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There’s also a shortcut to the Teams app store, where approved Microsoft and third-party software can be perused and added to the sidebar for quick access. Chat, Calls, Teams and Files apps sit alongside an Activity news feed for mentions, replies and other notifications. The menu on the top right-hand corner provides access to various settings, including availability status.Ī sidebar to the left (of the desktop app) contains shortcuts to elements of Teams that users interact with most frequently. The top bar contains navigation arrows, a search tool for finding messages, files and people within an organization, and a way of launching apps. Navigation should be familiar to anyone who has previously used a collaboration tool, though users making the switch from email for the first time might need a little time to get used to the UI. Teams search lets users locate messages, files and people. Discussions can be muted to stop notifications, or an important conversation can be pinned to the top of the chat list. When necessary, users can jump from messaging to a video call at the click of a button. Teams contains the usual instant messaging features expected of a business chat app, including emojis, GIFs, rich-text editing, threaded conversations, bots, and the ability to share files. In addition to using group chats within a channel, workers can send direct messages to colleagues in private, or add others to an ad-hoc group conversation. Teams can reduce app switching significantly, according to a Forrester report, saving each worker an estimated 15 to 25 minutes per day. Each channel contains tabs with shared files and apps to get work done without switching screens. There are two main types of channels: private channels are suited to confidential conversations, which can be particularly useful for legal or finance teams, while “standard” channels let anyone within a workspace see what has been written and access shared files.Ī “general” channel is enabled by default and admins can then add more to fit their team’s requirements.
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Channels are group chat rooms that are better suited to fast-paced conversations than asynchronous communications like email. Users can interact with apps in the Teams message stream, adding polls or jumping straight into a video meeting.Įach team consists of individual “channels” that tend to have a more defined focus, such as a work project or topic.
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But now, Microsoft can center their productivity and integration story around Teams rather than Groups,” said Sy. “It’s still the behind-the-scenes backbone of Office 365. In a sense, Teams goes a step further than Groups, acting as a more tangible thread connecting users and apps across the organization. When a team is first set up, a Microsoft 365 Group is automatically created, along with related services such as a SharePoint site and OneNote access. Teams can range in size and scope from an entire business down to a more focused shared-interest group. Teams consists of one or more, well, “teams” - essentially groups of employees within an organization, such as marketing or design department staff.
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How to use Microsoft Teams: Channels, teams and messaging It’s supported across all major operating systems, such as Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. Teams is available as a desktop app, via web browser, and as a mobile app.
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