Background

Although E-MetroTel’s InfinityOne collaboration tool provides many of the same capabilities that Microsoft Teams (i.e. Teams) provides, many enterprise customers are deploying Teams because of its tight integration with their existing wide-scale implementations of Microsoft 365. While Microsoft offer an ability to bundle their own calling plan into Teams, that option does not provide support for legacy telephony infrastructure within the enterprise, and telephony functionality is limited to the features and devices supported by Teams.

E-MetroTel UCX integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Teams using two supported models: the embedded Infinity Web Client or Direct Routing. The embedded Infinity Web Client provides the most complete experience, bringing full UCX-enabled capabilities such as our comprehensive voice features, call-center wallboards and reporting, and omnichannel functionality directly into the Teams interface without requiring additional Microsoft licensing. Direct Routing provides an alternative approach for organizations that prefer to use the native Teams dial pad while relying on UCX for PSTN connectivity, routing, and telephony control. Both options allow customers to combine the collaboration strengths of Teams with the enterprise-grade voice capabilities of UCX.

Deploying UCX with Microsoft Teams

There are two different solutions for using UCX with MS Teams solutions:

1. InfinityOne for Teams using an embedded Infinity Web Client
2. Direct Routing using Session Border Controller

InfinityOne for Teams

InfinityOne for Teams, which enables the use of E-MetroTel’s embedded Infinity Web Client directly inside the Teams environment, provides a single, unified collaboration workspace that allows users to easily and quickly transition between collaboration, calling, and customer interaction. From the Teams interface they already use, users gain comprehensive calling capabilities — conferencing, ring groups, IVR navigation, paging, queue login, live wallboards, reporting, and omnichannel engagement — all without switching applications or devices. Incoming calls appear as Windows pop-ups, outbound calls are as simple as a single click on any Teams or personal contact, and all telephony flows through the user’s assigned UCX extension, whether they are using the web client’s softphone, a desktop phone, or the Infinity 3065 on their computer or mobile device.

For users across roles — customer service, inside sales, supervisors, reception, or hybrid office staff — the experience adapts. Drawers that are not needed can be hidden, allowing the interface to function as either a clean, streamlined softphone or a full call-center console. Everything remains inside the Teams environment, using the user’s Microsoft login along with a lightweight UCX subscription key, and requires no additional Microsoft licensing. The result is a simple, consistent experience: Teams stays the collaboration hub, and the embedded Infinity Web Client adds the telephony, reporting, and customer-interaction tools that Teams alone does not provide.

Direct Routing

Direct Routing provides an alternative integration method that allows organizations to keep the native Microsoft Teams dial pad while using E-MetroTel UCX for PSTN connectivity, call routing, survivability, and telephony control. Calls placed from the Teams client are delivered through a certified SBC to the UCX system, enabling organizations to centralize trunking, numbering plans, and call control within their UCX environment. This approach is ideal for customers who have already standardized on the Teams calling interface, or who require tight alignment with Microsoft’s Phone System licensing and existing SBC infrastructure. Users continue to place and receive calls directly from Teams, while UCX manages the underlying call processing, routing logic, and integration with analog, digital, SIP, or Green Migration devices.

For enterprises with large deployments, existing compliance requirements, or established Microsoft licensing models, Direct Routing offers a flexible coexistence strategy. It allows UCX to provide advanced routing, recording, and integration with legacy telephony environments, while preserving the native Teams user experience. Administrators retain full UCX control over numbering, ring groups and PSTN access, with Teams acting as the user-facing call interface. This model is often preferred in environments where Teams is already deeply embedded as the communication platform, and UCX serves as the robust, reliable telephony core that ensures consistent routing, resiliency, and device interoperability.

