For remote working organisations, Microsoft Teams has quickly become a mainstay in their workdays. But what’s the big deal with Microsoft Teams, and is it truly the best performing team collaboration software on the market?
In today’s article we’ll explore everything you need to know about Microsoft Teams to get the most out of the platform. Whether you’re a new user or are just in the consideration stage of your journey, we hope you’ll find these tips useful.
Getting Started with Microsoft Teams
Downloading the software
The first step in getting started with Microsoft Teams involves downloading the correct software. You’ll need to download the desktop application in order to use Microsoft Teams at its best. Using the desktop client offers enhanced performance and reduces issues with bandwidth restrictions and network connectivity issues.
It’s also worthwhile downloading the mobile app for Microsoft Teams so that you can connect with your team and ask questions on the go.
Improving data security
With data security being a key workplace trend for 2021, it’s good to know that Microsoft Teams offers a secure platform for your people and clients. With data loss prevention mechanisms and powerful access controls at your fingertips, Microsoft Teams is just as secure as other virtual collaboration tools without all the hassle of excessive authentication prompts.
When getting started with any digital teams software it’s crucial that you offer training and support for your people as they familiarise themselves with the new technology. By doing this your teams will be empowered to securely and efficiently collaborate with one another using the Microsoft Teams platform.
Providing learning opportunities
The most valuable learnings come from teaching your teams how to use teams, channels, notification management and understanding the different purpose of teams versus other comms channels like email.
Communicating effectively
One of the core reasons for using a tool like Microsoft Teams is to enhance the communication between team members working remotely. There are many ways to communicate using the platform including the Chat option on the left hand sidebar, as well as the option to make comments in the lower-level Conversations tab to a group of individuals.
Collaborating effectively
Inside Microsoft Teams you’ll also find options for sharing files and tools. Within each team you can access channels, which are essentially breakout rooms within a team that are designed for allowing easy communication between departments or discussions around a core topic.
We’d recommend setting up your channels dedicated to each business function within your organisation as well as channels for project-based communication.
Hosting video conference calls
To set up a group meeting in Microsoft Teams use the Conversations tab. Here you’ll be able to record and save meetings. If you’ve got something distracting in your backdrop while on a Microsoft Teams video conference call, use the background blur option so that everyone can focus on you rather than your background.
Making use of integrations
To enhance your Microsoft Teams experience make use of helpful integrations. For example, you could use the RSS feed to post to a channel whenever Microsoft releases product news. You could also link a Teams channel to Salesforce to notify members when an important deal needs attention.
For team-wide collaboration efforts it’s easy to integrate with other Microsoft products including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. Your team can easily co-author documents – or add an integrated OneNote page to store project or team-related notes.
All in all, Microsoft Teams is a great platform for virtual teams, remote teams and hybrid teams of all sizes. While it’s not our preferred platform, it is a great option for organisations looking for enhanced security and integration with other Microsoft products.
To learn more about achieving remote working excellence, take a look at our Virtual Leaders program.
