There’s no denying that the workplace has changed drastically in the last couple of years. With the traditional office workplace no longer an option for many brands during the pandemic, companies began building “virtual” workspaces with solutions like Microsoft Teams.
Microsoft Teams is well-suited for this new position as a virtual workspace because it can do much more than just support video conferences or file sharing. The all-in-one work hub environment allows team members to communicate and collaborate in different ways. Teams can even connect business voice solutions with Direct Routing or Operator Connect.
At the same time, Microsoft Teams allows companies to build customisations into their workplace through “apps”. Both native and third-party applications enable users to custom-create their teams' most effective working environments.
So, how do you create a virtual workspace with Microsoft Teams?
Building a Virtual Workspace with Native Microsoft Teams Apps
Microsoft Teams already has a lot to offer as the foundation of any virtual workspace. In a world where we’re spending around 68% of our days communicating with each other in a hybrid and remote work environment, social-based collaboration tools like Teams make life a lot easier.
The Teams ecosystem works across a range of devices, leverages the flexibility of the cloud, and supports users in a range of communication methods, from video calling to chat. Microsoft Teams also has the natural added benefit of being a component of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. If you’re planning on building out your virtual workspace with Teams, it makes sense to start with the other Microsoft investments you already have.
Aligning Microsoft Teams with other apps like SharePoint from Microsoft means you can access valuable documents, pages, and contents within your shared collaborative ecosystem. Implementing PowerPoint into your Microsoft Teams environment can lead to better team meetings through immersive presentation experiences. You can even access tools like Microsoft Planner within your channel to help keep teams up-to-date on tasks and projects.
Implementing Third-Party Apps into your Virtual Workspace
While Microsoft Teams has a lot to offer within the native Microsoft ecosystem alone, the partnerships Microsoft has with other external vendors helps to make the application even more impressive. The most effective virtual workspace for many business users is the one that allows for a single-pane-of-glass work experience.
By embedding Microsoft Teams apps into your Teams environment, you create a more aligned environment. Users can access all of the essential tools they need without jumping into different applications. Today, Microsoft Teams has two “add-on” application styles available for the Microsoft Teams workplace. The first is the AppSource selection of apps – a collection of 700 “integrations” and add-ons for Microsoft Teams and other Microsoft assets.
Some of these apps allow for connections between Microsoft Teams and other apps, like Salesforce, so you can collect data from other tools in your software ecosystem while working within Teams. Others provide specific functionality for Teams, like allowing you to run polls for your teams, check on their wellbeing, or set agendas for meetings.
The second form of the Microsoft Teams “app” is the deeply integrated “Microsoft Teams Meeting Apps” introduced by Microsoft during the pandemic. These apps are optimised for use before, during and after meetings so that you can leverage third-party tools during the collaborative workflow in Teams.