You will also need the E5 version of MS 365 or MS Teams plus MS Phone System licensing.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

General

1. Do both integration models support existing UCX features?
   Yes. Both use UCX for PSTN access, routing, recording, and device integration. The embedded client exposes the full UCX experience in Teams; Direct Routing uses the Teams dial pad with UCX features accessed via routing or DTMF/star codes.
2. Does the embedded E-MetroTel Infinity Web Client work the same across Microsoft Teams Web, Teams Desktop, Outlook, and Microsoft 365 apps?
   The embedded Infinity Web Client is supported in both the Teams Web and Teams Desktop. The experience is the same in both, although we recommend opening Teams in a second tab in the web browser or to  “Open app in new window” in the Desktop app for reliable real-time updates and ringing. The embedded client is not supported inside Outlook or other Microsoft 365 applications as those interfaces do not support — it is a Teams-based integration.
3. Can I use the embedded Infinity Web Client in the Teams mobile app?
   When selecting the embedded client in the Teams mobile app, the user interface presents a dialpad that allows you to initiate a call from the extension configured in the E-MetroTel Teams connector in the Service Portal using what is referred to as third party call control.

Licensing & Requirements

3. Is additional Microsoft licensing required for the embedded Infinity Web Client?
   No. The embedded model does not require Microsoft Phone System or E5 licensing.
4. What Microsoft license is required for Direct Routing?
   Direct Routing requires the Microsoft Phone System license (included in E5 or add-on for E1/E3).
5. Is additional E-MetroTel licensing required for making calls in either model?
   No extra licensing is required beyond standard UCX and Infinity Web Client licenses.

User Experience

6. What is the user experience difference between the embedded Infinity web client and Direct Routing?
   The embedded client provides full UCX calling, queue tools, wallboards, reports, and omnichannel directly inside Teams. Direct Routing keeps the Teams dial pad interface, with UCX providing backend call control.
7. Can users click to dial Teams contacts with either option?
   Yes. Both models allow click-to-dial. The embedded client rings the user’s UCX extension; Direct Routing dials directly from Teams.
8. Do incoming calls generate pop-ups inside Teams?
   Yes. With the embedded client, incoming calls trigger Windows toast notifications.

Voicemail & Messaging

9. Can UCX voicemail settings appear inside the Teams voicemail interface?
   No. Microsoft does not allow external PBXs to integrate with or replace the Teams voicemail settings panel.

Setup & Administration

11. How long does it take to deploy the embedded Infinity Web Client?
    Typically just minutes. Admin maps the user in the Partner Portal, UCX emails a key + serial, and the user pastes them into the Subscription Details screen.
12. What is required to deploy Direct Routing?
    A certified SBC, SIP trunk configuration, and Microsoft Phone System licensing.
13. Can both integration methods be used at the same time?
    Yes. Organizations can mix embedded users and Direct Routing users as needed.

Devices & Compatibility

14. Can Teams-certified desk phones be used with UCX?
    Teams phones work only with native Teams calling. UCX features require UCX-connected devices or clients.

Security & Reliability

16. Is the integration secure?
    Yes. The embedded model uses Microsoft’s secure browser container and authentication, while Direct Routing uses SIP/TLS and SBC-level security.
17. Does a Teams outage affect UCX calling?
    With the embedded model, Teams UI availability may be impacted, but UCX telephony continues to operate. With Direct Routing, the Teams dial pad cannot function if Teams is unavailable.
18. Does the embedded Infinity web client support Single Sign On integration with Entra 365 (Azure AD)?
    The embedded Infinity Web Client does not currently support Entra ID although it is currently being investigated as a future enhancement.

Advanced Features

18. Does the embedded client support call-center features?
    Yes. The supported call center features include includes queue login, wallboards, reports, agent status, and omnichannel messaging based on the availability of any normal licensing required for these features.
19. Does Direct Routing support call-center features?
    Yes, though users access UCX queue features via DTMF/star codes or external tools, not through the Teams interface.
20. Is presence or Teams calendar sync possible today?
    No. These are potential future enhancements, not currently implemented.