Many vendors are dropping Mitel support and telling businesses they need to switch to the cloud. But that’s not necessarily the best advice for organizations that depend on their Mitel phone systems to collaborate internally and communicate with customers every day.

Mitel powers some of the most reliable and cost-effective business phone systems available, and they’re capable of much more than most businesses realize. In fact, just about anything a cloud system can do, a Mitel phone system can do, too.

That said, many businesses haven’t updated their Mitel systems in years. Modernizing your system can unlock powerful communication features that improve efficiency, simplify collaboration, and – most importantly – enhance the customer experience.

Here are eight ways to modernize your Mitel system without replacing it.

Summary

• In many cases, you don’t have to give up your Mitel phone system or your support
• Modernizing your Mitel phone system can help your business save money, improve efficiency, and meet customer expectations
• Top Mitel phone system modernization strategies include:
  • Switch from PRI to SIP
  • Omnichannel communications
  • Integrate AI
  • Add softphones, DECT phones, and mobile apps
  • Integrate with Teams and/or Zoom
  • Add redundancy
  • Call recording, reporting, and analytics
  • Virtualization

8 Ways to Modernize Your Mitel Business Phone System

Here are eight ways you can modernize your Mitel phone system without replacing it.

1. Switch from PRI to SIP

For over 30 years, Primary Rate Interface (PRI) was the standard for connecting business phone systems to the public telephone network. PRI circuits use traditional T1 lines – often copper – to carry voice calls.

Today, however, PRI technology is outdated, and switching to Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) – which carries calls over the Internet – is one of the simplest ways to modernize your Mitel phone system.

The best part? Switching from PRI to SIP likely unlocks significant savings and ensures compliance for your business. That’s because:

• Carriers are sunsetting PRI: Support rates are skyrocketing, so switching to SIP avoids expensive fees
• SIP is more flexible: With PRI, you must pay for 23-channel circuits (so if you need 24 channels, you’ll pay for 46). With SIP, you only pay for what you need
• SIP enables E911: Many PRI carriers don’t support Enhanced 911, which provides precise caller locations to emergency responders. E911 helps ensure compliance with regulations like Kari’s Law and RAY BAUM’s Act

RELATED: 5 Questions to Ask If You’re Losing Mitel Support – or Being Pressured to Switch to the Cloud

2. Omnichannel Communications

Omnichannel communications enable you to meet customers where they are, and with solutions like Mitel MiContact Center Business and Mitel CX, you can even interact with them on a single pane of glass.

That means you have one dashboard for engaging customers across all channels, including:

• Calls
• Email
• Text
• Chat
• Social media

What’s more, your omnichannel experience can integrate directly with your CRM, helping sales and support teams with access to customer histories, automated call logging, and real-time insights that help them deliver faster, more personalized customer service.

3. Integrate AI

Mitel phone systems can integrate robust AI features that enhance the customer experience while improving efficiency. Examples include:

• AI chatbots that route calls, transcribe conversations, schedule appointments, detect customer sentiment, and escalate to live agents when needed
• AI assistants that collect customer details, summarize conversations, and send data to live agents before calls are even answered – eliminating the frustration of customers repeating themselves
• Real-time agent assistants that automatically display relevant customer data and knowledge base articles during calls so agents can quickly give customers the help they need

These features prevent routine issues from bogging agents down, freeing them to focus on more complex support requests.

Automation isn’t just about answering calls – it’s about connecting customer interactions to business processes, and Mitel’s AI integrations can also automate workflows such as tying calls directly to your CRM, support ticketing system, and scheduling platform.

Ultimately, AI integrations like these can reduce handle time, increase first-call resolution rates, increase customer satisfaction, and even reduce staffing needs.

4. Add Softphones, DECT Phones, and Mobile Apps

Mitel systems are fully compatible with softphones, DECT phones, and mobile apps, offering significant benefits to modern businesses.

