In some way or another, the coronavirus pandemic has changed the way most businesses operate. Whether or not your “new normal” is permanent or temporary, you probably now depend more on a collaboration application like Slack, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams than you did a year ago. These virtual workplace collaboration platforms have been essential to allow businesses to meet, work together, and get projects done.

Odds are, these types of collaboration apps aren’t going to go away anytime soon, even if your company moves, “back to business as usual.” If you haven’t been able to wrap your head around these essential office collaboration tools, it’s time.

Why Are Businesses Choosing Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams is a virtual workplace collaboration platform that allows businesses to meet, work together, and complete projects. Slack, Zoom, BlueJeans — these apps all offer the same promises, so why are companies selecting Teams over one of these alternatives?

The professional collaboration choice

Think back to a time when instant messaging was the newest form of communication over email. Tools like AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger were great for at-home use and chatting with friends; however, they weren’t the best choice for the workplace. Eventually, new tools were introduced to create a more professional, business-like IM experience.

The business case for choosing Microsoft Teams over Slack or Zoom is a similar story.

With Microsoft Teams, you can replicate the collaboration and professionalism of working in an office in a secure, company-owned environment. As stated by Microsoft, “Teams enforces team-wide and organization-wide two-factor authentication, single sign-on through Active Directory, and encryption of data in transit and at rest.” Additionally, Teams allows businesses to own the files, conversations, etc. managed within the platform, a feature that’s not always available from free versions of other virtual collaboration tools.

How much does Microsoft Teams cost?

If your business already uses Microsoft 365 or Office 365, you probably already have access to Microsoft Teams at little to no cost. Other factors to consider in calculating the cost of Microsoft Teams for your business include your number of users, security needs, OneDrive storage limit, and SharePoint storage limit, if applicable.

How To Use Microsoft Teams Like a Pro

Using Microsoft Teams, you can easily complete typical in-office tasks from anywhere you have a device and an internet connection.

Chat or have a quick meeting with a coworker

There’s no digital replacement for a trip to the water cooler—maybe an online happy hour? Either way, Teams makes it easy to have a quick chat or meeting with a coworker. Simply locate whom you’re trying to contact in your directory and start typing. Or, if you need a quick face-to-face conversation, click the Video call button next to your coworker’s name.

Schedule an impromptu group meeting

re you used to having a daily standup meeting? Need to rally your team to tackle a quick project? That’s no problem at all with Teams. Click the Add people button to add all necessary teammates to the group, then get the conversation started.

Co-author documents in real-time

Teams includes your favorite Microsoft applications, like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Once opened and shared, multiple people can draft and edit a document in real-time.

Manage your calendar

Teams directly integrates with Microsoft Outlook. From the Team application, click the Calendar icon to view your calendar for the day, workweek, or week. You can also click the +New meeting button to schedule a new Microsoft Teams digital meeting, send invitations, and add it to your calendar.

Integrate your favorite productivity apps

Click the Apps icon to review the entire library of persona apps, bots, tabs, connectors, and messengers supported by Microsoft Teams. Once integrated, these applications can provide additional functionality and tools.

Store your files

You can safely use Microsoft Teams to store your files, like a source control, network drive, or repository. Within a Team, click Files to view all files and folders saved for team access.

Keep your teammates informed

You can set a status to let your coworkers know if you’re working in the office, going to a doctor’s appointment, or taking your dogs for a walk. Click your user icon, then Set a status message to let your teammates know what you’re up to.

Microsoft Teams Helps You Get Work Done.

High Touch is excited to partner with Microsoft, serving as an industry expert on all things Teams. If you’re interested in learning more about what Teams can do for your business, contact us. We’ll be happy to discuss features, pricing, and an integration timeline for your business.

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