10 Essential Small Business Tips for Microsoft Teams

Introduction

When it comes to success stories, they don’t come much bigger than Microsoft Teams.

What started out as Skype for Business has now evolved into one of the most feature-rich digital collaboration platforms available. Beyond its ability to host meetings, enable one-on-one chats, and collaborative workspaces, Teams is also deeply integrated with the Microsoft 365 suite.

Whether you’re already one of the platform’s 75 million active users, or you’ve just signed up for a Microsoft 365 subscription and you’re looking to give it a test-drive – we’re here to help. With that in mind, here are 10 essential tips we’ve uncovered which will help you become more productive, more collaborative, and bring your team together – even when you’re apart.

#1: Can’t find that file? Use the ‘Files’ tab in your channels

Every time someone shares a file – like a Word doc or Excel spreadsheet – within a channel in Microsoft Teams, it’ll be attached to the conversation thread, where others will be able to open it. But what happens if it’s months later and the thought of scrolling back through miles of conversation seems too much to bear?

Don’t worry. Just click into the Files tab next to a channel’s name within Microsoft Teams and you’ll see a list of all of the files which have ever been shared there.

Even better, if the file has been edited in Teams since it was shared, the version found here should also be the most up to date.

#2: Supercharge your workflow with the Command Bar

See that search bar sitting at the top of the Microsoft Teams app? That’s more than just a search bar – it’s a whole new way to get things done.

While you can use it to search for channels, users, files, and more, you can also use the Command Bar to jump to specific actions. Simply type “/” into the bar to reveal all the available shortcuts you can type in and see what they do.

#3: Get an outside perspective with Guest or External access

Microsoft Teams is great for internal communication, but sometimes you also want to talk to external folks like suppliers or freelancers. Thankfully, you have options.

You can use either External access or Guest access to allow people outside of your organisation into Teams. Each option offers different permissions, with External users allowed for communication only (i.e. text chat, video, or voice, and Guest users allowed greater access to the Teams, channels, and files you choose.

Want to learn more? We explored this topic in-depth here on the Get Support blog.

#4: Show your colleagues how much you care by sending “Praise”

How do you show colleagues you care? With Teams, it’s easier than ever.

In any chat window, you’ll see a small ‘award ribbon’ icon below the text entry box. Click here and you’ll open the Praise window, which allows you to pick a colourful badge, add a message, and send it privately to a colleague.

Want to get there faster? Type “@praise” into the Command Bar.

#5: Bored of your bookshelves? Try a custom background effect

With so many of us working from home, studying one another’s backgrounds has become something of a pastime. But it’s not the most productive thing to do, and it can cause distractions.

Microsoft Teams has the solution, in the form of custom background effects. With this feature, you can blur your entire background to keep the focus on you. Or, if distraction is what you’re shooting for, replace your backdrop with deep space or the bottom of the ocean – the choice is yours!

Learn more about custom backgrounds from our blog post on the topic.

#6: Feeling ignored? Use @tagging to get some attention

When you’re part of a conversation in Teams, it can sometimes feel like nobody’s listen. If you haven’t actually tagged anyone, that may very well be true.

In the style of social media platforms like Facebook, Microsoft Teams allows you to type the ‘@’ character in any text box to reveal a list of other users. Type the first few letters of their name, then click on it and send your message. They’ll be notified within Teams that you’ve tagged them and – with any luck – will pay you a bit more attention.

No promises, though…

#7: Transcribe your meetings automatically with Microsoft Stream

If you’re a regular on the Get Support blog, you’ll know we recently covered Microsoft Stream – the enterprise video-sharing service by Microsoft. Built into this app is a tool which automatically transcribes the audio of any video in Microsoft Teams into text form.

So, by way of a tech daisy chain (record meeting in Teams > upload to Microsoft Stream > transcribe audio), you can quite easily produce a written transcript of an entire meeting.

Minute-takers around the world, rejoice!

#8: Avoid collaboration confusion by only attaching files from Teams

If there’s one shortcut to confusion when working in Teams, it’s file sharing. The built-in integration with Office apps is fantastic, but if multiple people attach a fresh version of a file (especially with a slightly different name), it gets confusing fast.

To avoid this, your team should try to upload a file just once, then make changes within Teams itself. Want to share the updated file? When using ‘Attach file’ in a conversation, just choose Browse Teams and Channels rather than the upload option and pick the existing file.

#9: See what matters most faster by pinning your favourite channels

The more you use Microsoft Teams, the more you’ll realise how long your teams and channels list can get. The result? Scrolling or searching every time you want to find the channels you use most often.

Luckily, Microsoft has a solution. From the Teams section, click the three dots next to any of your channels, then click Pin. Doing this will glue that channel to the top of your team / channel list, so you’ll be able to find it in seconds, anytime.

#10: Notify multiple people (without wearing out your @ key)

As we’ve discussed, @tagging colleagues in a conversation is a great way to get their attention – but what happens when you want to tag 5, 10, or 20 people? That’s where tagging comes in handy.

Click the three dots next to any Team name in the left menu and choose Manage tags. From there, you can create groups (like ‘Customer Support’ or ‘Sales’) and add anyone you like, then use @tags to notify all of them at once.

Want to do more with Microsoft 365? It’s time to Get Support

As a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider, the Get Support team are perfectly placed to help you get the most from your subscription.

If the tips above have inspired you to see what else is possible, why not explore some of the lesser-known apps included with Microsoft 365?

Or, if you need a larger scale solution for your business, call our expert IT team today on 01865 59 4000 and let’s get talking.