Before going forward, let’s be clear that Microsoft Teams is a part of the Office 365 family and fits into a wider scope.

This will come in handy when discussing the aspects and tools of Teams.

So, what is it exactly?

Well, Teams is a new tool that Microsoft added to the suite in 2016 that focuses on collaboration and the ability to share information among groups, or…teams.

If you’re currently using Skype for Business or even Slack, listen up!

*Updated: Skype for Business will be going away July 31, 2021!

Collaboration and communication are two of the most important strengths to have in the office.

Doing both of these effectively is key, and Teams is proving to be successful in each area.

Check it out: Introducing Microsoft Teams

How Does Teams Work?

The objective of Teams is to keep users connected and engaged.

Teams can be broken down and divided however the user may want them to be?

A Sales team?

Operations Team?

Have at it.

Say you create a Sales team.

You include all the employees who work in sales and belong in that group.

Now when the people in the sales team want to have a conversation, they can chat in their respective team and not get the whole company involved.

Of course, if a conversation needs to be even more private there are separate and individual chats.

Or if a chat needs to involve everyone or people across different teams, you can do tat too.

You decide who you chat with and Teams makes it happen.

Need to send a Word document over to a coworker?

You can simply drag and drop the document into the message box or attach a file as you would an email.

This works the same for any PowerPoint presentation, Excel spreadsheet, etc.  

The layout is incredibly user-friendly.

To navigate Teams, you go through the menu on the left side of the screen.

The menu includes Chat, Meetings, Files, Activity, and Teams.

There is also an option to add apps to the menu as well.

 This is great if your team is constantly working on or editing a document, just pin that specific document to the apps tab for easy access.

Other apps available are Polly, Planner, Power BI, and over 200 more!

Here’s a quick look at the side bar menu:

Chat

Communication between users.

This is where you will find all your message threads or start a new conversation form here.

Calendar/Meetings

Create and schedule meetings for users.

View your calendar to see what meetings you, your team, or others have today, this week, month, or year.

Files

Download and store OneDrive files and other documents.

From there you can edit these documents in Teams or open them in your browser or desktop app.

Activity

View your latest activity in chats, your team, documents you sent, etc.

Teams

Here you can access all things that relate to your team or teams you are a part of.

Such as chat, files shared, meetings, apps, etc.

Calls

Manage your calls.

Begin calls with individuals, a few people, or a team.

Add users to speed dial or listen to your voicemail.

Those are just a few of the options available in the calls tab.

What Is Teams Capable Of?

The real question is, what isn’t Teams capable of?

Well, for starters, Teams offers a hub for the entire Office 365 suite to share a work space.

With the setup of the hub, users can integrate Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, etc. without having to navigate between multiple applications and windows to complete tasks.

The best part about the hub is the convenience of sharing files across all Office 365 tools.

Using the drag and drop method as discussed above or the traditional attachment method, file sharing between users is simple and efficient.

When a user receives your file, they can easily open it right there in teams instead of opening up the PowerPoint or Word app separately.

How Does It Compare to Skype?

*Update: Skype for Business will be going away July 31, 2021, so users will need to make the switch before then.

Skype for business is a solid communication tool used by many.

Skype has the ability to switch between multiple methods and share a variety of content forms including desktop, apps, whiteboard.

Skype also provides users with the ability to use integrations such as calling and video conferencing.

But this is where it ends.

True, as of now, Microsoft Teams does not offer phone or video integration on its own.

However, there is a Skype add on integration available.

But what Teams does have to offer to users is collaboration and context.

And in professional businesses today, those are key aspects to have in technology.

Teams also integrates with the entire slew of Office 365 tools, a feature that cannot be found on Skype for business.

What About Slack?

In terms of similarities, Teams and Slack have the most in common.

They share the same features for the most part but serve different markets.

Microsoft Teams is designed for larger enterprise companies and those who currently use Office 365.

However, Omega is a smaller company with 15-20 employees and we love Teams!

Slack is available to everyone for free on their free tier offer, while Teams is only available to those who pay for Office 365.

However, if you are paying for Office 365 and enjoying the tools that it provides, then it makes the most sense to adopt Teams into your workflow.

On the other hand, if Office 365 is not something you pay for currently, then Slack is a good way to go for you.

 Some other differences between the two is that Microsoft Teams allows for unlimited message history while Slack is limited to 10,000 messages in the free plan.

If you’ll be making calls with multiple people then Teams is the way to go.

You can make audio and video calls with up to 250 people.

Where as with Slack, on the free plan you can only make 1:1 calls or up to 15 participants on the paid plan.

It’s worth mentioning that on Slack’s free plan screen sharing is unavailable, but using Teams it’s available on all plans.

Check it out: 10 Must-Have Browser Extensions To Increase Productivity

A Good Fit

Collaboration and accessibility are very important factors in the success of a business.

Finding what works for your company and employees is specific to your business needs and goals.

While a majority of businesses have adopted the Office 365 suite, realizing its potential and convenience, Teams just makes sense.

The resource is already there at your fingertips, just a few clicks away.

The entire program is available for no extra charge, so you’ll get the most out of your dollar by using Teams if you already pay for the Office 365 suite.

Bringing everyone together to collaborate and communicate is the objective of Teams and I think they do a very good job of that.

From chat, access to content and applications, one on one messaging, file sharing, etc. all available within one single application and window.

Interested in Microsoft Teams for your office, send us a message to get started.

Already using Teams, but need a little help?

Check out How to Use Microsoft Teams: The Basics.

Or view our guide below.

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