Teams Connect

In March 2021, Microsoft introduced Teams Connect (see Figure 3-1), a feature that lets organizations share channels with other organizations. It is similar to Slack Connect.

A screenshot represents the partner channel with Microsoft teams, the teams' option is selected from the left, where it has icons such as your teams, global, marketing, and sweet dreams are pointed with an arrow mark.

Federation with Slack or Webex

Some of the best teams apps are those that are typically viewed as competitors. Do you ever communicate with people outside of your organization?

According to some studies, people tend to use apps other than Microsoft Teams when it comes to communicating with colleagues. For instance, they might use Slack or Cisco Webex. If this is the case, it can be very unproductive to switch from Teams to another app, especially if you’re trying to start a new conversation.

Unfortunately, many people end up using email instead of other apps when they need to communicate with colleagues. To address this issue, Mio has created a universal channel for Microsoft Teams that allows you to chat with other teams using Webex or Slack (see Figure 3-2).

A screenshot represents three logos with names below them such as teams, slack, and Webex teams.

You can easily send messages to your suppliers, contractors, and clients who use Webex or Slack using Microsoft Teams. The messages will stay in the app while Mio translates them across the platform. Besides messages, the universal channels for Microsoft Teams also support various other messaging apps, such as emojis, files, and channels. If you’re a fan of this type of app, you can easily install it and start creating channels for free.

Teams Tab: Static and Configurable

The best apps for Microsoft Teams are built into the platform. There are two kinds of tabs in the app: one for interactive content and one for rich web content (see Figure 3-3).

A screenshot represents the Orlando tour plan with a tab window, which has icons such as excel, forms, P D F, PowerPoint, Share Point, stream, word, and so on, where the forms icon is zoomed.

Static tabs support individual users. Configurable tabs, on the other hand, are part of your Teams channel and provide ongoing guidance and information.

Immersive reader

One of the most underutilized features of Microsoft Teams is the immersive reader, which allows users to speak text on a channel at varying speeds. This capability is useful if you are having a hard time focusing on a particular piece of text. Click on the three dots of any message and select Immersive Reader from the menu to access this feature (see Figure 3-4).

A screenshot represents the immersive reader feature with options such as save this message, edit, delete, mark as unread, translate, immersive reader, and more actions.

Filter Content Using @mention

It’s hard to keep up with the latest news in Microsoft Teams when your eyes are constantly on the live chat feed. Fortunately, you can easily filter the content that you see with the @mentions feature.

This feature lets you separate your personal messages from other topics that are not relevant. It also helps keep you up-to-date with the latest information (see Figure 3-5).

A screenshot represents the filter using mention, with options such as activity, chat, teams, meetings, and files, on the left, and activity is selected, web and social trends, and go to market plan on the right.

Bookmarking

When you need to find the information quickly, Microsoft Teams can help you keep track of all the content you need. You can easily classify content into different categories so that you can spend less time searching for important data (see Figure 3-6).

A screenshot represents the bookmarking in teams, with tips and tricks test team, that includes conversations, files, wiki, in conversations, options such as add more people, create more channels, open the F A Q, along with general announcement testing123.

Being able to keep track of all details in a chat app is also very important. Having a well-defined and organized view of all of your content helps you find the information that you need.

Slash Commands

Today’s fast-paced workplace requires employees to work as efficiently as possible. One of the most important factors when it comes to improving productivity is making sure that employees can navigate through Microsoft Teams easily and intuitively.

One of the easiest ways to do this is by using the slash command. For instance, you can set your status to “online” or “away”. You can also make sure that you’re not missing out on any new features by going to the Release Notes tab of the T-bot channel.

The /Files feature shows the most recent files that you’ve shared with Microsoft Teams. /GoTo opens a channel in which you can easily jump to a specific area. /Help sends a message to someone else through the T-bot.

Meeting Whiteboards

Microsoft Teams members can now access a whiteboard in the app. There, they can create sketches and share ideas. Participants can choose from a variety of pen colors and graph options (see Figure 3-7).

A photograph represents the whiteboard in M S teams, which includes a flow chart, and pie chart related to product distribution, and a pen is placed at the right.

You can now collaborate with other people using Microsoft Teams and the Whiteboard app. Both tools allow you to share and draw content in real-time. The app for tablets and pens also has a tab that allows people to write with their fingers.

Private Channels

With the ability to create private channels in Teams (see Figure 3-8), you can control how people collaborate and communicate with each other. This feature is useful for financial firms, as certain parts of the organization may not be allowed to see and share information.

