2020 is over, (thankfully), but the new normal is here to stay for the foreseeable future. Most small to medium businesses and corporations across the enterprise have operated a fully remote, connected workforce for almost a year now. Work from home has gone from a tempting perk to a necessity, changing dynamics at home and shifting our company and societal cultures.
And the Zoom fatigue is more real than ever. With a constant flow of video conferences and presentations, while maintaining productivity levels, many of us are feeling overstimulated, more isolated, and drained by the end of the week (or workday).
But there are some serious positives when it comes to having productivity tools to make it easy to communicate quickly without getting derailed by notifications or other distractions. And, Microsoft Teams is no exception, in fact the collaboration tool uses regular updates to build a more interactive, friendly Work from Home experience.
Here are five of the most useful and surprisingly hidden tools in Microsoft Teams:
1. Try one-click integration of internal and external communication.
To email external partners’ content from within Teams with Outlook, click within a chat or a channel on “More Options” –> “Share with Outlook” – and voila! An Outlook message opens with your post ready to go!
2. Tag teammates for quick action items.
To create tags (if the feature is enabled by your IT admins), click on “Teams” go to “More Options” and select “Tags”. From there you can easily assign tags to specific team members, departments, or groups.
3. Move sidebars to a pop-out chat.
Send a text or an email without interrupting or leaving your group meeting with “Pop-Out Chat”. The Pop-Out Chat opens seamlessly in a separate window without disruption your meeting flow or experience.
4. Take Teams with you.
For an ultra-flexible work experience and connection, download the mobile Teams app on your smartphone for closer collaboration on all your Teams channels, no matter where you are.
5. Make more possible with Teams apps.
Dive in and explore the wide range of applications to keep you and your teams engaged and organized and increase productivity. You can use Excel spreadsheets, edit OneNote documents, manage workflows with Microsoft Flow, and so much more.
Make every meeting count.
Let’s talk.
Our collaboration experts are here to help you get the most out of your secure, connected workforce. MicroAge is a Gold Microsoft partner—ready to architect, implement, and train your workforce in your Microsoft 365 and Teams environment—so you can maximize functionality and productivity.
