IT decision-makers are moving to the Microsoft Teams collaboration suite at a record pace – it’s the fastest growing business application in the history of Microsoft. Its all-in-one environment opens up communications and virtual office capabilities that make teamwork easier – no matter where team members are located.
Michael Nelson, owner of Sacramento IT services company, TLC Tech works with organizations throughout Sacramento to help improve communication, increase efficiencies and foster strong collaboration, all built on Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft Teams.
What are Microsoft Teams?
Teams is a versatile cloud-based collaboration suite that acts as a central hub for communication and file sharing. It combines multiple functions into a go-to work environment, managing operations such as:
- Unified communication – integrating real-time and asynchronous operations
- Robust functionality for collaboration with integrated tools like video conferencing, group chat, VOIP phone functions, file sharing, and real-time group editing
- Application integration – since it’s bundled with Microsoft Office, it seamlessly integrates Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft applications including Outlook / Exchange
- Connections with external systems like Salesforce, Zendesk, Mailchimp, and more allow secure data interface, with an API available to create new extensions – including career development resources
Individuals and workgroups can be organized into Teams – based on common projects, for example. Within each Team are Channels – which are communication environments for group chat and other shared activities.
Features and Advantages of Microsoft Teams
Teams are bundled with Office 365, so it’s effortlessly integrated into the ubiquitous software suite. Microsoft has called it “the new operating system” for customers, where they “will do everything that they need to do.”
The feature-rich Teams environment focuses on collaborative capabilities:
- Platform-independent teamwork – Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android devices, Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer 11, and Microsoft Edge web browsers work together as equals
- Channels for topic-specific communications include secure private channel options (e.g. for management-level information security) and “guest” functions for including partners and vendors
- Groups and Channels can scale to any size for huge Team sizes such as government organizations and Fortune 100 companies
- Video conferencing includes custom or blurred backgrounds behind attendees, second-camera options for in-room objects like whiteboards or product displays, and much more
- Full-featured VOIP phone functions can integrate with – or even replace – PBX systems
- Real-time file sharing and group editing allows participants to collaborate on shared documents live during chats or calls
- Chat messaging workspace features group and private messaging, threaded and persistent conversations, integrates with applications such as meeting scheduling
Managed IT with Microsoft Teams
Teams are ideal for a managed IT environment. Teams are dominating the enterprise collaboration space – rapidly becoming the industry standard – so managed IT clients have a competitive incentive to adopt it.
Streamlined productivity – Teams mean less time in meetings and more time getting things done.
Easy coordination between managed IT providers and clients – Teams centralized communication platform allows the provider to better understand issues – and the client to be more effective in getting needs met.
Managed IT providers can offer downstream benefits to clients – providers have another important asset to offer in assisting clients with Teams’ implementation.
Competitive advantage – using Teams, managed IT clients can run tighter operations and maximize efficiency, making the best use of managed IT services. Using Teams helps businesses to focus on key operations – and most of all, avoid competitive disadvantage if competitors use Teams.
Company Culture Benefits of Microsoft Teams
Workplace satisfaction is essential for empowering and retaining top talent – and even for recruiting. Multiple studies have revealed key factors that impact employee engagement and happiness, several of which are directly addressed by Teams.
- Open communication
- Work relationships
- Recognition and appreciation
- Career development
Employee engagement and workplace satisfaction are a priority for many businesses. The collaborative, relationship-based Teams tool not only helps businesses operate more efficiently – it boosts these important human elements.
Conclusion
Unified communication tools such as Teams, plus competitors like Slack, are here to stay. Teams’ centralized collaboration platform solves the problems of patchwork communications where multiple functions take place in isolated silos.
From front-line employees to top management, better communication makes for better productivity, simpler operations, and a more streamlined workflow.