• Softphones reduce costs by eliminating desk phones and supporting remote and work-from-home employees
• DECT phones enable mobility beyond Bluetooth, with headsets that work over 300 feet away from your desk and access points that keep phones connected anywhere in your facility without the risk of dropping calls. They’re ideal for healthcare, manufacturing, warehousing, retail, hospitality, and education – any organization on a large campus
• Mobile apps such as MiCollab ensure all employees use the same integrated communication system no matter where they’re working from, keep business activities off employee personal lines, and can even allow calls to follow employees from desk phones to laptops to mobile devices

5. Integrate with Teams and/or Zoom

Mitel’s Teams and Zoom integrations simplify collaboration, allowing your Mitel phone system to work with the tools many employees already use.

These modern integrations allow calls, chats, and customer data to follow employees across platforms, so Mitel conversations can be managed in Teams or Zoom. It’s another way to introduce modern features like unified communications and collaboration to your Mitel phone system.

6. Add Redundancy

Redundancy ensures your phones work during power and Internet outages. Many cloud phone systems can’t do this out of the box – if the power goes out, your telecom goes down – but you can modernize your Mitel system to protect business continuity and maintain reliable emergency calling through:

• SIP failover routing
• Cellular backup
• Redundant servers
• Hybrid deployments (for example, local infrastructure with cloud-based failover)

7. Call Recording, Reporting, and Analytics

Solutions like Mitel MiContact Center make it easy to modernize your Mitel phone system with call recording, reporting, and analytics that lend valuable insights into customer service and overall business performance.

Call recording benefits include:

• Automatic call transcription
• Keyword and sentiment analysis
• Training and sales coaching
• Quality assurance
• Dispute resolution
• Compliance
• Legal protection

Reporting and analytics add business intelligence, accountability, and forecasting capabilities, enabling you to proactively improve customer service. These tools identify patterns like peak call times, bottlenecks, and common customer complaints, giving managers greater visibility into contact center performance and how to improve it for measurable business outcomes.

8. Virtualize Your Mitel System

Another way to modernize your Mitel system is to run it on virtual machines such as VMware or Hyper-V instead of physical hardware. Virtualization can:

• Reduce hardware and maintenance costs
• Simplify upgrades
• Potentially emulate instances of your phone system or deploy it in dual data centers for redundancy and business continuity

It’s also important to understand that modernizing your Mitel system doesn’t mean choosing between on-premise and the cloud. Mitel supports multiple deployment models – including on-premise, cloud, and hybrid environments – so you can keep your existing infrastructure while adding modern capabilities like AI and advanced communications tools.

Every business needs to modernize to stay competitive, but that doesn’t mean giving up your existing investment or disrupting your business. Like all successful enterprises, Mitel has evolved, and today’s Mitel phone systems are fully capable of supporting modern communications tools.

Instead of replacing your Mitel phone system, modernize it, and continue to enjoy a smooth, intuitive experience that benefits your business and your customers – all while keeping the Mitel support you depend on for success.

Mitel Business Phone System Modernization FAQs

How can you modernize a Mitel phone system?

You can modernize your Mitel phone system by switching from PRI to SIP, adding omnichannel communications, integrating AI, adding mobile apps and softphones, adding redundancy, and with virtualization.

Should we replace or upgrade our Mitel phone system?

It depends on which Mitel business phone system you have and your business goals. If you have a Mitel MiVoice Business (Mitel 3300), you can probably modernize your system without replacing it. If you have an older system, it’s a good idea to speak with an expert to evaluate whether your system should be modernized or replaced.

Do Mitel phone systems integrate with Zoom or Microsoft Teams?

Yes, modern Mitel phone systems integrate with Zoom and Microsoft Teams, allowing your business to manage your Mitel conversations from within Zoom or Teams.

Do Mitel phone systems support AI?

Yes, modern Mitel phone systems support AI capabilities like chatbots, real-time agent assistance, and workflow automation with CRM and support ticketing systems.