Why Microsoft Teams Might be The Right Solution for You

Image Credit: Microsoft

Overview

Microsoft Teams is a communication platform developed by Microsoft and is part of the Microsoft 365 product family. The platform is primarily used for chat, video calls, file sharing and storage, application integration, and more.

What are you using to communicate with your team? How are you sharing updates and files? Are you hosting meetings with a separate platform like Zoom?

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.

Let’s have a look at what Microsoft Teams is, what it’s used for, and how it can benefit your team.

What is Microsoft Teams?

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. No matter how big or small your team, collaborate with ease across your organisation.

What Microsoft 365 Plan do you Need to Access Teams?

Users have a choice to use Teams for free or as part of their Microsoft 365 plan. If you already have a 365 plan in place, then Teams is already included.

Microsoft Teams (Free)

Includes online meetings (both calls and video), however, cannot record meetings

Allows a maximum of 300 participants (Originally 100 but Microsoft has extended the limit during COVID)

Maximum number of users: 500K

Includes web versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Doesn’t include apps like SharePoint, Stream, Planner, or OneDrive

Doesn’t include single sign-on to all Microsoft 365 apps and services

Includes administration tools for managing users and apps

Microsoft Teams (Premium)

Includes online meetings (both
calls and video). Users can record meetings

Allows a maximum of 300 to 10,000 participants (depending on the chosen plan)

Maximum number of users: 300 – 500K (depending on the chosen plan)

Includes web versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and includes other apps like SharePoint, Stream, Planner, or OneDrive

Include single sign-on to all Microsoft 365 apps and services

Includes administration tools for managing users and apps

To view all features available for Microsoft Teams, have a look at them here.

What are the Benefits of Teams?

Microsoft Teams Meeting

Image Credit: Microsoft

Microsoft Teams Allows for Greater Collaboration

Microsoft Teams is the perfect tool to ensure smooth collaboration between you and your team with instant messaging, video/audio calls, recordings, and more.

With Teams, you can:

  • 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.

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 or when presenting your ideas to a potential client.
  • 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 can 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 the click of a button.
  • Video – With Teams, you can use the video feature and blur the background with intelligent technology to minimise background distractions.
  • Live Events – In Microsoft Teams meetings, you can host large meetings, company-wide events, presentations, and webinars for up to 10, 000 attendees.

Work From Anywhere

Working from home? Microsoft Teams has the features you need to be able to work remotely, as long as you have an internet connection or mobile data (if you’re working with the Teams app on your smartphone).

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.

Here are more tips for working from home.

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.

Files tab on Microsoft Teams

Application Integration

With Teams, you have the option to integrate third-party apps like Trello for managing tasks, or Bitbucket for managing development projects. By using these features, you can reduce how many browser tabs you need open and instead have all the apps you need in one window.

Other apps include:

  • Zoom
  • Excel
  • OneNote
  • PDF
  • Power BI
  • PowerPoint
  • Stream
  • Word
  • Website
  • Agile Polly
  • Evernote
  • YouTube
  • Forms
  • Communities
  • Kahoot! (Great for team building)
  • SharePoint

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 with Teams

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 can 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

Get in touch with our team
to discuss plans

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Eliminate Unnecessary Internal Emails

Gone are the days of scouring your inbox to find that one email. Also, why waste your inbox if you could easily ask a quick question over Teams?

Reduce internal emails flooding your inbox by making use of the instant messaging option available in Teams. Features include emojis, @mentions, GIFs, stickers, and likes.

Chat options on Teams

Eliminate Unnecessary Internal Emails

With the Channels feature in Teams, you are able to collaborate on projects about a specific topic, for example, “Team Events”, or “Marketing”.
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.

User-friendly Interface

Teams provides a user-friendly interface for its customers that is easy to use and understand. Users can also switch between light, dark or high contrast themes.

Top Apps and Features to Use in Teams

SharePoint

Microsoft SharePoint is a web-based collaboration platform primarily used to create websites or an intranet. The platform has a few benefits including centralised administration, customisation, document management, application integration, enhanced security, etc.

Read our in-depth guide on everything you need to know about Microsoft SharePoint.

Wiki

The Wiki in Teams is a smart-text editor where teams can share notes in a structured way. Users can store processes here, company rules, and keep the company CI (Corporate Identity) saved here to ensure uniformity across all designs.

Microsoft Stream

A great way to access training videos or rewatch company events is through the Microsoft Stream app. The app allows you to view and share pre-recorded videos from your team.

Polly

Can’t decide what to do for the year-end event? Or need to choose a topic for next week’s company training? Use Polly. The app allows users to take part in a poll right there in the chat.

Trello/Planner

Trello

Trello is a web-based list-making application created to help you organise and keep track of tasks.

Users can create tasks (called cards) and set due dates, assign members, add comments, checklists, and more.

Trello screenshot

Image Credit: Business 2 Community

Microsoft Planner

Planner is another project management app developed by Microsoft.

Whatever your choice for project management, both apps are integrated with Teams.

Kahoot!

If you’re looking for something to boost morale and work on team building, then the Kahoot! app is your best option!
First integrated with Microsoft Teams in 2020, Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform which hosts user-generated multiple choice quizzes for your whole team to take part in. You can ask basic trivia questions about a specific industry or you can test your teams’ knowledge of the company!
You can set up a few questions, and then your team has to answer them (they only have a few seconds).
Kahoot! Team building app

Image Credit: Virtual Innovation

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.

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5 Tips on How to Effectively use Teams in Your Organisation

1. When you are away from your computer, set your status to “Away”, “Be Right Back”, or “Busy” to ensure your team knows they cannot reach you at the moment.
2. Create different channels for various purposes like “Software”, “Marketing”, or “Technical”. Just make sure you choose an appropriate title.
3. Record Teams meetings to refer back to the conversation if you forget or your notes aren’t in-depth enough.
4. Need to finalise a project but all the group message notifications make you lose focus? Mute the group or chat. Simply hover over a chat/group, click on the three dots, and select Mute.
5. Pin your most-used apps on the left menu bar to easily find them.

Glossary

@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.

Kahoot!  – Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform which hosts user-generated multiple choice quizzes for your whole team to take part in. 

Microsoft Planner – A task planning application developed by Microsoft.

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) – A technology that allows you to make voice calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone line..

Third-party applications — A software application made by another manufacturer that is not included in the software program.

Get Teams with Microsoft 365

Microsoft Teams empowers your team with the needed tools to communicate and power through projects. Speak to our Microsoft 365 consultants to learn more about the powerful communication platform.

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