Mastering Dynamics CCaaS: A Practical Guide

Written By Kelly Simpson

Knowing Dynamics 365 CE
doesn’t make you an expert
in Dynamics CCaaS

The Shift to Cloud Contact Centers

Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) is no longer a future trend. It is here, It is present. Enterprises are moving away from legacy platforms like Avaya and Genesys to cloud-native solutions that offer agility, scalability, and AI-powered customer experiences.

Microsoft’s entry into the CCaaS space with Dynamics 365 Contact Center is a game-changer. It’s built on Azure, infused with Copilot AI, and designed to integrate seamlessly with the broader Microsoft ecosystem. You know the one!… Power Platform, Azure Communication Services, Microsoft Teams etc..

My Learning Journey: From Curiosity to Clarity

As a Principal Solution Architect, I’ve spent many months diving deep into Dynamics CCaaS. What started as curiosity quickly became a strategic focus.

A pivotal moment in my learning came when Mike Gooch introduced me to Microsoft Teams Contact Center and his insight helping me understand the distinction:

  • Use Microsoft Teams Contact Center when your agents are already embedded in Teams, and you need lightweight call routing, presence-based transfers, and internal collaboration.

  • Use Dynamics 365 Contact Center when you need full CCaaS capabilities—omnichannel routing, AI-powered agent assist, advanced analytics, and integration with CRM and WFM platforms.

This clarity has helped me guide clients toward the right-fit solution based on their operational needs, digital maturity and requirements they have provided

Working at TTEC Digital has exposed me to both solutions in real-world implementations. What I’ve observed is that Teams Contact Center works well for organisations that:

  • Already use Teams as their primary workspace

  • Need basic call handling and internal transfers

  • Want to consolidate telephony without investing in full CCaaS

But when clients need omnichannel routing, AI-powered agent assist, or deep CRM integration, Dynamics 365 Contact Center is the clear choice.

What Makes Dynamics Contact Center a compelling choice?

  • Copilot AI: Embedded generative AI for summarization, agent assist, and guided workflows.

  • Unified Routing: Intelligent queue management across voice, chat, email, and social.

  • Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC): Flexibility to retain your existing SIP trunk or telco provider while leveraging Microsoft’s cloud routing.

  • Power Platform Integration: Use Power Automate and Power Apps to orchestrate business logic and workflows.

  • Native Azure Communication Services: Real-time voice and video capabilities built into the platform.

Dynamics Contact Centre requires telephony understanding

Implementing Dynamics Contact Centre as a Service is far from the straightforward experience some assume it to be. This isn’t like rolling out a standard CRM solution; knowing Dynamics alone doesn’t automatically mean you can build or deploy a functional contact centre.

The ecosystem is packed with telco-grade complexity, from mastering PSTN, ACS, SIP trunks, and SBCs to understanding how these components interact to deliver reliable, enterprise-ready voice and omnichannel experiences.

Another learning journey of mine, thanks to Mike(again!), has been understanding what all these Acronyms mean! Having a strong background in Dynamics 365CE… this has been like learning a new language all over again!

For those in D365 CE field who are just beginning the D365 CCaaS journey:

  • PSTN : Public Switched Telephone Network
    The traditional global phone network that routes calls over physical copper lines, fiber, and cellular systems. It’s the backbone of standard voice calling.

  • ACS : Azure Communication Services
    Microsoft’s cloud-based platform that enables developers to add voice, video, chat, SMS, and telephony capabilities directly into applications using Azure’s infrastructure.

  • SIP : Session Initiation Protocol
    A signaling protocol used to initiate, manage, and end real-time communication sessions such as voice and video calls over IP networks.

  • SIP Trunk : A virtual phone line that uses SIP to deliver voice over the internet
    A digital connection that replaces traditional phone lines, allowing businesses to make and receive calls online through their telephony or contact centre system.

  • SBC : Session Border Controller
    A security and control device that sits at the edge of a network to protect, manage, and optimise voice-over-IP (VoIP) traffic; including call routing, encryption, and compliance

(BIGGEST SHOUT OUT POSSIBLE HERE!📢 Mike has taken time to have a bi-weekly session with myself to educate me in this area since I joined)

What I’ve Observed at TTEC Digital: Practical Strengths in Dynamics CCaaS Delivery

Since joining TTEC Digital, I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside teams deeply embedded in Microsoft’s CCaaS journey. What stands out to me isn’t just the scale of our delivery or the accolades like Inner Circle status—it’s the way we approach implementation with a clear focus on practicality and client enablement. Our “Validate, Then Scale” approach plays out in real projects. Rather than jumping straight into full-scale delivery, we start with a proof of technology. This lets us test assumptions, refine designs, and build confidence with stakeholders early on. It’s a pragmatic way to reduce risk and ensure we’re solving the right problems.

When it comes to telephony integration, our teams have a strong handle on Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC) scenarios. Whether clients are migrating from Avaya, Genesys, or other platforms, we’ve been able to support SIP trunking and carrier transitions without disrupting operations. It’s a capability that’s often underestimated but critical for CCaaS success.

Finally, I’ve seen a real emphasis on mentorship and enablement. We don’t just deliver a solution and walk away—we invest in training client teams so they can manage and evolve their Dynamics environment confidently. That’s been a consistent theme across engagements, and it’s something I’ve come to value as part of our delivery culture.

Key Take Away:

If you’ve made it this far, firstly thank you for reading!

Ultimately, as can be seen from this blog post, Dynamics Contact Centre requires deep understanding of telecommunications architecture. The belief that implementation of a Dynamics-based contact centre is “easy” simply because it lives within the Dynamics ecosystem is one of the most misleading narratives circulating on LinkedIn at the moment.
In truth, delivering a reliable, enterprise-grade contact centre requires far more than CRM expertise—it demands a solid grasp of telecommunications architecture and the many moving parts that power it.

That’s precisely why specialised Telco Architects like Mike are so invaluable on projects, and to learn from when the opportunity arises; they connect the world of Dynamics with the complex foundations of voice, routing, and network infrastructure, ensuring the solution is not just functional, but robust and future-ready.

Kelly Simpson
Next

A new chapter Begins