Quickly emerging as the ultimate digital hub for hybrid and flexible work, Microsoft Teams has changed the professional world forever. More than just a collaboration tool, Teams has evolved into a fully-functioning UCaaS environment, ideal for aligning employees and boosting performance.
With Microsoft Teams, business leaders have access to a comprehensive space where employees can share thoughts, ideas, and knowledge in the cloud. Part of what makes Microsoft Teams so compelling in today’s ever-changing workplace is its flexibility.
The open platform makes it easy to integrate everything from existing analytics and service management tools to communication vendors. Apps are one of the most valuable components of the Microsoft Teams ecosystem, as they remove the need for complex coding and custom connectors. With the click of a button, business leaders can add functionality from hundreds of amazing apps into the Teams meeting space, channels, and more.
An Introduction to Microsoft Teams Apps
The first thing businesses should know when implementing apps into Microsoft Teams is these integrations are available in a range of different formats. For instance, companies can add dedicated apps to meetings from the Microsoft Apps space, or they can search through the “AppSource” market to leverage connectors offered by Microsoft partners.
The Microsoft Power Platform also offers another avenue for bringing applications and automation into the everyday workflow. With Power Platform, businesses can use a low-code system to design their applications for Microsoft Teams, offering native integration into the platform.
Microsoft Power Apps created in the Power Platform automatically integrate with Teams so that users can access them within the “Apps” section of the Teams instance.
Here are some of the ways companies can install apps into Microsoft Teams.
Option 1: The “Apps” Tab
Perhaps the easiest way to implement apps into Microsoft Teams is by using the “Apps” tab within the platform. On the left-hand side of Teams, where users can see their Activity, Chat, and Teams tabs, they can also find the “Apps” section.
Clicking on “Apps” will take users to the comprehensive App market, where they can search for relevant tools via categories or by entering a keyword into the search box. Teams users need to click on the Apps they want to add to their Microsoft Teams instance and choose “Add”.
Tapping the “add” button may create a drop-down menu where users can choose where they’d like to add app functionality. Some apps will also need admin approval before they can be added to the Microsoft Teams instance. Once an app is installed, it will appear within the “Apps” tab on Teams for users to access whenever they choose.
Option 2: Adding Apps to Chat or Channels
Another option companies can leverage when installing apps within Microsoft Teams is to add an app directly to a channel or chat tab. Tabs are tools within Teams which make it easier to share content and work collaboratively with other colleagues.
To add an app directly to a chat or channel, users can visit the channel, one-on-one conversation, or group chat, and select “Add a tab”. A box will open showing all of the apps available to add to the Teams environment.
Once an app is added to a tab, users will have the freedom to implement additional content and documents into the environment. For instance, a user may upload a spreadsheet or some data from another application for viewers to work collaboratively on.
