Microsoft Teams is a lot of things: a video conferencing tool, a team messaging channel, and a tool for in-app co-authoring, just to name a few. During the COVID pandemic, the popularity of Teams skyrocketed.
User numbers for Teams jumped from 20 million in November 2019 to 75 million in April 2020. As of this year, Microsoft reports a user count of 270 million for the platform. This makes it the most popular business tool for team communications.
But one of the things that makes the app popular is also one that can make the setup complex. Microsoft Teams has many moving parts, but to use them effectively they need to be well organised. Additionally, users need to have a chance to learn the system and train on best practices.
What Can Microsoft Teams Do?
First, we’ll look at the different areas of Microsoft Teams and what it can do. Then, we’ll give you a simple setup checklist to help your team get up and running productively.
Think of Teams as a virtual office in the cloud. It’s a centralised hub where teams can communicate, collaborate, and manage tasks. There is also an external communication component to Teams. You can use the app to video conference with anyone and you can also invite guests to a chat channel.
Here are some of the features of MS Teams:
- Siloed chat channels
- Security for team communications
- Integration with Office apps
- Integration with 3rd party apps
- File sharing
- Video and audio conferencing
- VoIP phone system – an optional add-on
- Keep all team resources in a single place
Microsoft Teams Versions
For small businesses there is a free version of Microsoft Teams which provides for meetings of 60 minutes max duration with up to 100 participants, unlimited chat with coworkers and file sharing amongst others. If you sign up for a Microsoft 365 business plan, you get all this and more.
Microsoft has been pushing MS Teams for personal use. So, you can use it to keep your departments better coordinated at work. Or to manage family video calls or school P&C meeting collaboration. It’s a versatile and scalable virtual office platform.
Easy Checklist for Setting Up Microsoft Teams
1. Set Up Your Teams/Departments
One of the advantages of Teams is that it allows you to set up specific areas for your groups to collaborate. You don’t want everyone to set these teams up on their own, or you could end up with a disorganised mess.
Some ideas for setting these up:
- Set up teams by department (accounting, marketing, etc.)
- Add a company-wide team (where everyone can collaborate)
- Set up teams by role (office managers, executives, etc.)
Typically, if you mirror the hierarchy of your organisation, that’s a good way to go. Team areas are secured so only those users invited can see or access any of the content in that team.
2. Add Team Members
For each team, add the members allowed to participate in that team. These would be people that can see the resources posted in that team area. It would normally be the members of the department or group that the team is designed for.
3. Set Up Team Channels
The next level beneath the Team is the Channels. These team channels help organise conversations. For example, within a team set up for your marketing department, you may decide to add three channels. This keeps conversations more focused and makes it easier to find things.
For instance, you could have channels for:
- Website Management
- Social Media
- Offline Advertising
Team channels are another area that you want to control. Don’t let everyone set up channels without a plan, otherwise, things will very quickly get messy and difficult to control.
4. Set Up Team Tabs
Tabs are a great way to foster productivity. Say that employees on your accounting team need to access a tax reporting website. Inevitably, there can be time wasted asking for that link or a login. This is especially true if someone is filling in for a co-worker.
You can add that website link and info to the Tabs area at the top of the team channels. Just click the plus sign to add a new resource and consolidate things for your team members.
5. Schedule MS Teams Training
One of the reasons that company initiatives fail is that users weren’t properly trained. If no training is completed on how to use MS Teams, they’ll revert to using whatever they used before. When not everyone is onboard, the benefits of moving to Teams will be less than they would be otherwise.
Work with a Microsoft professional to train your teams. We can provide tips on the most productive features. As well as short-cut their learning curve quite a bit! Make sure you have a realistic timeframe for a complete implementation. It’s also a good idea to survey users post-implementation as to whether they feel they need more training.
Need Some Help Implementing Teams in Your Organisation?
We can help you over many of the roadblocks that organisations face when starting with Teams. Contact us today for a free consultation to enhance your collaboration and productivity.
Article used with permission from The Technology Press.