What is Microsoft Teams? Everything You Need to Know

Written By Bradley Ingram

Now that more and more businesses are working remotely, staying connected is more important than ever. There is plenty of software out there designed to help us stay in contact with our colleagues. Some of the most well known include Zoom, Skype, and Slack.

One that you maybe aren’t too familiar with is Microsoft Teams. This cloud-based collaboration software falls under the umbrella of the Microsoft Office Suite, and arrives with numerous features that make remote working that much easier.

In this guide, we will be taking you through all of the key features that set Microsoft Teams apart from its competitors. First though, let’s talk about who this software is best suited to. 

Who is Microsoft Teams For?

Essentially, Microsoft Teams is designed for any business that needs to stay connected. They achieve this by providing chat options, video calling, audio chat, and organization tools. 

Microsoft Teams might be a favorable option over the likes of Skype or Zoom because it offers a full portfolio of services, rather than solely focusing on calling. Essentially, this software adds additional functionality to everything your business does.

Key Features

That all sounds great, but what exactly does Microsoft Teams do? Listed below are some of the standout features that you will likely find to be the most helpful. Let’s jump in. 

Chat

A staple of any communication software is the chat feature. Microsoft Teams supports both one-on-one chat and group chats, so you have total control. Additionally, unique features such as emojis and priority flagging allow for a far more customized experience. 

The chat history is saved in one long flow as well, so you will never need to hunt for a specific message for too long. It’s all right there for you already. 

Meetings

Some collaborative software has a cap on how many people can participate in a meeting at one time. Microsoft Teams has a similar limit, except it’s huge. Up to 250 people can participate in videoconferencing at any one time.

While that may sound like an organizational nightmare, having that kind of capacity at your disposal could be enormously beneficial. Especially when you need to roll out key information quickly to the bulk of your staff.

Channels

Part of what sets Microsoft Teams apart from its (many) competitors is the ability to use separate channels for different areas of your business. Channels can be open to everyone or specifically designed so only certain team members can contribute.

This is a great way to focus tasks. It also prevents staff from being overloaded with messages that simply aren’t relevant to them. Separating teams into separate channels, in addition to the main group chat, is a great way to improve productivity. 

Calling

Outbound calling, whether it’s through video or audio, is a key component of Teams and an integral part of remote working life. As we mentioned before, Teams allows for huge numbers of people to be part of the same video conference call. However, you also have the opportunity to speak to a singular colleague whenever you need to. 

It couldn’t be easier, and the interface is surprisingly easy to navigate. The connection is reliable and, since Teams is compatible across multiple devices, you can call via your laptop, desktop, or mobile phone. 

Calendar

If you are already set up with Microsoft Outlook, then Teams can sync right up with it and bring over all of your calendar notifications too. This is incredibly handy for unifying your professional commitments across the board, all with minimal effort.

This is especially helpful if you, like many remote businesses, have decided to start having frequent team meetings. Gone are the days of fumbling between email and video software to make a meeting. With Teams, it’s all in one place. 

Screen Sharing

Last on our list of key features, but by no means least, is screen sharing. This is an integral part of a successful remote workplace. The ability to show your colleagues visual representation of what you’re talking about helps to build understanding and engagement.

The latter is especially important. Online fatigue is real, and nothing will demotivate your workers quicker than hour long meetings with no real purpose. Screen sharing helps the whole team to feel more involved.

MS Teams Final Words

We’ve spent a lot of time talking about Teams, so now it’s your turn to take a look for yourself. If you have started working remotely recently, or if you are currently dissatisfied with the software you have been using, Teams could be the ideal choice.

Its greatest strength is its focus on unifying so many integral processes that are usually separated across multiple platforms. With Teams, pretty much everything is in one place. Try it out for yourself and see what you think, you may be surprised by the difference it could make. 

Bradley Ingram
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