Tuesday's Tip #17: Hit the Ground Running with Microsoft Teams - Top 3 Teams Questions - Answered!

Prior to COVID-19 there were 12 million daily active Teams users. Since COVID-19, there are 44 million. In just a few weeks the number of users almost quadrupled, almost a 400% increase. With this increase, training on Teams and helping companies adopt Teams has been my top inquiry from new and existing clients.

So here are the top questions I'm hearing.

Question #1: Does Teams work for meetings with people outside your organization? If so - How?

Short answer - yes, and it's easy.

Although Teams is an amazing internal communication and collaboration tool, and many think of it as only or mainly that, it can also EASILY be used externally. AND, whomever you invite to a meeting does NOT need to have Teams installed or even be a Microsoft Office user. In one click, they can simply logon through a browser or the app (if on a phone) as a "guest".

With that being said, if you are wanting to add external users to your teams and not just have meetings, there are some limitations on how internal and external users can collaborate.

Question #2: Why should I adopt Teams - I already have and use Skype and Zoom - Why do I need Teams?

Teams at it's heart is a collaboration tool and platform. Although many users are using it primarily like Skype for Business (to internally chat and meet) - it's SO much more. In a nutshell - it allows you to not only chat, call, and video conference, but also collaborate LIVE on files (also known as co-authoring), share a whiteboard, share screens - both internally and externally, share files, share OneNote notebooks, and integrate other apps like Planner, SharePoint and tons of others too.

So, if that's not enough to entice you, here are a my 3 reasons why you should use Teams.

1. If you are a Microsoft Office user, Teams isn't going anywhere. In fact - in July 2020, Skype for Business will be officially replaced by Teams. So you might as well learn it now.
   
   
2. It's an awesome way to share and collaborate on files with internal users to forever eliminate the "which version is the most up to date" question that goes with sending file attachments via email.
   
   
3. It gives you a super easy platform to touch base with the people you used to be able to run down the hall or lean over and ask a question.

 Question #3: How do I get my organization to learn it, use it and adopt it?

Internally, change is always a challenge. If you are trying to instigate change in your organization either as a leader or a colleague, one of the best ways is to lead by example and educate yourself.

Lead by Example

If you simply start using it internally you will create internal change and people will often follow your lead.

Ideas of how to Lead by Example:

• Do your internal touch bases with colleagues with a Teams meeting. Since everyone is working remotely, this is a great time.
• Instead of sending an email attachment, share a file in Teams. You can do this in a chat or by creating a Team and doing it there.
• When you need to share screens - do it in Teams.
• If you are a leader and hold meetings, do it in Teams.
• If you collaborate with OneNote - setup a channel in Teams to use it together there.

As you start to use it and engage other users - they will see how seamless and easy it is. Now is a great time, everyone is working remotely so it's a natural time to learn and try things we might otherwise not need to.

Educate Yourself

You can always educate yourself with the tons of free tutorials, videos and documentation. If you're looking for something more structured or a custom approach, we offer some great services to assist you.

My Training Services

If you aren't familiar with the services I offer - here's a brief overview.

• Live, virtual training sessions (think webinars) for your organization.
   
• Monthly subscription for individuals or companies for unlimited self-paced micro-learning for all the Microsoft Office applications including Teams. Click here for a full list of applications included and sample topics. This is an extremely affordable option and can be done for an entire organization or individually.
   
• One on one consulting - if you're looking for advice, practical application, end-user setup - we can meet virtually to discuss and accomplish your particular objectives. This could be related to implementing and deploying Teams or other Microsoft Office product related projects. 

Sample Projects

Some of the projects I'm currently engaged for include:

• Helping create custom Pivot Tables in Excel to save time and effort
• Creating Macros in Excel to assist with import and export process to and from other software
• Organization wide OneNote deployment and adoption
• Outsourced email or mail merge projects
• Develop and support Access databases

 If you're interested in finding out more about any of these services, feel free to email me with questions or setup a time to chat.
[email protected] 

Happy Tuesday! 

Sources

https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-teams-coronavirus-daily-active-users-2020-3