Background
Microsoft Teams is a communication and collaboration tool that lets your employees chat, share files and hold meetings with colleagues, customers or clients. It's an integrated part of the Microsoft Office 365 suite and a valuable tool for businesses wanting to increase collaboration and efficiency.
Getting started
To get started using Microsoft Teams in your business, there are a few things to do. First of all, make sure every employee in your company has a licence for Microsoft Teams. If you already use Office 365, there's a good chance Microsoft Teams is already part of the package.
Once every employee has access to Office 365, you can start creating teams and channels. Teams are groups of employees working on a specific project or in a specific department, while channels are dedicated spaces inside a team where employees can discuss specific topics or share specific files. It's a good idea to create teams and channels for the different departments and projects in your business so every employee can access relevant information and discuss topics with their colleagues.
Once teams and channels are created, employees can start chatting, sharing files and holding meetings via Microsoft Teams. The chat function lets users send messages to each other in real time, while the file function lets users share documents, images and other files with colleagues. The meeting function lets users hold virtual meetings with colleagues and clients, and also offers screen sharing and presentation tools.
Training
It's important to make sure employees are comfortable using Microsoft Teams and know how it can help them with their work. It's a good idea to run training or workshops to introduce employees to the tool and show them how it can be used to improve their workflows. If you need training for your employees, contact us — we have years of experience training end users in Microsoft 365 applications.
Setting up Microsoft Teams
It's important to make sure Microsoft Teams is configured correctly and that security settings are in place to protect the business's data.
That can include making sure only authorised employees have access to specific teams and channels, and that files and data are encrypted when shared via Microsoft Teams. It's also important to regularly update and maintain Microsoft Teams to ensure it runs smoothly and protects against security threats.
Compliance in Microsoft Teams
It can also be a good idea to create guidelines for using Microsoft Teams in the company — rules for chat use or sharing rules for files. This helps ensure Microsoft Teams is used effectively and professionally in the business.
Licences
To use Teams you need a licence. Microsoft Teams is included in the following licences:
Microsoft Teams Essentials, Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Microsoft 365 Business Standard
Click here to read more about the licences.
Is Teams free to use?
Microsoft has created a free version for smaller businesses that lets you collaborate and hold meetings without a licence. Read more about the free version of Teams here.
Microsoft Teams Premium
Microsoft has launched a premium version of Teams that contains even more features to make your meeting experience even better:
- Custom meeting branding
- Intelligent meeting recap
- Advanced meeting protection
- Advanced virtual appointments
- Advanced webinars
Read more about Microsoft Teams Premium here.
Thorough preparation pays off
Implementing Microsoft Teams takes time and requires preparation, but it pays off in the long run. The implementation helps increase collaboration and efficiency in the business and makes it easier to share information and stay in touch with colleagues and customers. Keep an eye on how it's used in the business and adjust settings as needed.