Productivity
Simple Setup Checklist for Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a lot of things. It is a video conferencing tool, a team messaging platform, and a tool for in-app co-authoring, just to name a few. During the pandemic, the popularity of Teams skyrocketed.
Microsoft Teams is a lot of things. It is a video conferencing tool, a team messaging platform, and a tool for in-app co-authoring, just to name a few. During the pandemic, the popularity of Teams skyrocketed. User numbers jumped from 20 million in November 2019 to 75 million in April 2020. Microsoft now reports a user count of 270 million, making it the most popular business tool for team communications.
But one of the things that makes the app powerful is also what can make setup complex. Microsoft Teams has many moving parts, and to use them effectively, they need to be well organized from the start. Users also need the opportunity to learn the system and train on best practices.
What Can Microsoft Teams Do?
You can think of Teams as a virtual office in the cloud. It is a centralized hub where teams can communicate, collaborate, and manage tasks. You can also use it to video conference with anyone and invite external guests into chat channels. Features include siloed chat channels, secure team communications, integration with Microsoft 365 apps, integration with third-party apps, file sharing, video and audio conferencing, VoIP phone capabilities with an add-on, and a single place to keep all team resources.
Microsoft also offers a free version of Teams for small businesses, and a more feature-rich version is included with Microsoft 365 business plans. Teams is also available for personal use, making it a versatile and scalable platform for families and community groups as well as organizations.
Easy Checklist for Setting Up Microsoft Teams.
1. Set Up Your Teams and Departments. One of the core advantages of Teams is the ability to create specific collaboration spaces for each group in your organization. Do not let users set these up on their own, or you will quickly end up with an unorganized mess. Set up teams by department such as accounting and marketing, add a company-wide team where everyone can collaborate, and consider teams by role such as office managers or executives. Mirroring your organizational hierarchy is a good starting point. Each team area is secured so that only invited users can see or access its content.
2. Add Team Members. For each team, add the members who belong to that group. These are the people allowed to see resources posted within that team area, typically the members of the department or role group the team is designed for.
3. Set Up Team Channels. Beneath each team are channels that help organize conversations by topic. For example, within a marketing department team you might create channels for Website Management, Social Media, and Offline Advertising. This keeps conversations focused and makes information easier to find. As with teams, control who creates channels and require a plan before doing so.
4. Set Up Tabs for Key Resources. Tabs are a great productivity tool. If employees on your accounting team need to access a tax reporting website regularly, add it as a tab at the top of their team channel by clicking the plus sign. This eliminates time wasted searching for links or logins, especially when someone is filling in for a colleague.
5. Schedule Microsoft Teams Training. One of the most common reasons company technology initiatives fail is that users were not properly enabled. If employees are not trained on Teams, they will revert to whatever they used before, which negates the benefits of moving to the platform. Work with a Microsoft professional to train your teams on the most productive features and shortcuts. Survey users afterward to ensure they feel prepared and identify whether additional training is needed.
Need Help Implementing Teams in Your Organization?
The team at Cyber One Solutions can help you navigate the most common roadblocks organizations face when getting started with Microsoft Teams. Contact us today for a consultation to enhance your collaboration and productivity.