The best tips for working smarter remotely with Microsoft Teams
With remote working now the new norm for many people, there are other ways to function effectively as a team With Microsoft Teams, colleagues can stay productive and connected, and everyone can work together as efficiently and securely as they would in the office. Whether you already use Microsoft Teams or have yet to try it out, here are six tips for making the most of Microsoft Teams while working remotely from home or anywhere else.
1. Make all your meetings more productive
From the report 'Working differently' from Microsoft found that people feel they spend as much as 52% of their work time each week inefficiently on things like unnecessary interruptions, information searches and inefficient meetings.
Thanks to Microsoft Teams' comprehensive meeting capabilities, you can avoid frustration and inefficiency by gathering everything you need for each meeting in one place. When planning meetings, Teams lets you add an agenda, preparatory documents and other talking points.
Then during the meeting, you can keep everyone on task by enabling video for a more personal experience, blurring the background to avoid distractions and using live subtitles so everyone can follow what's being said. Plus, you can collaborate on Office documents and develop ideas in real time with the digital whiteboard.
After the meeting, all materials from the meeting are available, including the recording, action items, whiteboard and meeting notes, so your team can continue the conversation and collaborate on the topics covered in the meeting. That means everyone is in the loop and no one gets frustrated looking for material developed or displayed during the meeting. Even the people who couldn't attend the meeting.
2. Organize larger live events online with Microsoft Teams
With live events from Microsoft Teams, you can also host larger meetings, such as management meetings, marketing webinars, launch events and training sessions, and deliver presentations to up to 100,000 participants inside or outside your organization. That way, you can be sure that everyone working remotely can participate and stay informed.
3. Add your favorite apps and bots to Microsoft Teams
Apps let you do more in Microsoft Teams. Think about the familiar tools, files and dashboards your organization already uses. Many of these can be added to Microsoft Teams, and you can add new ones in Apps. You can use apps and bots in both chats and channels, so you have all the relevant information and tools you need to be as productive as possible, no matter who you're working with.
4. Collaborate on files in Microsoft Teams
If you work remotely, you may need to collaborate with your team on Office documents. In Microsoft Teams, this is very easy because you can create Word, Excel or PowerPoint documents in Teams itself, so you don't have to keep switching apps. You can co-create with your colleagues, share notes and add comments. You can even start a chat or meeting from within a document to discuss changes. There's no more version confusion and no more bulging inboxes with conflicting changes or comments, because you're using one seamlessly integrated collaboration platform.
5. Take full advantage of the Microsoft Teams mobile app
Have you activated Microsoft Teams on your cell phone? This app is the perfect way to stay on top of discussions while on the go. It allows you to access all your teams, channels and files and attend meetings from your phone. Monitor your personal limits and optimize your working hours in a way that works best for you. You can do this very easily by specifying quiet hours and quiet days in the settings of your Microsoft Teams mobile app.
6. Make all your meetings inclusive
If you look at your interactions during a normal workday, you'll see that your network includes colleagues from other departments, other branches and other countries. So consider including a Microsoft Teams meeting in every meeting request. That way, everyone on your team can participate, no matter where they are.
During the meeting, ask participants to turn on their video so everyone can see who they are talking to. Also enable live subtitles to prevent people who are not fluent in your language from feeling left out. Participants can then confidently share ideas and make comments. The same applies outside of meetings. With the translation feature, people can easily share ideas in their own language in chat or channels.
Record the meeting so that team members who cannot attend the meeting can watch the recording afterwards and stay informed about decisions and actions.
So allow yourself the time to learn about Microsoft Teams and its many productivity-enhancing features. It is well worth the effort because it will make you and your team a more productive and cohesive unit, despite the distance, location and demands of these transformative times. This only benefits morale and your business.
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