Selecting the right UCaaS tool implies many considerations such as cost, functionality, and support ecosystem. Those factors allow for relatively straightforward comparisons, nevertheless, performance and reliability can be more challenging to assess.
With technology evolving the work landscape, more providers at the top of the market are making bold claims about their audio and video reliability, as well as service level agreements (SLAs) that could look impressive at first glance, but may come with limitations that are difficult to claim under. How can you know if they hold up under poor network conditions?
In order to provide clarity in comparison of services between different providers, Microsoft enlisted technical research firm GigaOmTM to conduct benchmarks between various UCaaS vendors measuring both uptime and service quality.
Through a fair, third-party comparison between Microsoft Teams Phone, RingCentral, and Zoom conducted by GigaOmTM, was determined if each provider’s observed uptime statistics were in line with their respective reported uptime statistics, in particular as they relate to the SLA commitments of 99.99% to 99.999%.
How do they conduct the engagement?
The main objective was performed synthetic testing that showed each provider had 100% uptime during the testing period spanning June 13 to July 14, 2022.
GigaOmTM took an engineering-driven approach using synthetic service monitoring every 15 minutes 24/7 for 30 days, across a determined set of devices and applications. These tests provided network statistics and service availability with machine-level detail. At the end of the measurement period, the output data was used for a technical evaluation of the services. Human testers also conducted daily tests of the three providers whose findings correlated with results from the synthetic testing.
Research involving synthetic testing was carried out to simulate customer satisfaction with transactions across the three services using the Apdex method, which translates aggregated data into an easy-to-read scale so it can be compared against other leading UCaaS providers. The Apdex formula is equivalent to a weighted average, where a satisfied transaction scores 1 point, a tolerating transaction scores 0.5 points, and a frustrating one scores 0.
The outcomes
Microsoft Teams performed at the highest level of the providers tested, returning an Apdex score of 1.00 (100% overall satisfied transactions) exceeding the average scores for RingCentral and Zoom.
| Provider | Average Apdex Score as a Percentage |
| Microsoft | 100% |
| RingCentral | 93% |
| Zoom | 99% |
Human testers evaluated the same features across all three vendors during the same test period, exercising a range of call features over the same time span, and recorded their experiences on call quality and/or ease of use. Microsoft Teams came out on top in terms of overall performance, video quality, and features. The testers especially appreciated live captioning and transcription services and ranked them as excellent and very useful.
Microsoft Teams: the top UCaaS provider
Since its launch in 2016, Teams has become the UCaaS leader due to its constantly improved innovation, quality, and reliability.
You might like: Gartner recognizes Microsoft as Leader in Unified Communications as a Service Solutions – 2021
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