Work as a collaborative, unified team no matter where you are.
The workplace is no longer restricted to conference rooms and cubicles and with ~56% of employees working fully remote or hybrid, effective digital collaboration is what keeps your business running.
Microsoft Teams accommodates a flexible, dynamic workforce, enabling your team to work better together from anywhere using a simplified technology platform backed by Microsoft.
PCG is a Microsoft Productivity Suite and Teams Collaboration specialist that helps you create a connected, engaged, efficient workforce that’s unhindered by geography.
Benefits of customized collaboration solutions
- Improved teamwork and engagement – When your staff is at home or on the road, they can feel isolated from their colleagues and work environment. Keep them connected and motivated with face-to-face virtual meetings so everyone is working together as a team
- Unlimited productivity – Use Teams and collaboration tools to discuss ideas, share files, engage with managers and supervisors, and have meetings with clients and vendors – just like you would in the office
- Ongoing monitoring, maintenance and support – PCG will build a Teams and collaboration solution that’s tailored to your business, and keep it running smoothly for you at all times. With our expert managed collaboration services, we handle the technology so you can work from anywhere with ease
Our specialists would love to discuss how we can help your business streamline your collaboration technology and create a more connected, productive team.
Introduction to Microsoft Teams
Teams is Microsoft’s answer to collaboration. It is their new tool, in the last year or two, to allow companies and users to chat, incorporate video functions and teams, or collaboration for files, so that they don’t have to use Outlook all the time for messaging and memos and things of that nature.
The real goal is to try and stop doing things like, “What do you want to have for lunch?”, or “yes”, “the package is at the door.” Simple communications like that Outlook is not really well suited for, so Teams fills that area.
You can chat with people. You can create one time conversations. You can store files. It connects to OneDrive. You can create teams for your different groups — so, if you have a marketing group, if you have an admin group, say you have a project that you’re working on that has a specific need, you can use it for those types of things. It’s really an all-in-one collaboration tool for companies to use.
Features of Microsoft Teams
Key features include chat, document storage, and the ability to tie your phone system to your video conferencing. Because you can message coworkers directly and put attachments into chat logs, it’s an all-in-one collaboration system. Plus when it comes to file access, file sharing is connected to One Drive so everything is in the cloud seamlessly. You can attach files to chats, Teams, and one-time communications between users.
For video, you have all of the abilities that many have become used to for video chatting and conferencing. You can call people either inside or outside the organization, create meetings, and see an expanded number users on screen. You can also do video conference links to people who aren’t in Teams to access via the web.
The namesake for the app reveals another key feature! Go ahead and create teams for different users, such as a marketing or operations team. Do it for particular projects, add specific members, collaborate within that team, share files, do conference calls, or chat. They do not need to be in the same building, or even within your company.
Teams is a powerful way of communicating and collaborating that ties all of Microsoft 365’s cloud structure together in a way that Outlook alone doesn’t. Although Outlook is great for larger messages where there needs to be detailed communication and a large amount of content, Teams is the best choice for one-off, quick communications.
Microsoft Teams Video & Etiquette
Teams is the go-to meeting app in the Microsoft suite. Collaborating with coworkers is paramount, regardless of their location and with Teams you can do it instantly.
PCG uses Teams for everything we do – it’s actually supplanted both a physical telephone and Outlook. If you’re working on a challenging project, it’s much easier to do a quick video call and send a file to a coworker than to schedule a meeting.
In fact, many of our company meetings are managed exclusively in Teams, including our Thursday morning huddle where the entire company arrives via their own video, which allows us to keep that teamwork, collaboration, and togetherness going, without requiring everyone onsite. It’s indispensable, and it’s part of our Microsoft 365 subscription.
Teams is really a no-brainer, and they only other thing to discuss is etiquette. It’s always a little funny to discuss these issues that are now hilarious memes.
- Dress for it. Wear what you would wear if you were standing in front of someone
- Turn your microphone off. Not speaking? Hit the mute button! It elminates background noise from inside your home (children/dogs) and out (cars/trucks/sirens). Also, make your ‘housemates’ aware you’re getting on a call especially when using your camera
- Understand how to invite NEW people to a meeting. When you’re on a call with a coworker and a third colleague’s input would be useful, just add them to the video call…super easy and useful!