developers can use Call Automation APIs to use AI-powered tools, play personalized greeting messages, and recognize conversational voice inputs.


• Extend UCaaS Capabilities to CCaaS: Take advantage of Teams Phone enterprise features, including emergency calling and dial plan policies.


• Agent Notification handling: Enable data segregation between CCaaS persona and UCaaS persona with the choice of ringing either the Teams standard client or a CCaaS application.


• Cost Efficiency: Enable ISVs to build cost-effective solutions using existing Teams Phone plans, without adding Azure Communication Services numbers or Direct Routing.

• Broader Geographic Availability: Integration with Teams Calling Plans, Direct Routing, and Operator Connect provides wider telephony options.

Key Features 

• Provisioning for Seamless Integration: Empower CCaaS providers to connect their ACS deployments with customers’ Teams tenants, enabling the use of Teams telephony features for a cohesive and efficient communication experience.


• Call Routing and Mid-Call Controls: Advanced call routing capabilities for efficient call management and escalation to agents. Mid-call controls enable adding participants, redirecting calls, and transferring calls seamlessly.


• Convenience Recording: Integrate call recording capabilities into Microsoft Teams for CCaaS scenarios, enabling customized recording processes controlled by CCaaS admins. For more information, see Call Recording overview.

• Conversational AI Integration: Developers can use Call Automation APIs to leverage AI-powered tools, play personalized greeting messages, recognize conversational voice inputs, and use sentiment analysis to improve customer service. Get started today with this Call Automation OpenAI sample.


• On-Behalf-Of (OBO) calling enables applications to initiate and manage voice calls on behalf of a Teams Resource Account, enabling seamless integration with enterprise workflows


• Leverage Call Automation: Azure Communication Services Call Automation APIs provide call control and enable CCaaS providers to build server-based and intelligent call flows.


• Leverage Client SDK: Azure Communication Services Client SDK provide the means for a CCaaS provider to develop a custom client for CCaaS  persona workflows

In this release, we are adding the following new features:

• Emergency Calling: With Azure Communication Services Calling SDK, we bring enhanced emergency calling support for agents who can dial emergency services, provide their static location, and receive callbacks from public safety answering points with Teams Phone service numbers.


• Billing: The Teams Phone extensibility business model charges CCaaS vendors for using Azure Communication Services SDKs, including Calling SDK, VoIP consumption, Audio Insights, and Call Recording, while end users must use Teams Calling plans and enable necessary Teams licenses for agents and resource accounts. More details on Azure Communication Services pricing can be found here.


• Telemetry: Developers and Contact Center as a Service can access calling details and logging tools as part of the Teams Phone extensibility. Telemetry enables developers and system admins to monitor call use and debug call quality from the Azure portal either. They can do this by analyzing the Call Summary and Call Diagnostic Logs with a clear Team Phone Extensibility identifier or using the Call Diagnostic Center.

We want your feedback

We are eager to hear your feedback on the performance, reliability, and overall user experience. Your insights on any missing functionalities or additional scenarios that should be considered are invaluable. Your feedback helps us refine and enhance the feature before general release, ensuring it meets the needs of our customers. We look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Get started today

Developers can join the Azure Communication Services Technology Adoption Program (TAP) here:  Azure Communication Services Technology Adoption Program Registration.

We look forward to seeing how partners and customers like you leverage these new capabilities to improve your contact center operations.

• Concept: https://aka.ms/TPe-Overview


• FAQ: https://aka.ms/TPe-FAQ


• Tutorials: https://aka.ms/TPe-Tutorials


• Support: https://aka.ms/ACS-Support