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Webex Calling vs Microsoft Teams Phone Solution

May 7th, 2025 | 4 min. read

By Jordan Pioth

Business man working at a desk talking on a headset

If your organization is experiencing a poor-performing phone service, it can make communicating with employees’ problematic, leading to productivity issues.

Additionally, poor phone performance makes it even more difficult to communicate with customers and partners, damaging customer relationships resulting in lost customers and revenue.

No organization can afford to experience these challenges and consequences. For this reason, it is important to understand the difference between Webex Calling and Microsoft Teams phone solutions to determine which solution is more appropriate to improve these challenges.

Coeo understands how important a reliable phone service is and has delivered thousands of phone solutions to organizations to improve their phone performance, enabling them to communicate internally and with their customers.

By the end of this article, you will understand what Webex Calling is, what Microsoft Teams telephony is, the differences between the two, and which is the better solution for your organization.

What is Webex Calling?

Webex Calling is a cloud-based phone solution that enables organizations to make and receive calls over the internet using the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). It offers enterprise-grade features like call forwarding, call recording, and auto-attendant.

The solution also seamlessly integrates with Webex Video Meetings and direct messaging features, enabling workers to collaborate more effectively.

Because it is a cloud-based solution, Webex Calling allows users to experience a more flexible phone solution by making and receiving calls from any location with an internet connection on any internet-connected device, including smartphones, laptops, desktops, and tablets.

Webex provides strong security features to protect cloud communications preventing attacks such as toll fraud. Encrypted voicemail as well as audio and video streams ensure that these attacks do not occur on your phone solution.

What is Microsoft Teams Telephony?

Microsoft Teams Telephony is another cloud-based phone solution that enables users to make and receive calls over the PSTN using Microsoft Teams providing your phone solution with greater flexibility and reliability.

Microsoft Teams Telephony is typically offered in one of two ways: Operator Connect and Direct Routing.

Microsoft Teams Operator Connect

Microsoft Teams Operator Connect is a solution that enables organizations to connect their existing phone system to the PSTN through qualified Telecom Service Providers to make and receive calls.

Moving your existing phone service to Operator Connect enables you to make calls through Microsoft Teams rather than needing another online connection.

Operator Connect also enables you to connect your solution using certified operators, such as Coeo, directly to Microsoft Teams.

Microsoft Teams Direct Routing

Microsoft Teams Direct Routing uses Microsoft Teams Telephony to enable a third-party provider to manage the service for you.

Organizations can connect their existing on-premise telephone service to the Microsoft Teams Phone System using SBCs and their current phone carrier or any carrier they choose.

The differences between Webex Calling and Microsoft Teams telephony

Now you understand what Webex Calling is and what Microsoft Teams Telephony is. At first glance, these two cloud phone solutions may seem similar and while they do share some common features, they are different enough that your organization should determine which solution is better for your organization.

The differences between the Webex Calling and Microsoft Teams Telephony include:

Platform ecosystem

One of the more obvious differences between the two cloud-based solutions is the platform ecosystem.

Webex Calling is built on Cisco’s VoIP and cloud infrastructure and seamlessly integrates with Cisco networking, messages, and meetings. Microsoft Teams Calling is part of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem integrating seamlessly with Microsoft’s Office applications such as Outlook and SharePoint.

PSTN connectivity

Webex Calling connects to the PSTN via Cisco Webex or integration with third-party providers while Microsoft Teams Calling connects to the PSTN via a Microsoft-approved SBC or Microsoft-certified operators.

If you would like to speak with our team to learn more about Webex Calling or Microsoft Teams Calling or ask any questions you may have you can schedule an appointment.TALK TO AN EXPERT

Which calling solution is better for your organization?

Now you understand what Webex Calling is, what Microsoft Teams Calling is, and the differences between the two. However, it is also important that you understand which calling solution is better for your organization.

If your organization uses Cisco infrastructure, such as routers, switches, security, or Webex Meetings and direct messages, Webex Calling may be the better choice for maintaining seamless integration across applications and infrastructure.

Webex Calling may also be the better solution if your organization needs robust, complex calling features such as hunt groups, auto-attendants, call queuing, and call recording integrated into your phone solution.

However, if your organization uses Microsoft 365 applications such as Outlook, OneDrive, and SharePoint, Microsoft Teams Calling may be the better choice to maintain seamless integration.

Microsoft Teams Calling also provides all features in one single application making it easy to transition from chat to a call or to schedule a meeting all from the same interface.

If your organization wants everything in one application, Microsoft Teams Calling may be the better choice for your organization.

Determining whether Webex Calling or Microsoft Teams Calling is the better solution for your organization

Now you understand what Webex Calling is, what Microsoft Teams Calling is, the differences between the two solutions, and which is the better solution for your organization. This will help you determine which solution your organization should invest in for its phone service.

No organization can afford to rely on poor phone performance to communicate internally and with customers. This can result in communication challenges between employees and with customers leading to decreased productivity and efficiency as well as damaged relationships with customers.

Communication challenges caused by poor phone performance can also result in lost customers and revenue.

For this reason, it is important to understand the differences between Webex Calling and Microsoft Teams Calling so you can determine which is the better solution to help eliminate the challenges of poor phone performance in your organization.

Coeo understands how important reliable phone performance is and has delivered thousands of cloud phone solutions like Microsoft Teams Calling and Webex Calling to improve communication internally and with customers.

We want you to understand the differences between Webex Calling and Microsoft Teams Calling so you can determine which is the better choice for your organization.

If you would like to speak with our team to learn more about Webex Calling or Microsoft Teams Calling or ask any questions you may have you can schedule an appointment.TALK TO AN EXPERT

Now that you understand the differences between Webex Calling and Microsoft Teams Calling, read the article below to learn about the additional cloud phone solutions Coeo offers to determine which is the better choice for your organization:

Jordan Pioth

When he's not creating content for Coeo, Jordan loves to watch sports, hang out with friends and family, and anything sneaker-related.