How to Collaborate with Microsoft Teams

Nothing kills the mood in an office like an announcement that there will be a meeting in 20 minutes in the conference room. Everyone inwardly groans as they mentally arrange the many tasks they planned to get done in the next hour or two. Instead, they'll be sitting around a table, bored, wondering why this couldn't have all been handled virtually.

If you're the person calling those meetings, it's important to know there's a much better way. Collaboration tools are what all the cool bosses are using. But when you're part of the tech crew recommending solutions to those bosses, you can be a rock star by knowing as much as possible about each of the options. One of the best collaboration solutions on the market today is Microsoft Teams, which has the benefit of working well with the popular Microsoft Office 365 solutions many businesses use.

But you don't have to go it alone. This guide will help you learn more about how to use Microsoft Teams within your own environment to keep all your end users happy, from the bosses to the entry-level employees.

What Is Microsoft Teams?

Teams is the Microsoft's collaboration solution, competing with the many other interoffice chat tools on the market today. For the many businesses that use Microsoft Office products, though, Teams is a natural choice due to its easy integration with tools they already use every day. When employees have access to Microsoft Teams, they can connect to discuss projects, review documents, and even view PowerPoint presentations, directly within the app.

One of the most popular features of Microsoft Teams is its portability. With so many professionals now conducting their work on the go, mobile access is essential. Microsoft Teams can be accessed on a desktop, laptop, or mobile device, providing the same experience across all platforms. An employee can leave for an appointment and still check in with the team on the process of a project, keeping things moving forward instead of forcing everyone to wait around for an answer. Best of all, Teams keeps everything in one place, so at any time, an employee can find the documents and communications necessary to work on a particular project.

Usability Matters

For systems administrators, the fact that Teams fits nicely into a Microsoft-based workspace is a bonus. Instead of struggling to help leaders make sense of various software incompatibilities, all of Microsoft's products are built directly into the platform. For end users, this collaboration means that they can easily share calendars, edit Microsoft documents, and launch meetings via video, audio, or text-based chat at any time.

Any IT pro knows that ease-of-use is essential, both for worker productivity and to avoid the constant need to train employees. One online course can introduce all the basics to ensure employees use the application to its fullest. Because CBT Nuggets trainer Simon Millham offers a new course detailing Microsoft Teams, it can be shared with new employees as they join, eliminating the need to have someone provide dedicated on-site training on a regular basis.

For administrators, setting up Teams is as simple as activating the feature in your admin center. From there, you can manage features and control access levels for your organization and for various team members within it.

Collaboration tools have become an essential part of the way businesses work. They save time and boost productivity dramatically. Microsoft Teams is a popular solution because it works well with the other work tools businesses use every day, eliminating the incompatibilities that can come with other software. Administrators also benefit because they can easily deploy the solution from their admin center and manage everything in one place.

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