You’ve heard a lot about Operator Connect, but already have Direct Routing integrated into your environment, so should you still consider taking advantage of the features and integration of Operator Connect? One of the key advantages of Operator Connect is the operator will handle all your telephony needs and you won’t have to worry about it anymore, but you may be wondering how smooth the transition would be from Direct Routing to Operator Connect. So, let’s explore what you should consider if you want to make this transition.

Considerations for the Hybrid Approach

While operator connect provides deeper integration with Teams, it is not as flexible as Direct Routing. There are a couple of scenarios that may force you into a hybrid state, where you have both Operator Connect and Direct Routing. Would this hybrid configuration work? Before addressing this question let’s take a look at which scenarios there would be a hybrid configuration of Operator Connect and Direct Routing.

In scenario 1, you have multiple sites, and some sites cannot be rolled over to Operator Connect because the operator does not provide support in that geographical location. If this is the case, then you will need to have Direct Routing for those sites and the rest of the sites could be moved to Operator Connect.

In scenario 2, you have one site where the local users are on a PBX platform which you will have to maintain a Direct Routing for PSTN access, and the rest of the sites are ready for migration to Operator Connect. As we see there are couple of very realistic possibilities where you may run into this hybrid scenario. Now, there is one issue that should considered in the hybrid scenario.

The one issue you must consider when having a hybrid configuration is the dialing requirements between sites. If you require 4 or 5-digit dialing between sites that must be managed by your SBC, then Operator Connect will not be sufficient. in a hybrid configuration, those sites will lose the 4 or 5-digit dial plans and users will be required to dial 10-digits to reach those sites. If this is not an issue, then the hybrid configuration will be a good approach to consider.

In summary, enterprises today have multiple geographical sites, diverse PBX systems through acquisitions or regional dependencies, and complex dialing patterns. So, it is very likely that you may have to maintain a hybrid approach when transitioning to Operator Connect. The most important factor to consider is how your user dialing patterns between sites impacts transitioning to the hybrid approach.

Let us know is you think there are other scenario where you could have a Hybrid configuration of both Operator Connect and Direct Routing.

Next Blog: 6 Steps for an Operator to be Onboarded for Microsoft Operator Connect

In our next blog, we will explore the 6 steps an operator has to consider when getting ready to be onboarded as an Operator Connect carrier.