Are you looking for new ways to gain productivity and enrich communication in your business?
In an age where there are countless applications available to us to use across our workday, it is refreshing to discover that Microsoft has designed a system that allows us to integrate all our tools (Microsoft or not) into the one place. And that place is called Microsoft Teams.
With Microsoft Teams, gone are the days of asking team members to resend emails or chase them up for feedback on a proposal. Instead a hub is created within the Microsoft Teams space, allowing for group chat rooms which are called channels. You can set up multiple channels within a Team, keeping conversations easy to follow. Conversations are threaded and flow from top to bottom, with notifications sent to alert users to updates.
All files uploaded to Teams are easily searchable, which means Joe from accounting can find that attachment easily himself instead of asking you to resend it for the tenth time. And if he prefers to ask a question face to face, he can jump straight into video chat mode.
Calendars can also be shared, making it that much easier to schedule appointments or meetings.
This system also allows for increased transparency. All media uploads, files, comments etc are in an easy to follow format. If you have been out of the office or if you are new to the team, you have the ability to get up to speed quickly simply by viewing the activity.
An example of Teams in action
SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF MICROSOFT TEAMS
- Effective communication
- Work better together
- Customise your workspace
- Keep your team secure
SOME OF THE FEATURES OF MICROSOFT TEAMS
- Online Meetings
- Live broadcasts
- Meeting spaces
- Cloud Video Interoperability
- Audio conferencing
- Instant messaging
Microsoft Teams provides an environment that is casual yet professional. Team members can drive a point home or share a joke by using a GIF or emoji, the same way we would if we were texting a family member or friend. Research shows that when we look at a smiley face emoticon, the same very specific parts of the brain are activated as when we look at a real human face. GIFS and emojis create a more personalised experience in a very digital environment.
Microsoft Teams works alongside programs such as Yammer (also from Microsoft), forging an environment that allows team members (either based remotely or in the next cubicle) to collaborate and share information, while jumping seamlessly between voice, text and video chat, editing Excel Spreadsheets or uploading files via Sharepoint. Microsoft Teams is your new digital boardroom.
