Anonymized engagement summary: replacing Skype for Business with Microsoft Teams Phone using Direct Routing across offices in two regions, for an international law firm (2020)
Contracted — countersigned (EPC-reported; documents private)First-pass editionAn international law firm (client not named) · 2020 · Project ID EPC-2020-ANON-LAW-TEAMSVOICE
Last updated by Errin O'Connor, Founder & Chief AI Architect, EPC Group
Opening answer. In December 2020 an international law firm's CIO countersigned a statement of work with EPC Group to replace Skype for Business with Microsoft Teams, including voice, across the firm's offices in two regions. The scope:
- Teams telephony through Direct Routing, with each region using its own session border controller
- porting existing numbers to Teams
- auto attendants, call queues, response groups, common-area phone accounts and meeting rooms
- a customized training and adoption program
- retiring the Skype for Business system
Disclosure. This is an EPC-reported anonymized engagement summary. The client is not named. The countersigned statement of work is retained privately and is not published in the Evidence Center, so this account is outside the Evidence Center's documented-engagement counts. Every engagement fact below is taken from that document.
Verification class
Contracted — countersigned (EPC-reported; documents private). The firm's CIO signed the statement of work electronically in December 2020. No cut-over record, acceptance or outcome measurement is cited or claimed.
Buyer problem and scope
| Item | What the statement of work states |
|---|---|
| Buyer | An international law firm (client not named); signed by its CIO |
| Situation | Skype for Business in use for communication, collaboration and VoIP across offices in two regions |
| Objective | Move all communication, collaboration and voice capabilities to Microsoft Teams, set up alike in every office, and retire Skype for Business |
| Telephony | Teams Direct Routing through a session border controller for each region; number porting; auto attendants, call queues, response groups, common-area phones and meeting rooms; further voice customization as needed |
| Discovery and planning | Business needs and requirements sessions; network assessment and readiness; review of existing phone workflows, deciding which to keep; number-portability requirements; blockers and gaps, with options to close them; a findings report with readiness tasks and clear project roles |
| Design | A Teams cloud PBX design and architecture; configurations for voicemail, calling identity, dial plans, call queues and auto attendants; calling plans and call routing; designs presented for review and acceptance |
| Adoption | Awareness campaigns, pre-deployment training material, and a customized training program with learning materials fitted to the firm's teams |
| Delivery | Configuration, testing and rollout by office; led by EPC Group's Teams architects with the founder |
Unknowns, not stated in the document cited: user and number counts, the rollout dates and any measured result.
Approach and artifacts
Network and workflows before phones. Before any design, discovery checks network readiness, maps which existing call flows to keep or retire, and confirms number portability. The findings report turns that into readiness tasks.
One design, many offices. Every office gets the same setup, with Direct Routing through the session border controller for its region.
People, not just phones. Awareness campaigns run before deployment, and training materials are fitted to the firm's teams.
Document (held privately):
| Document | Date |
|---|---|
| Statement of work, Microsoft Teams voice consulting and implementation (countersigned) | December 2020 |
Results and limitations
| Claim | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|
| The firm contracted EPC Group to replace Skype for Business with Teams Phone | Countersigned statement of work, December 2020 | Contracted (EPC-reported; documents private) |
| Offices cut over, Skype retired, or measured results | No document cited | Not claimed |
Provenance
- Source: the countersigned statement of work (December 2020), held privately. Engagement ID: EPC-2020-ANON-LAW-TEAMSVOICE, an alias unrelated to the client's name.
- Anonymization: industry only, under EPC Group's anonymized-case rule; the firm's name, office and data-center locations, staff names and commercial terms are not published.
- Not claimed: client endorsement, completion, or any measured result.
- Author: Errin O'Connor, Founder & Chief AI Architect, EPC Group, named in the statement of work as leading the initiative.
Revision history
- 2026-10-25: anonymized engagement summary published from the engagement's countersigned statement of work.
Related service
Microsoft Teams consulting · Microsoft Teams Phone guide · Talk to a senior architect
Author: Errin O'Connor, Founder & Chief AI Architect, EPC Group · Published: 2026-10-25.