A screenshot represents the private channels that contain the teams option selected on the left panel, and marketing in that budget and strategy are highlighted in the right panel.

The ability to create private channels in Teams was first previewed at Enterprise Connect. This feature makes it easier for people to control how their data is shared. See Figure 3-8.

Meeting Recording

One of the most effective ways to keep track of important information is by recording Microsoft Teams meetings.

During a meeting, audio, video, and screen sharing activities are captured at the same time. They can then be saved to Stream, which allows you to access them later (see Figure 3-9).

A screenshot represents the teams recording Microsoft, and after pressed the three-dot option in the start recording option box is highlighted.

If you’re planning on creating company-wide announcements or releasing news items, recording meetings is a great way to do it. You can also create training videos for your employees by clicking the Start Recording button in the channel.

Integration with PSTN

You can now integrate the Microsoft Teams experience with the public switched telephone network (PSTN). There are various ways to do this, such as through direct routing or through the Microsoft Calling Plans. The cloud-based subscription allows you to use the calling plans without additional hardware.

If your business wants to use the Microsoft Teams experience but still use the existing PTSN trunk, you can use Direct Routing. This method works with any telephony provider and allows you to connect to the cloud-based service. However, you will need a session border controller to use this method.

Teams Bot

If you’re a business that wants to take advantage of the various features of the Microsoft Teams experience, such as automation and artificial intelligence, then try the pre-made bots.

There are many types of bots (see Figure 3-10) that can be useful for your business, such as Polly, which is a simple bot that lets you poll your team members. Who Bot is a chatbot that can help you keep track of your team members’ engagement. Grow Bot is a feature that lets team members exchange ideas. Stats bot is an analytics bot that can deliver scheduled reports through Google Analytics.

A screenshot represents the team bots, marketing is selected from the options on the left, and in conversation, a question with options and the answer with the poll result is depicted.

Hard Audio Mute

The goal of a learning environment is to reduce distractions. With hard audio mute, attendees can’t interrupt the meeting. This tool is ideal for education and enterprise settings.

From the participant pane, you can mute all participants. Administrators can also remove the hard mute setting when someone raises their hand to contribute. This feature ensures that the interactions between participants (such as students and teachers) are secure and uninterrupted. Additionally, student lobbies allow educators to control when students join a meeting.

Team Live Events

Teams can host live events for large audiences, such as conferences and meetings, through its platform. It’s a convenient way to ask everyone to join a meeting.

Event organizers can set the permissions for the attendees and co-presenters, and they can also share the screens and windows of their broadcasts (see Figure 3-11).

A screenshot represents teams that host live events, which contains a computer screen that is live streaming and the logo of Microsoft teams.

Recording with Automatic Transcripts

Today’s fast-paced world often prevents people from remembering important details about their meetings. With the help of cloud recording and automatic transcription, you can keep track of all of your meetings and keep them in the cloud.

With the help of automatic transcription (see Figure 3-12), you can easily go back and listen to all of your conversations with your team. It also makes it easier to find important information, because you can do so by just typing a phrase or keyword.

A screenshot represents the recordings with scripts, which includes weekly team sync, start and stop button, record time on the left, and transcript on the right are highlighted.

With these awesome features, Teams has become a popular collaborative platform. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies adopted Teams for their employees to collaborate on business activities when working from home.

Simplicity

One of the biggest advantages of using Microsoft Teams is its ability to integrate with other tools. For example, you can add a Teams site to the platform by using the SharePoint extension. This can be done through the Team site’s list and pages. You can also add documents and full sites from the Website tab.

One of the most important steps that you should take when creating a group post is to add a subject title to it. This will make it easier for people to keep track of the group’s activities. Creating a fun team environment can also help people get used to the platform.

Use the Teams Mobile App

To enable teamwork on the go, download the Microsoft Teams app. It will allow you to set boundaries and monitor your work time.

Maintain and Optimize Lists of Teams

One of the most important factors that you should consider when it comes to starting a new team is the number of channels that it should have. Having a large team with dedicated channels allows you to collaborate on various projects and topics. Don’t confuse your team with the roles they play. Having several large groups with multiple channels will allow you to enable more effective teamwork.

Regularly Update Channels

One of the most important factors that you should consider when it comes to creating a new team is the number of channels that it should have. Having multiple channels will allow you to pull together all of your related content into one place. There is a learning curve when it comes to this, but by adding files to each channel, everyone can easily find them and use them.

