Microsoft Teams Training For Florida Businesses
One of the biggest challenges many businesses faced during this pandemic was taking the office operational structure into a remote setup. Most, if not all, workers were forced to stay at home, but they still had to do their part, so their employers don’t go under.
This gave rise to a need for tools to help teams and co-workers collaborate effectively with as few bottlenecks as possible. Remote work is relatively new for the majority, so employers needed a simple yet powerful tool that will allow each member to work to their maximum potential.
While many collaboration and team management tools are readily available for people to use, one stands out from the group – Microsoft Teams.
Just what is Microsoft Teams, and why do people choose it over the competition? Let’s also talk about how it can help your business, especially during the pandemic and new normal. We’ll also add a few advanced tips for people who want to maximize their Microsoft Teams experience.
What is Microsoft Teams?
At its core, Microsoft Teams is a collaboration tool that allows users to communicate with other people. With Teams, people can chat, share documents, have online meetings, video calls, and share screens.
However, the power of Microsoft Teams can be multiplied when used alongside other Microsoft products in Office 365. When set up properly with the right integrations, Teams can be used by businesses of all sizes
What Can You Do in Microsoft Teams?
So it’s a communication tool, what’s the big deal? How different are Microsoft Teams for existing communication apps and tools like Skype or Whatsapp? Well, let’s see what you can do with your Teams account.
Organize your team – Organization is MS Team’s main selling point. The tool allows you to create special groups within it so people can work together efficiently. The different groupings are:
- Teams – Teams act as the biggest organizational group within the tool. A team is a place where people working together can communicate and collaborate. For example, if you have a group of people who focus on making sales for the business, you can put them on one team. The people who handle product development and production should also have their own team. One person can be a member of multiple teams.
- Channels – Within a team are several channels. These channels allow the further organization of members within a team. Some of the channels might talk about best practices, resources, and commissions for the sales team. The idea is that channels are different rooms where you can talk about specific topics. So if a newcomer wants to ask a question about how to deliver a specific pitch, he/she can go to the Best Practices channel to ask about it. Instead of forcing the dreaded “email tree” monster to rear its head, channel communication removes confusion in collaboration.
Chat – With MS Teams, people can choose to chat within channels, between groups or teams, or privately.
Store and Share Files – MS Teams provide their users with the option to upload and share files between teams, channels, or privately. All the files are uploaded to SharePoint Online, where they can arrange the files into different folders for future use. SharePoint also provides permissions and security options in case you want to limit the people who have access to specific files.
Video calling and Online Meetings – Aside from the chat function, MS Teams also offers advanced collaboration features such as video calling, screen sharing, online meetings, and audio conferencing. Presentations, training, client meetings, and weekly roundups can easily be done through MS Teams. With a robust scheduling addon or integration, concerned individuals can easily be updated on any scheduling changes.
Microsoft Teams can offer a whole lot more if combined with different tools from Office 365 and 3rd-party apps. For example, if you are big on sharing pre-recorded videos, then you can use Microsoft Teams. If you would like some project management tools within Teams, then you can add Trello. You can even go and provide people with ways to boost each other’s confidence with Karma.
Should I Use Microsoft Teams for My Business?
First thing off, you can actually use Microsoft Teams for free. This means that if you have a small-sized business with a few employees or if you have a decent-sized business but are looking for a way to communicate and collaborate, then you can use Microsoft Teams for no cost at all. Of course, the features will be limited, but it should be enough to help your group communicate. A free account can add up to 300 people, and you will be limited to chat and the basic collaboration features. So if you are looking for a way for your team members to communicate in one place easily, then a free account is what you need.
But if you want to maximize your MS Teams usage and use it as your main collaboration tool for your organization, you might need to upgrade. You have two options, the Essentials plan and Premium Plan. The Essentials plan costs $5/month for each user, and the Premium plan will set you back $12.5/month for each user. With either one, you get official support, larger storage, more features for communication and collaboration, and you’ll be able to integrate your Teams setup with Stream (for videos), Sharepoint (for files), Planner (project management), various other 3rd-party tools.
If you are still clueless about MS Teams but are interested in using it, we created a comprehensive “Getting Started” video on how you can use MS Teams for your organization. It explains many of the features found in MS teams and several tips on how you can maximize it.
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