Collaboration tools can be a powerful investment for any business. With them, you can optimise the efforts of your staff, empower them to achieve more productive outcomes, and ensure that you’re encouraging a company culture conducive to creativity.
Microsoft know what it takes to put together a fantastic teamwork tool. Their Skype for Business solution is one of the most popular strategies for quick conferencing on the web today. Soon, Microsoft Teams will be taking its place, with opportunities to store and share files, set up multiple channels for your workforce, and integrate with useful tools in the Office 365 portfolio like Word, SharePoint, and Planner.
If you’re planning on getting your company to work in Teams, the following tips could help.
1. Give Titles to Chat Exchanges
Teams channels can contain numerous conversations, so it’s important to make sure that your employees know where to look to get the information they need. Giving your chats titles will make them more searchable, and accessible. For instance, if you’ve got a Team set up for Content marketing, then call it the “Content Marketing” chat. These keywords will pop out when you’re searching through content later.
2. Use SharePoint to Share and Store Files
One of the biggest advantages of using Microsoft Teams over other collaboration software, is that it integrates seamlessly with the Office 365 portfolio. Make sure that you take advantage of this fact by using SharePoint as a simple and secure opportunity for file collaboration and storage. In every channel in Teams, you can click on the “Files” tab to share content with team members via SharePoint.
3. Forward Emails into Channels
Some smaller companies might prefer to skip email and stick exclusively to their Teams tool. However, if you’re not one of those organisations, Microsoft is well-equipped to support your email habit. You can forward any email in your Outlook folder into a channel to share it with other members of your Team. All you need to do is click on a channel that you want to invite someone to and copy their email address. With their address, you can forward messages to each individual easily.
4. Stick with Just a Few Groups at a Time
If you’re introducing your company to a brand-new collaboration strategy, it’s important to make sure that they have time to get used to the changes. While Teams allows you to create all the groups you like, going too far too fast could lead to a cluttered interface that leaves your team members overwhelmed and confused. Take it slow at first, and make sure you maintain control over who can create new Teams in your staff.
5. Test Your Communications Strategies
Ultimately, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to collaboration. When you’re getting used to Microsoft Teams for the first time, it’s important to keep track of important metrics, and measure your success. This will help you to test different strategies for communication and eventually implement the one that’s most effective for your team.
