As of now, 200 million people use Microsoft Teams every month, leaving its closest competitor far behind. However, despite its success, many companies are still unfamiliar with the collaborative working tool. Even some of its existing customers have yet to discover the tool’s full potential.
Microsoft Teams is a component of the Office 365 suite of applications. It provides an online shared workspace for members of departments or project teams to share information via a single portal. The tool offers a range of features such as chat capabilities, file sharing, and video conferencing.
What is Microsoft Teams?
Teams is a one-stop communication hub, similar to a WhatsApp group with additional features.
This hub is at the core of all of the Team’s activities and has a range of features to streamline communication and shared information, including:
- Automatic creation of corresponding Plan, Group, SharePoint Team Sites, and shared OneNote within Office 365 that are integrated into the central hub
- Access to the hub for all Team members (signified by an @mention) once they have downloaded the Teams app on their PC or mobile
- A central conversation group chat function that is accessible to everyone and integrated tabs that lead to the associated Office 365 apps, allowing members to review, edit, or schedule meetings jointly in Outlook
- Easy access to Skype, allowing Team members to chat or video call without having to access the app individually
- Automatic recording of all Team activity, including Skype chats, enabling team members to review the group’s activity if they need extra information or to get up to speed
- Tailored team areas
Different channels can be set up within the Team portal, allowing members to discuss specific subjects or projects. Microsoft Teams also includes publicly available APIs and bot frameworks.
Managing the Team app
In addition, for added peace of mind, the Admin settings allow companies to control who can create and manage teams. IT Managers can also limit which features are accessible to each team to ensure compliance with their organization’s values and policies.
Microsoft Teams is free for Office 365 users, and there are different packages that offer extra functionality such as audio conferencing and additional storage for files.
To get the best out of Office 365, or to learn more about subscribing to Office 365, get in touch.
