No matter your industry, we all need certain tools to help make collaboration with others simplistic and efficient. This is where Microsoft Teams comes into play.
Microsoft Teams is a collaboration and communication platform developed by Microsoft. The platform includes features from sharing files in a simple, no-nonsense way to having a meeting in a virtual room.
Let’s have a look at all the features this tool from Microsoft offers business owners and individuals that can help benefit your business.
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1) Microsoft Teams Allows for Greater Collaboration
Microsoft Teams is the perfect tool to help you and your co-workers collaborate smoothly. With teams, you are easily able to:
- Communicate via instant messaging or audio/video chats.
- Schedule live meetings and have recordings on-demand to relook at what is said.
- Integrate other Office 365 apps like Planner.
- Work on the go with the Microsoft Teams application.
Channels
With the Channels feature in Teams, you are able to collaborate on projects about a specific topic, for example, “Team Events”, “Marketing”, etc..
Channels allow you to have conversations, hold meetings, and work on files.
How Do I Share a File in a Channel?
Method 1: By selecting the paperclip icon located within the chat, you can upload files.
Be careful when selecting this option as there will be a duplication of the file, making it difficult to keep track of changes.
Method 2: Move the file from your OneDrive account to Microsoft Teams. This method won’t create duplicates.
Planner
Although a separate service, Planner is still integrated within the Microsoft Teams application.
Planner allows you to assign tasks to your team and yourself, and it allows you to connect content to a specific task.
When creating a meeting, it will automatically be added to the organiser’s calendar, however, other attendees will need to add it manually.
Instant Messaging
With Teams, you are able to have conversations where you can give input, share your opinion, and let your personality shine through with the use of stickers, emojis, and GIFs.
With Microsoft Teams, you are able to have conversations in groups or one person at a time, allowing for more privacy for those sensitive topics.
Meetings
With Teams, you can have meetings with 10 people to a thousand. No room is too small as meetings in Teams are held in a virtual space, called Microsoft Teams Rooms.
Features
In meetings, you have some great features including:
Screen sharing – This feature is great if you want to show attendees a new feature.
Recording – Unfortunately, you have to manually start recording a meeting as it’s not an automatic setting without the use of third-party applications.
Instant messaging – have a conversation while in a meeting via the chat feature
Share Meeting Agenda – When inviting members to a meeting within Teams, you are able to share your meeting agenda, ensuring everyone knows what to expect.
Invite External Guests – You can have meetings with external guests, not just with people inside your organisation. They can join a meeting in their web browser without needing to download Teams.
Access notes & Recordings – Easily access notes and recordings from previous meetings whenever you need them.
Start meeting with one touch – Simply start a meeting with one touch.
Video – With Teams, you are able to use the video feature. You are able to blur the background with intelligent technology to minimise background distractions.
Live Events
In Microsoft Teams meetings, you are able to host large meetings, company-wide events, presentations, and webinars for up to 10, 000 attendees, with the Teams Live Events feature.
2) Microsoft Teams Makes it Easy to Work with Remote Employees
Tips for Using Teams for Remote Workers
- Use the “join” option to allow remote workers to join meetings easily.
- Use the video feature to interact face to face. This can add a bit more connection, than simply talking to a blank screen.
- Ensure remote employees are keeping up by taking a break and allowing people to ask questions or share thoughts
- Record the meeting for those employees working remotely who cannot attend the meeting right away. They can watch the meeting later or go through the transcript. This is a great feature when you have company training and have employees working in other provinces or locations.
- When working remotely, it’s easy to miss the small things, like having a chat in the kitchen when making coffee. Check-in on employees over a quick call or via instant messaging.
- Make them feel included. It can be isolating when working remotely, so ensuring everyone is included whether it’s a brainstorming session or a quick meeting.
- Have some fun by running mini competitions within Team groups, or sharing fun facts. This will help build team morale and hopefully create positive atmospheres.
3) Simple File Sharing
There’s no need to struggle to find a file sent via email anymore.
With Microsoft Teams, you can easily access and edit files shared within a channel or chat. Files shared within Teams are stored on SharePoint.
When sharing files within a group or private conversation, the file is stored in your OneDrive for Business folder and can only be accessed by you and members within the group.
You can access the Files tab at the top of each channel.
4) Integrate Third-Party Apps
With Microsoft Teams, you have the option to integrate third-party apps like Trello. By using this feature, you can reduce how many browser tabs you need open and instead have all the apps you need in one window.
- Trello
- Excel
- OneNote
- Power BI
- PowerPoint
- Stream
- Bitbucket
- Word
- Website
- Agile Polly
- Beesy
- Beezy Stories
- Listy
- YouTube
- Evernote
5) With Telkom Removing its Copper Network, Teams Offers a VOIP Solution
With Telkom removing its copper network, Microsoft Teams steps in by offering a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) solution.
According to Telkom, “Telkom’s wireless service is more reliable than its copper-based technology and is less susceptible to interruptions as a result of adverse weather conditions, faults and cable theft.”.
With the Microsoft Phone System in Teams, your organisation will have all the calling features it needs.
How to Make and Receive Phone Calls
Microsoft Direct Routing
With the Microsoft Direct Routing method, employees are able to make use of existing phone numbers in the Teams Phone System to make and receive phone calls. This method includes a dial tone.
Features included in Teams Phone System:
- Group call pickup
- Delegation
- Shared line appearance
- Customer support – Ensure customers are answered or routed to the right queue with call queues and cloud auto attendants.
Microsoft Calling Plans
By adding Microsoft Calling Plans to Teams, employees are able to easily make and receive calls. The plans come in various sizes, which all depends on the number of minutes your company needs.
More call features include:
- Cloud voicemail
- Call Park
- Music on hold
- Consultive transfers
- Monitor calls in the Teams admin centre
6) Eliminate Unnecessary Internal Emails
Nobody enjoys emails. Once you log on to your computer and go through all your external emails, you see emails from your co-workers as well.
Microsoft Teams helps you avoid unnecessary emails by allowing you to use the Instant Messaging feature within the tool.
In simple chats, you are able to communicate with features included in modern apps like WhatsApp. Features include:
In simple chats, you are able to communicate with features included in modern apps like WhatsApp. Features include:
- @ Mentions – Mentioning someone in a chat via this method, will allow the person to receive a notification that their input is needed in the conversation.
- Likes – You are able to like, heart, laugh, act surprised, sad, and angry.
- Emoji – You are able to add emojis to the chat.
- GIFs – To add a bit more fun or exactly describe your reaction, send a GIF.
- Stickers – With chats you are also able to send stickers.
7) Skype for Business Coming to End of Support Soon - Microsoft is Going All in with Teams
If you haven’t heard, Skype for Business is coming to the end of support in July 2021. Many employees still use Skype as a form of communication within the company or when communicating with clients.
But there’s no need to worry, Microsoft will help customers move away from Skype for Business, and help start working in Microsoft Teams.
Why is Skype For Business Being Replaced by Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams has expanded capabilities than those found in Skype for Business, ensuring users can share files, have conversations, use integrated apps like Trello, etc. All these features are focused on helping organisations collaborate more efficiently and continue to keep up in the fast-paced world.
With these powerful features easily available to your organisation with the click of a button, your business will skyrocket through tasks and projects, allowing you to keep up in the fast-paced modern world.
