Telesmart named as Microsoft Teams Operator Connect Program partner

Telesmart has announced a new partnership with the Microsoft Teams Operator Connect Program.

The company is one of 4 NZ telcos that were invited by Microsoft and the first with fully automated onboarding in NZ. 

Telesmart is also the only NZ company providing ANZ Teams calling. Representatives say that the company is now selectable as a provider in ANZ to anyone in the world.

Operator Connect is a solution that has rapidly captured the attention of Microsoft customers worldwide, and Statista reports that there are more than 270 million monthly active Microsoft Teams users.

Operator Connect allows Microsoft Teams customers to easily select Telesmart as their Teams calling provider through the Microsoft Teams Admin Portal.

Telesmart says the new partnership will allow customers to simply and quickly assign phone services to Teams users, allowing them to make and receive calls directly from the Teams application. 

As a certified Operator Connect partner, Telesmart benefits from direct peering between its infrastructure and Microsoft's data centres, helping customers seamlessly deploy Microsoft Teams calling.

"We've been providing Microsoft Teams calling for four years, delivering New Zealand's first cloud Direct Route service," says Chief Technology Officer Geof Robinson at Telesmart. 

"With Operator Connect we've been able to greatly enhance the Teams calling benefits we can offer to our customers. We can automate processes, dramatically reducing deployment times and costs, while allowing customers greater visibility and control."

Telesmart will offer Operator Connect Teams calling both directly and via its partner network through Australia and New Zealand. Direct Route and traditional services can be seamlessly integrated to support contact centre and other applications.

Microsoft Partner Director Matt Bostwick says that the company is glad to have Telesmart as part of the program and believes the move will help partners significantly.

"It's great to welcome Telesmart to the Operator Connect program," he says.

"Having an experienced voice provider that works with the partner community will greatly assist our partners, and it helps customers transform into the kind of modern workplaces that their customers and workers expect."

Operator Connect Service will be available from Telesmart starting on 17 Nov 2022.

Telesmart was established in 2005 and provides end-to-end telecommunication solutions for both New Zealand and Australian organisations, with a focus on customer outcomes. 

The company has invested in building out its trans-Tasman network and telecommunications infrastructure, allowing for end-to-end management and quality control.

Teams work across Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton and Christchurch, delivering managed ICT solutions supported by expertise.