Make Use of Team Apps

Microsoft Teams has a variety of features that can be used to enhance the efficiency of your team, such as the ability to integrate various tools. One of the most fun features that can be used is the ability to create a badge that will allow you to recognize the achievements of your team.

Manage Content

Getting organized can be hard if users aren’t careful, so use tools such as OneNote or Wiki to keep conversations simple and focused. These features can help highlight important content and keep conversations flowing smoothly.

Highlight Important Resources

You can easily add multiple websites that track various aspects of a site’s performance, including news, performance, and live site monitoring. To do so, highlight the + and select Tab. These websites will automatically appear at the top of a channel.

You can also pin your favorite channels and chats to the top of your list. To do so, select the three dots beside the group and then select Pin. This will keep your most important conversations and channels at the top.

Forward Email Conversations

You can easily forward an email to a group in Teams so that it can receive faster feedback. To do so, go to the ellipsis menu, select Get Email Address, and then click Copy. In Outlook, open the app and paste the email address you want to forward to your channel into the To field.

Keep Channels Active

It takes discipline to get organized, but it will be worth it if you are following the proper channels and engaging in conversations. Use the following instructions to keep conversations flowing smoothly.

Have Fun

Microsoft Teams is a great tool for working with your colleagues. It features everything you need to keep conversations flowing smoothly. You can use it to send and receive virtual happy hours, make calls with background images, and more.

Files and Chats

Teams and communication sites are two different platforms, but with the ability to manage documents in both Teams and in communication sites, team members can work together seamlessly. With the help of its single document library, known as OneDrive for Business, you can store and manage all of your documents in one place.

Files in a private chat using Teams can be stored in the Microsoft Team Chat Files directory. This is because the permissions and archiving of the cloud-based platform allow users to store and manage all of their files in one place.

Although it’s possible to use Teams without using a communication site, users can then only share files in standard channels. Also, users can’t access private chats (see Figure 3-15) with the help of OneDrive for Business.

A screenshot represents the document library in a Teams channel which includes daily tasks and updates with options, daily processes, and tasks along with names, and modified.

With Teams, users can collaborate and communicate using video meetings and other forms of communication. SharePoint communication sites are used to store and manage all of your documents (see Figure 3-16).

A screenshot represents a general tab with names, modified and modified by is open in share point of the same point communication site.

Document Management System, SharePoint Communication Sites and Teams

Every team in Microsoft has a communication site that includes a document library. The files that are created or uploaded to a team are stored in the library, not on the team’s site. Even if you upload files to a team, those files are still accessible in both applications.

The default channel for a team is General, which prevents it from being renamed or deleted (see Figure 3-17). Files that are stored in this channel are stored in the General library of the communication site.

A screenshot represents the public channel in teams that includes the general option in the documents below which has three columns for file names, modified time, and modifier name.

When you create a new public channel in Teams, a corresponding folder is created in the document library (see Figure 3-18).

A screenshot represents the share point marketing team, and the document option is selected from the left, below which columns for file, modified time, and person, where the general folder is highlighted.

The name and file path of the channel are based on the channel name. Although you can change its name, the underlying path remains the same.

A private channel is a different kind of channel. It features a separate document library and a lightweight site collection. Only members of the team are allowed to access it. Non-members will not be aware it exists.

Before you start a private channel, make sure that it’s not a public channel. It can be created and operated by a private team, which offers a better alternative if you have specific requirements. As part of its permissions structure, Teams uses the security trimming found in Microsoft 365.

Users can easily access their content through the private channel. When a user is added to or removed from a team, they gain or lose their access to the communication site’s documents.

Work with Attachments in Teams

Microsoft is working on a way to make it easier for people to manage their documents in Teams using the Files tab in the main site. If you’re already familiar with the features of the SharePoint communication site, you should be able to easily start using this new feature.

The Files tab in Teams (see Figure 3-19) can be used to find and manage all of your documents. You can also filter results by file type, team, and modified by. To do so, go to the left-side navigation and click the Files button.

A screenshot represents the access to all files part of entire teams, which contains files, Microsoft teams are type, name, modified, modified by, and location option.

The Files tab in Teams allows you to upload existing files and folders. You can create a new folder or move folder to a new location. You can also sync them to your desktop for quicker access. With the click of a button, you can open, copy, and save files in Teams or anywhere.

In real-time, you can co-edit documents and start a conversation. You can also add comments to a document, and you can click the Pin to Top button to add important files to a library. You can also list documents as tabs in a channel so they can easily be found.

With a comprehensive document management solution, your team members can work on projects regardless of where they are located.