This article will explore five ways Microsoft Teams can be used by professionals to more efficiently and effectively perform their jobs in a remote setting.
What is Microsoft Teams?
In 2016, Microsoft Teams launched as part of the Microsoft 365 family of applications. Teams offers its users a way to connect with one another using voice, video, file sharing, and chat boxes. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many businesses to transition to an online format, which led to a subsequent need for collaboration tools that could reliably enable groups and individuals to stay connected. For this reason, Microsoft added many new Teams features in 2020 and 2021. In the time since, the number of active users of Teams has skyrocketed. In April 2021, there were 145 million Teams users on a daily basis, and those working with Microsoft 365 produced over 30 billion collaboration minutes in a single day. Currently, there are over 250 million Team users worldwide who work with this application for personal, education, or professional use.
Why Use Teams?
Microsoft Teams is a valuable tool for facilitating remote meetings as well as collaborations between individuals and groups. Teams makes it possible for teachers to stay connected to students, for those working on a work project to be informed about progress, and for people around the world to communicate with family and friends.
There are many benefits to using Teams. Most consider its interface to be intuitive and easy to learn. It offers a single interface that manages communications and documents, which makes it a powerful time-saving tool. Teams makes it possible to meet individually with one person in a channel, or to connect with 10,000 others if desired. In addition, Teams offers the added perk of storing content such as files, chats, and transcripts from meetings, which allows those who were unable to attend a Teams session to still access what was covered in their absence.
Top 5 Professional Applications of Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams provides users with a variety of features and apps that help to facilitate working remotely. The following are five ways Teams can be used by professionals to better perform their jobs:
- Trello: This app makes project management easier by providing a visual, cloud-based tool for managing projects. Trello boards, or project plans, offer cards that keep track of tasks, which incorporate to-do lists, as well as options for generating presentations. The status of various tasks is indicated in the band that contains it, which lists it as open, in-progress, or completed. In addition, customized components can also be added to Trello cards such as checklists, comments, or due dates. These cards can be linked to various team members or assigned across a board. When integrated with Teams, Trello provides users with an array of cloud-based options and accessible planning features.
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Tabs: This powerful Teams feature is built into Teams and allows users to display important web content directly in Teams. Two tabs are available:
- Static tabs are designed for individual users. They provide a way for employees to perform tasks such as note-taking that would be pertinent for their own use.
- Configurable tabs are included in Teams channels. They supply continuous, helpful information to users.
- Slash commands: Most organizations value not only the quality of work completed, but also the speed at which it is accomplished. This is why slash commands on Teams are a valuable tool for those who wish to more efficiently manage their time. Slash commands make it possible for Teams users to quickly navigate Teams to perform tasks. These shortcuts can be executed by using the search bar on Teams. Users simply type a slash (/), followed by a specific command, to perform a given task such as:
- /Saved for saving messages
- /Help to reach out to the T-bot with questions
- /Call to place a call to another Teams user
- /go-to for jumping directly into a desired channel
- /Files to see the most recent files that other Teams members shared with you
- Teams live events: For Teams users who wish to share live events with large remote audiences, this feature is for you. Teams users can broadcast different events such as meetings, book launches, or webinars, to upwards of 1,000 audience members. One of the main benefits of working with this live events feature is that users do not have to ask each attendee to join the meeting. In addition, those who organize the event are able to establish permission for attendees, as well as select co-presenters to better manage the event. Screen sharing and window sharing are also possible during these live broadcasts. In addition, events can be recorded (generally with permission from the attendees), then shared in Microsoft Stream or Teams. Events can be designated either private or public.
- Freehand: This Teams feature is geared toward those who are looking to collaborate with others to facilitate the creative process. Freehand provides users with an infinite whiteboard space that’s updated in real-time. This feature makes it easy for various team members to collaborate by planning and drawing in a communal space. In addition, it’s a helpful tool for presenting findings as well as providing feedback to one another. Notes and drawings that were created in Freehand can be saved to the cloud for later reference. Freehand is accessible to users from all backgrounds and is an effective tool, even for those who do not have formal design training.
Get Started Learning Microsoft Office with Hands-On Classes
Those who are proficient with Microsoft 365 apps have a variety of professional options at their disposal. A great way to begin learning about Microsoft Office is to sign up for one of Noble Desktop’s Microsoft Office courses. These small group classes are offered in-person in Manhattan, as well as in the live online format. For students and professionals on the go, there are also in-person and live online Microsoft Office courses available through Noble Desktop or one of its affiliate schools. A variety of course options are offered, ranging in duration from three hours to three days and costing between $219 and $1,785.
You can also browse in-person Microsoft Office classes in a city near you to find local learning options.