microsoft teams

Microsoft Teams is seeing dramatic growth. Since its launch in November 2016, it has been downloaded more than 32 million times and is now used by more than 500,000 organizations worldwide.

Like Zoom, Microsoft Teams saw a surge in growth when the pandemic shutdown forced companies to adapt and employees to work remotely.

Unlike Zoom, Microsoft Teams offers a range of other collaborative features that make it a go-to for businesses, organizations and, well, teams looking to combine their skills.

This chat-based workspace brings together people, conversations, and content—along with the tools that teams need—so they can easily collaborate to achieve more. It’s built on the strength of Office 365 and allows teams to be more productive by giving them a single and secure location to access all of their team’s files and tools.

MS Teams can be a phone service alternative

Microsoft Teams phone users can make and receive calls directly from the app using their desk phone, mobile phone, or PC. This feature makes it even easier to stay connected with your team while you’re on the go.

Users can also initiate calls during a 1:1 chat session by clicking on the video or audio call button at the top of the chat window.

This feature is increasing in popularity and shows no signs of slowing down — Microsoft recently announced that approximately 80 million people worldwide are using the service.

Microsoft Teams advantages over other services

One of the things that makes Teams so popular is its ease of use. It’s simple to set up and use, and it integrates with all of the other Microsoft Office 365 apps that businesses are already using.

Another advantage of Teams is that it’s built on the same platform as Skype for Business, so there’s a lot of existing infrastructure and support for it.

Teams is also included in Office 365, so businesses that are already using Office 365 can get started without any additional investment.

Microsoft Teams includes regular updates

Microsoft Teams is constantly evolving to meet the needs of its users. Here are some of the latest updates:

• Announcements: You can now make announcements in Microsoft Teams to share important news with your team. Announcements appear in the activity feed so everyone can see them, and you can @mention specific team members to make sure they don’t miss anything.
• Tabs: The new Tabs feature in Microsoft Teams makes it easy to add content from your favorite apps and services, so you can have everything you need in one place. Just click the + sign to add a tab, and select from over 150 popular apps like OneNote, SharePoint, Twitter, and more.
• Connectors: Connectors are a great way to get your team’s attention in Microsoft Teams. You can use connectors to post messages or notifications from over 200 popular services, like GitHub, Twitter, Trello, and more.

Microsoft Teams for those outside of your organization

Microsoft Teams is also introducing a new feature called Guest access, which allows people outside of your organization to be added to teams and channels. This is great for working with clients, contractors, or partners who need access to specific resources or information.

To add a guest to your team, click on the team name in the left sidebar, and then click on the “Add guest” button. You can search for the person by their name or email address, and they will receive an invitation to join the team.

To learn more about how these features can benefit your “team,” contact Terminal B for a free consultation.