The well-known Skype for Business, for calling and meeting online, is now part of Microsoft Teams. Skype for Business will no longer exist as a separate application after July 31, 2021. The integration in Microsoft Teams means that all Office 365 applications can be easily deployed during calling and meeting.
For us it has also become the most important tool for external and internal communication. Communication with customers is increasingly done through teams with which we share documents, data and other customer information. Direct communication via chat is also increasingly common. These are our experiences:
Truly working with customers online
Not only are we happy with Microsoft Teams, but especially our customers. With every customer project that we carry out, we create an internal project team in Teams and also add the appropriate customer contacts. As a result, the status of the project is clear to everyone, documents can be viewed and shared and there are hardly any misunderstandings, for example about possibly changed schedules. We see Microsoft Teams as a tool with which we really work together online, as if we were one company together with the customer. But there's more:
30% to 40% less email
Both internal and external e-mail traffic has been greatly reduced. The mutual communication takes place directly, namely via chat. In addition to a less full e-mail inbox, this provides another important advantage, because:
Chats can be deleted or modified
Nothing is more human than making a mistake. If you send something incorrect by e-mail, it is permanently in the e-mail inbox of the recipient. A chat in Microsoft Teams is easy to delete or modify. An incorrectly sent e-mail is often so permanent that it is even the number one in the field of unknowingly violating privacy (GDPR). Chat more often is our advice.
Integration with Microsoft SharePoint
For the documents that are shared within the various projects, there is an automatic link with Microsoft SharePoint. By adding a link, customers and team members always have access to the latest version.
Smart news sharing
An announcement function is active within Microsoft Teams that allows important news to be communicated to the entire organization in one go. If desired, you can easily add a matching image to this message. In addition, it has become possible to post one message at the same time in different teams, for example when it concerns information that is important for all customer groups.
The hub for 'work anytime, anywhere'
Microsoft Teams has become our primary communication tool. In addition to using Teams at customer level, we also use it as a means to share news messages with each other or, for example, to know when colleagues have their birthday. In addition, we will soon also integrate call traffic into Microsoft Teams for an even better service.
Additional information
These are our own experiences with Microsoft Teams, but we signed up earlier this one blog about working smarter with this tool.
Do you, like us, want Microsoft Teams to become the hub of working together anytime, anywhere in Office 365? Don't forget, if you use Teams, to also install the handy app on your smartphone.
Interested? Call telephone number: 088 - 77 11 000 or e-mail us at: servicedesk@thesourcingcompany.nl
