One thing businesses have discovered during the COVID-19 pandemic is that, with the right tools in place, employees can be just as productive at home as they were in the office. Even before the pandemic, 77% of workers reported being more productive working off-site. Companies that have invested in communication and collaboration solutions that support the needs of remote workers are able to keep business running almost as usual – with a few key differences like virtual meetings in the place of face-to-face ones.
One solution that enables a high level of productivity in today’s business environment is Microsoft Teams. Here’s how it simplifies and enhances collaboration for dispersed workforces.
What is Microsoft Teams?
Teams is a feature-rich collaboration tool that helps connect workers – wherever they are – through a common digital space. It includes two core capabilities:
- Chat, which integrates Skype to enable public and private conversations across teams
- Hub, a shared workspace for Microsoft Office applications that creates a seamless, more productive work environment that doesn’t require toggling between different applications to complete a project.
Key Benefits of Microsoft Teams
With employees working from home or in hybrid arrangements, collaboration tools are more critical than ever. Here’s what Teams brings to the table for today’s businesses:
- Real collaboration through chat. Teams isn’t just a messaging service – colleagues can share files directly in chat, then make a quick voice or video call to discuss the content. Integration with Microsoft products means workers can stay in chat without having to switch between applications.
- Simplified communication through Meetings. Meetings in Teams allows you to do everything you need to in one place. The agenda, meeting notes, relevant files, and recording all live in the same space, so everyone involved has easy access. Less searching after the fact means greater productivity.
- Streamlined collaboration. Teams minimizes the need to send emails. With Office 365 integration and the ability to share files directly in chat, collaboration becomes easier and faster. Workers no longer need to send long chains of emails where the latest version of a document might get lost.
- Access to everything you need from anywhere you are. The Teams mobile app provides your workers with access to chat, file sharing, and meetings – even on a mobile device.
Not all collaboration platforms offer the features you get from Microsoft Teams. Remote employees with the right tools at their disposal will stay more engaged – both with each other and with their jobs at your company. If you’re ready for the increased productivity you’ll gain from Microsoft Teams, contact Access One today so we can help you get started.
