Communicate and collaborate in a single app

Working together in large teams or with external partners is often a major challenge in companies. With Teams, Microsoft offers a software solution designed to simplify internal and external communication. We give an overview of the most important functions and show the 10 biggest advantages of Microsoft Teams with SharePoint consulting services.



What is Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams is the central hub for teamwork and brings together in one application what employees need for communication and collaboration: chat, online meetings, telephone conferences and data exchange. MS Teams is a sensible and easy-to-use solution for users in the context of a digital workplace, as we expect it in modern companies today.

Office 365 serves as the basis, whereby many other applications can be integrated (e.g. Skype for Business, SharePoint, CRM, ERP, Github, Trello or RSS feeds). The tool can be used on smartphones, tablets, notebooks and desktop PCs alike.

Important functions of MS Teams at a glance

Activity/Feed: In the feed, users have an overview of the current and recent activities in their teams groups. This history is structured similar to a social media feed and lists the information about your teams or projects chronologically.

Chat: Chat is used for one-on-one or group conversations. In addition to video and audio calls, these also allow the transmission of screen content. In addition, files can be exchanged and meetings can be planned.

Teams: Groups of people and projects are brought together in teams. Dynamic teams are possible for project-based tasks (e.g. introducing new tools, organizing an event, etc.) or static teams (e.g. departments, locations, etc.).

Calendar: Users can find their Outlook calendar under "Calendar" and can plan and enter meetings directly.

Calls: Here you have an overview of the call history, can start a new (video) call and view the voicemail. Speed ​​dials for people are also set up here.

Files: The "Files" tab shows the recently opened and all documents of your teams. If files are uploaded in a team, they are saved in the SharePoint folder. Files from a private or group chat end up in the personal OneDrive for Business folder and are only accessible to the person(s) in that conversation with Al Rafay SharePoint Consulting.



 10 benefits of Microsoft Teams

MS Teams is not an isolated solution, but positions itself as a "jack of all trades" for teamwork in modern companies. We round up the top 10 benefits of Microsoft Teams.

1: Work better in a team

Thanks to integrated Office 365 applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, OneNote or Power BI, teams can work on files together and at the same time. As an all-in-one solution, Teams supports a variety of other functions such as wikis, calls, group calls, video telephony, data exchange and much more. The search function enables people, documents and chats to be found quickly.

2: Communicate and collaborate in one app

Information is open, transparent, easy to find and secure. In MS Teams, everything for teamwork is united under a single roof and on a single interface. Communication is direct and result-related. This makes hierarchies flatter and communication channels shorter.

3: MS Teams is digital and location-independent

Teams is a digital workspace in which people work together digitally and decentrally. Thanks to the shared file storage in the cloud and the chat function, collaboration is not limited in terms of space or time. Team members get more flexibility when and where they want to work, e.g. in the home office or in the field.

4: Microsoft Teams for all operating systems and mobile devices

Microsoft Teams is available for Windows PCs and Macs as well as for Android tablets and smartphones, iPhones and iPads. And the browser version allows you to use it without having to install the program on the device.

5: MS Teams creates a more structured overview

The disadvantage of e-mails is that they arrive chaotically and have to be assigned manually. MS Teams solves the problem: by communicating in different groups, communication takes place exactly where it belongs. And files are also stored in the right team and channel. This creates a structured order, ensures quick access even in complex teams and saves unnecessary clicking and searching.

6: Edit documents in teams at the same time

Due to the SharePoint technology, documents can be edited by several people at the same time in Microsoft teams (e.g. Excel, Word, PowerPoint etc.). Version conflicts are a thing of the past.

7: Microsoft Teams is integrated into other Office 365 programs

Teams is not an isolated solution, but integrated into Office 365 and linked to other programs via many interfaces. This brings easy synchronization across the various applications (e.g. Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive, Planner, SharePoint etc.).

8: Teams can be expanded at any time

Microsoft Teams is extensible. This ranges from Excel and Word, to Planner and Forms, to marketing apps and CRM systems. Hundreds of different applications can be brought together under one roof - including those from third parties. This eliminates the annoying "application hopping" with different login data.

9: Externals can work as guests  

Whether customer, agency or freelancer: In Microsoft Teams, external people from outside the organization can be invited quickly and easily as guests to a teams meeting or to a teams channel. In this way, the advantages of the digital collaboration tool are used beyond the boundaries of the company.

10: MS Teams is the basis for the digital workplace

Both our demands on the workplace and our work behavior are changing. Employees want to work together across different locations, time zones and languages ​​to exchange information and stay up-to-date. Projects should be implemented better and faster, and secure information transfer and compliance have top priority. This requires modern tools for collaboration that bundle the communication channels in the company, increase productivity and facilitate the exchange of information.