Azure Communication Services for Business and Development Needs

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Azure Communication Services is a powerful tool that can help businesses and developers create seamless communication experiences. It provides a scalable and secure platform for building custom communication solutions.

With Azure Communication Services, developers can use APIs and SDKs to integrate real-time communication capabilities into their applications. This includes features like messaging, voice, and video calls.

Businesses can use Azure Communication Services to enhance customer engagement and support. For example, they can use the service to enable customers to initiate live chat or voice calls directly from within their applications.

Azure Communication Services is designed to be highly customizable, allowing developers to tailor the service to meet the specific needs of their business or application.

Pricing and Plans

Pricing for Azure Communication Services is shown in USD, assuming the East US 2 region selection.

You can use Azure Communication Services with Microsoft Teams without incurring additional costs, as long as you're using Azure APIs and SDKs. VoIP and chat usage for Teams app users interacting with Azure Communication Services applications is free.

M365 licenses include VoIP and chat usage for Microsoft Teams endpoints, so you won't have to worry about extra charges for those features.

Pricing Examples

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Pricing Examples are a key part of understanding the costs involved with Azure Communication Services. Pricing is shown in USD, assuming the East US 2 region selection.

The pricing for Azure Communication Services varies depending on the specific services used. This means that different plans and features have different price points.

One thing to keep in mind is that pricing is shown in USD, which is the default currency for the East US 2 region. This helps to simplify the pricing process for users in this region.

Microsoft Teams Pricing

Microsoft Teams Pricing is a crucial aspect to consider when deciding whether to use the platform for your business.

VoIP and chat usage for Microsoft Teams endpoints are included with M365 licenses. This means you won't have to worry about extra costs for these features if you're already using M365.

Azure Communication Services can be used to build custom applications and experiences that enable interaction with Microsoft Teams users over voice, video, chat, and screen sharing.

Voice and Video Calling (VoIP) and chat usage is billed to your Azure resource only when using Azure APIs and SDKs, which means usage for Teams app users interacting with Azure Communication Services applications is free.

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Features and Capabilities

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Azure Communication Services offers a range of features and capabilities to help you build seamless communication experiences for your customers and clients.

You can build multichannel communication experiences using Azure Communication Services, which provides APIs for adding voice, video, chat, text messaging/SMS, email, and more to your applications.

With Azure Communication Services, you can launch a session quickly for real-time response and personalize customer conversations with an agent chat interface.

To manage growing customer service needs, you can easily manage growing customer service needs with a fast time to resolution.

You can also build a sample virtual appointment app in minutes, which seamlessly connects with clients, patients, or customers as if you’re in the same room.

This virtual appointment app combines video calling, chat, and SMS in a customizable, ready-to-deploy solution.

Azure Communication Services APIs allow you to build and control your communication experiences.

Production-ready Email APIs enable you to send mail from your own verified domains and follow easy onboarding steps to quickly add email capabilities to your applications.

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You can measure success and engagement with email analytics.

To enable voice calls from within your apps, you can use Azure Communication Services and connect to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

There are two ways to enable voice with ACS:

  • Using Microsoft as your Telco: This is a simple and quick option where Microsoft acts as your carrier.
  • Bring your own carrier via Azure Direct Routing: This allows you to select your own carrier or bring your existing carrier into the mix.

Development and Integration

Developing a robust communication platform with Azure Communication Services is a breeze. You can learn more about its features and capabilities by exploring the Azure Communication Services page.

Building a custom communication solution is made easy with Azure Communication Services' scalable and secure infrastructure. This allows you to focus on what matters most – delivering a seamless user experience.

With Azure Communication Services, you can integrate real-time communication capabilities into your application, enabling features like voice and video calling, messaging, and more. This is especially useful for businesses looking to enhance customer engagement.

By leveraging Azure Communication Services, you can ensure that your communication platform is always reliable and available, even in the face of high traffic or unexpected outages. This is a huge plus for companies that rely heavily on communication.

Use Cases and Scenarios

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Using Azure Communication Services, you can create end-to-end communication scenarios with telephony capabilities, including inbound and outbound calling and text messaging.

You can provision numbers that support these capabilities and eliminate unsolicited calls or texts by using clean numbers that are run through extensive verification.

To get started, you can create a Communication Services resource through the Azure portal or Communication Services SDK, which will provide you with a connection string and allow you to provide user access tokens.

You can then use Azure Communication Services to provision and release telephone numbers, which can be used to initiate or receive phone calls and build SMS solutions.

Here are some common scenarios you can build with Azure Communication Services:

You can also build client scenarios, such as voice and video calling or text chat, after creating a Communication Services resource.

Credit: youtube.com, Create an Azure Communication Services resource in the Azure Portal

Some examples of client scenarios you can build include creating your first user access token, getting started with voice and video calling, and adding telephony calling to your app.

You can also use Azure Communication Services to make an outbound call from your app, join your calling app to a Teams meeting, and get started with chat.

Additionally, you can connect a Microsoft Bot to a phone number and add visual communication experiences to your applications using the UI Library for Azure Communication Services.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Azure have an SMTP service?

Yes, Azure offers an SMTP service through Azure Communication Services' Email, allowing you to easily switch to a new SMTP server without modifying code. This service provides a convenient alternative to traditional SMTP solutions.

Judith Lang

Senior Assigning Editor

Judith Lang is a seasoned Assigning Editor with a passion for curating engaging content for readers. With a keen eye for detail, she has successfully managed a wide range of article categories, from technology and software to education and career development. Judith's expertise lies in assigning and editing articles that cater to the needs of modern professionals, providing them with valuable insights and knowledge to stay ahead in their fields.

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