Collaboration has become a strategic focus for every business. A collaborative workspace makes use of dynamic solutions and products that help streamline team collaboration processes, all the while making business information accessible and usable by authorized personnel within the company.
Microsoft Teams is a versatile, robust platform that combines communication and collaboration tools into one hub for more productive meetings and work sessions. With Microsoft Teams, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can rest assured that their employees and workplace processes are never out of sync.
An overview of Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams (MS Teams or Teams) is a workplace solution that combines real-time collaboration functionality with communication tools—video conferencing, team chats, audio calls, etc.—to improve productivity for teams of all sizes.
Included in all packages of the Microsoft 365 (Microsoft Office 365 or M365) subscription service (apart from Microsoft 365 Apps for business), Teams can fully integrate with the rest of the Microsoft 365 suite (including SharePoint and OneDrive), allowing for seamless data transfers, workflows, and optimization of cloud technology. This means that work environments that utilize Teams are not restricted to a central location.
As long as its staff has an Internet connection, a business that deploys Teams can expand its operations from the confines of a physical office, ensuring that teams can collaborate and communicate from anywhere.
Why collaboration software is necessary for a collaborative workspace
Collaboration software brings real-world office space to a digital setting, making company data, information, and processes accessible to all authorized personnel. This helps guarantee that individual work and group work can be performed efficiently, even when team members are cut off by distance or schedules.
Fostering collaborative spaces results in a domino effect that plays out from internal processes to external outcomes. “73% of consumers” cite the customer experience as a determiner of whether or not they will purchase a company’s products or services. If your teams’ meetings are limited to a physical conference room or their communication channels are not optimized for use, your organization’s internal procedures will take longer and be less effective—a direct hit against your business’s reputation and output.
An overview of Microsoft Teams features
In MS Teams, SMBs can tap into various features that the platform provides. It is worthwhile to look into these functions to gain a fuller understanding of how Teams can cultivate a collaborative workspace within your business.
Teams offers:
- Chat: Leverages instant messaging to allow for real-time correspondences. Teams chats can be conducted one-on-one or in groups (group chats).
- Video and audio calls: Initiate and maintain video conferencing and phone calls through the Internet and from any user device.
- Tabs: Provide fast access to key information and resources within specific conversations.
- Team member status: Specify whether or not you are available to chat through Teams using color-coded indicators. For example, a green dot with a tick means you are available to talk.
- File sharing: Send and receive files and other documents through conversation channels.
- Co-authoring: Allows you and your team to work on a document at the same time. All changes are automatically saved and synced across the network.
- Tasks: An application that combines the programs Planner and To Do for seamless task management.
- @mentions: Tag individuals within specific messages to bring their attention to the conversation.
- Calendar: Manage your schedule with an integrated calendar solution.
- Private channels: Generally speaking, your team and their channels are open company-wide. Private channels are the opposite and require participants to be added to the channel before they can access it.
- Screen sharing: Share your screen during meetings to support your points and explain your arguments.
What are the benefits of using MS Teams to create a collaborative workspace?
Creating a team is about more than just having employees sit in a meeting room and talk. It is about thoughtful workspace design, actively providing team members with tools that help them communicate, and creating an environment that fosters collaboration.
Teams supports all of this and more, resulting in several benefits that aid your team members, while upholding the quality of your products and services.
These benefits are:
1. Real-time collaboration and communication, faster results
By consolidating open spaces and making projects accessible 24/7/365, Teams removes the physical barriers that previously restricted teamwork and collaboration to the office environment. When Teams’ file sharing and co-authoring is used in tandem with its communication tools, employees can share documents and work together at the same time, resulting in higher project completion rates and more satisfied customers.
2. Dynamic security measures
Microsoft Teams uses various cybersecurity features to protect your information and documents. For example, the platform uses two-factor authentication (2FA) to force users to provide two forms of identification to access it. Other security measures include encryption, privacy management, and more.
3. Save resources
As MS Teams effectively combines several tools into one solution (along with being available in Microsoft 365 subscription packages that can be tailored to meet customer needs), your business can save on resources as the chances of you having to invest in additional tools for specific uses are reduced.
Bolster digital workplace design and collaborative work with Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams can strengthen the bond between your team members, while giving them the solutions they need to stay on top of projects and deadlines. From supporting real-time collaboration to encrypting data in transit, Teams can help you innovate your company’s processes and become more competitive in your niche.
Reach out to the Microsoft Teams experts at Everconnect today to learn how Teams can enhance your business’s productivity. Everconnect’s Microsoft specialists can also train your staff on how to use Teams effectively, as well as provide ongoing support to guarantee that your business’s collaborative workspace takes your organization into the future—not hold you back.
