Your team already works in Microsoft Teams for chat and meetings. Calling is usually where it stops.
Out of the box, Teams lets your people call each other. Ringing a customer’s landline or mobile needs something added, and what you add decides what it costs, what happens when the minutes run out, and who you call when a line goes quiet.
The short answer
Yes, Microsoft Teams can be your phone system, but not on its own. Teams only calls other Teams users until it is connected to the public phone network.
There are two ways to connect it. Buy Microsoft’s Teams Phone licence with a Microsoft calling plan, or connect a provider such as Chrome to your Teams tenant.
Either way your team keeps Teams for chat, meetings and files. The difference is what you pay, how calls are handled and who you speak to when something goes wrong.
Why Teams calling stops short
Microsoft built Teams for chat and video. Calling was added later, and it shows.
Reaching a customer’s landline or mobile needs a separate Microsoft licence, on top of the Microsoft 365 subscription you already pay for. Then you need a calling plan to go with it.
All three figures are Microsoft’s published UK prices, paid yearly, at the time of writing. Plenty of businesses look at them and never turn calling on. So the phone system and the app your team lives in stay two separate things, and calls keep getting missed in the gap between them.
Where Teams calling runs out
Calling costs extra
Teams on its own only calls other Teams users. Reaching a landline or a mobile means another Microsoft licence on top of the subscription you already hold, plus minutes to call with.
Minutes can run out
Microsoft’s calling plans work on a bundle of minutes. Use them up and your team can’t make outbound calls until more credit is added, which Microsoft sells as Communications Credits.
Call handling is left to you
Teams Phone includes auto attendants and call queues, but someone in your business has to build them in the Teams admin centre and keep them up to date. Recording every call automatically, rather than pressing record on each one, means buying a separate product.
Support sits with Microsoft
When call quality drops, you’re raising a ticket rather than speaking to someone who already knows how your business is set up.
How ChromeX adds proper calling to Teams
You keep Teams. We change what happens when someone makes a call. ChromeX, our cloud phone system, connects straight into Teams, so your people can dial out and answer customer calls without leaving the app they use all day.
- We look at how your team takes calls today. Who answers what, what happens out of hours, and where calls get stuck. This takes a conversation, not a form.
- We connect ChromeX to your Microsoft tenant. Your calls route through Chrome rather than a Microsoft calling plan. Nothing else about the way your team uses Teams changes.
- Your numbers come with you. We’ll port your existing numbers across. You pick the switchover date, so nobody loses a call on the day.
- We show your team how it works. A short session on the call handling your business uses. Our UK support team picks it up from there.
ChromeX for Teams compared with Microsoft Teams Phone
Where the two differ once your team is making real calls.
| Feature | ChromeX for Teams | Microsoft Teams Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Works inside Microsoft Teams | Yes | Yes |
| Calling landlines and mobiles | Included in your ChromeX plan | Teams Phone Standard at £7.70 per user per month, plus a calling plan |
| When your call minutes run out | Inclusive bundles, so calling carries on | Outbound calls stop until Communications Credits are added |
| Call flows, IVR menus and hunt groups | Included, and set up for you | Auto attendants and call queues you build in the Teams admin centre |
| Call recording | 90 days included as standard | Recorded by hand on each call, with automatic recording sold separately |
| CRM connections | Included | Varies by product |
| International calling | 65 or more destinations in your bundle | A separate international plan with 600 minutes a month |
| Non-geographic numbers | 0800 and 0345 numbers supported | Toll-free numbers for menus and queues, not for individual users |
| Desk phones and handsets | Supported alongside the Teams app | Teams-certified devices and a short list of older desk phones |
| Support | UK team, named contacts, service levels agreed in your contract | Microsoft’s standard online support channels |
| Billing | Calls, lines and support on one bill from Chrome | Licences and calling on your Microsoft bill, with connectivity and support billed elsewhere |
Microsoft pricing and plan details are taken from Microsoft’s published UK pricing and availability pages, and were correct in October 2026.
What your team gets with ChromeX
These are part of the service rather than a list of extras to price up later.
- Call handling that matches how you work. Menus, queues and out-of-hours routing, set up around your opening times and your departments.
- 90 days of call recording. Call recordings kept as standard. You can check what was agreed on a call without buying another product to do it.
- Calls to 65 or more destinations. Useful if you have staff, suppliers or customers outside the UK. Your inclusive bundle keeps working rather than cutting out.
- One UK team to call. Phones, Microsoft 365, broadband and support from the same people. Nobody gets passed between suppliers when call quality needs sorting.
Support that comes with the service
When call quality drops, you want someone who knows your setup and can do something about it. Our support team is based in the UK and works to service levels written into your contract.
They can see your phone system and your connectivity in one place, so there’s no argument about whose problem it is.
One team for your phones and your Microsoft 365
ChromeX sits alongside the rest of your setup. Chrome also looks after your Microsoft 365 accounts, your broadband and your IT support, so the same people can see the whole picture when something needs fixing.
A sensible place to start
Count how many people need to call customers, list the numbers you want to keep, and find the end date on your current phone contract.
With those three things we can tell you what ChromeX would cost next to Teams Phone and a calling plan, and how long the move would take.
Common questions
Can I use Microsoft Teams as a phone system?
Yes, with something added. Teams on its own only calls other Teams users. To reach landlines and mobiles you’ll need either a Microsoft calling plan or a provider like Chrome connected to your Teams tenant.
How much does a Microsoft Teams phone system cost?
Microsoft’s published UK pricing puts Teams Phone Standard at £7.70 per user per month on an annual plan, before you add any calling minutes. With Microsoft’s domestic calling plan included it’s £13.10 per user per month. ChromeX is quoted per user with your calls included. We’ll price it against your current setup so you can compare properly.
Can I call landlines and mobiles from Microsoft Teams?
Not until Teams is connected to the public phone network. That connection is what ChromeX provides, along with the call handling around it.
Do we have to stop using Teams?
No. Your team keeps Teams for chat, meetings and files. The only thing that changes is what sits behind the call button.
What happens to our existing phone numbers?
They come with you. We’ll port them across and agree a switchover date, so your team keeps taking calls throughout.
Does it work on mobiles and desk phones too?
Yes. People can take business calls in the Teams app on a laptop or a phone. You can also keep desk phones where one still makes sense, such as a reception or a warehouse.
How long does it take to set up?
Most moves take a few weeks, and the porting date usually sets the pace. We’ll give you a realistic timeline once we’ve looked at your numbers and your current contract.
What if we're still in contract with our current provider?
Tell us the end date and we’ll plan around it. We’d rather wait and do the move properly than push you into paying twice.
Related reading
Talk it through with someone
Tell us how many people need calling, which numbers you want to keep and when your current contract ends. We’ll come back with a straight answer on what it would cost and how long it would take. Get in touch and we’ll arrange a chat.
Sources and notes
Prices and calling plan allowances are from Microsoft’s Teams Phone UK pricing, paid yearly, and its UK availability notes, both checked in October 2026. Microsoft changes its prices and plans from time to time, so check the current figures before you decide.
ChromeX features and allowances are as described in our standard plans. Your own quote depends on how many users you have and how your business takes calls.
