With 320 million daily active users, Microsoft Teams is now the backbone of the modern workplace, offering benefits for collaboration, communication, and productivity across businesses.
It’s an ideal Unified Communications (UC) hub, combining chat, meeting, calling, and file functionality in a single place. Thanks to its native integration with the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, it can also replace fragmented communication tools across many businesses too.
However, despite its benefits, some teams are still underutilizing Microsoft Teams’ collaboration features – leaving businesses missing out on potential productivity and efficiency wins.
At Sipcom, we’ve helped transform collaboration practices with Microsoft Teams for enterprises around the world – from Fortune 100 companies to major government agencies – so we know what it takes to unlock its full potential.
In this blog we’ll explore our top recommendations for using Microsoft Teams to enhance collaboration, discussing simple strategies, key features, and frequently asked questions.
Why use Microsoft Teams?
The benefits of Microsoft Teams include:
Reduced inbox overload: With instant messaging replacing email communications, teams are no longer fatigued by never-ending unopened emails.
More effective collaboration: Teams can simultaneously work on the same document, seamlessly, allowing them to collaborate in real time.
Hybrid work enabler: Helps colleagues and customers to connect across locations.
Streamlined workflows: Integrations with other online collaboration tools and apps allow for seamless, unified workflows.
How does Microsoft Teams improve teamwork and collaboration?
Chat and messaging
Persistent conversations: With an active chat history, conversations are preserved across time zones and even if a member of the chat leaves the organization entirely.
Rich communication: Emojis, GIFs, formatting options, and reactions all help users personalize their communications, encouraging engagement.
Smart mentions: The ability to tag other users in messages means that the sender can rely on heightened visibility, while the reader can filter their messages to only focus on those that are addressed to them – eliminating notification fatigue.
File sharing and collaboration
Real-time co-authoring: As multiple users can edit the same document at once, projects are streamlined, with no unnecessary rounds of saving, exporting, and sharing to worry about.
Version control: Documents worked on in Microsoft Teams have an autosave feature, removing file naming confusion and allowing teams to align on a definitive source of truth.
Microsoft SharePoint integration: With Microsoft SharePoint handling file storage and sharing, users gain enterprise-level document management and security.
Channels and groups
Channel organization: The highly customizable nature of Microsoft Teams channels and groups allows users to organize their interactions by projects, departments, or topics.
Guest access: The ability to temporarily invite guests to a chat or channel ensures secure collaboration with external parties.
Permissions management: Microsoft Teams makes it easy for administrators to control information flow on public and private channels, leading to better data security.
What Microsoft Teams features enhance communication?
Audio and video calls
HD voice and video quality: Automatic optimizations allow for smoother meetings and calls.
Continuity between devices: Microsoft Teams lets users switch seamlessly between their mobile and desktop devices, ensuring consistent experiences whether working in offices or on the go.
Advanced call features: Including hold, transfer, and conference calling helps users keep their calls organized and under control.
Microsoft ecosystem
Calendar syncing: Integration with Microsoft Outlook’s calendar tool makes it easy for users to schedule meetings and calls without clashes.
In-app collaboration: By collaborating within the Microsoft Teams interface, greater communication on projects is encouraged compared to working in siloed programs and systems.
Microsoft OneNote integration: With Microsoft OneNote integration, keeping track of notes and actions points is highly efficient.
Notification intelligence
Customizable alert settings: Users can match their alerts to their workstyles while simplifying visibility for other team members.
Do Not Disturb (DND): Users are able to schedule time for focused work with a DND function that blocks out alerts.
Priority messaging preferences: With the ability to set priority contacts in Microsoft Teams, mission-critical communications can still be delivered – even if the user is DND.
How does Microsoft Teams enable more effective online meetings?
Meeting management tools
Custom meeting templates: Admins are able to set custom meeting templates, controlling how meetings can be conducted for better security and alignment with company policies.
Role-based permissions: These offer greater security and control to organizations, with users permissions for file access, chats, and channels able to be restricted based on role.
Breakout rooms: In-meeting options for assigning breakout rooms to participants means administrators can help meetings feel more engaging.
Intelligence and follow up
Automatic recording and transcription: With automatic recording and live transcription available during calls and meetings, participants can easily share and catch up on content.
AI-powered content: Thanks to Microsoft Copilot integration, Microsoft Teams can generate meeting summaries and action items, saving users time and increasing focus.
Searchable content: With chats and channels searchable, it’s easy for users to keep track of important information, regardless of timeframe.
How can businesses maximize productivity with Microsoft Teams?
Integrated task management
Microsoft Planner: With integration for Microsoft Planner, teams can keep track of projects, assign tasks, and access flagged emails for smoother workflows.
Microsoft To Do integration: Microsoft To Do integration allows individual users to track tasks, collaborate with colleagues, and keep to-do list notes seamlessly.
Assignment delegation: With automatic reminders for assignment delegations, users can keep on top of their tasks without leaving the app.
Business application connectivity
Power BI dashboards: With access to Power BI from within Microsoft Teams, users can seamlessly make data-driven decisions.
Power Automate access: Power Automate allows users to create automated workflows, like sending an automated message when a meeting invitation is received, eliminating time-consuming manual tasks.
Custom app development: For businesses with unique needs, the ability to create custom apps through the Microsoft Teams platform is available.
Examples of third-party integrations in Microsoft Teams for collaboration
Integrations for sales teams: Salesforce and HubSpot CRM.
Integrations for project management: Asana, Trello, and Monday.com.
Integrations for development: GitHub, Azure DevOps, and Jira.
How does Microsoft Teams complete your UC strategy for enhanced collaboration?
How does Microsoft Teams complete your UC strategy for enhanced collaboration?
Teams Phone is the final piece of the collaboration puzzle
Single platform for all communications: Microsoft Teams Phone brings PSTN calling directly into Teams, eliminating multiple providers. Users make calls from any device without switching applications – truly Unified Communications.
Cost-effective telephony transformation: Teams Phone can replace traditional PBX systems and fixed-line solutions, reducing costs while eliminating legacy hardware maintenance and preparing businesses for the PSTN switch-off.
Enterprise-grade reliability: Teams Phone delivers two-factor authentication, single sign-on through Entra ID, and full data encryption. GDPR-compliant voice communications receive the same security as your Microsoft 365 services.
What are the best practices when using Microsoft Teams for project collaboration?
A strong governance framework is important when planning for collaboration success with Microsoft Teams, including:
- Clear communication protocols and response times
- Unified channel naming conventions and lifecycles
- Security policies for guest access and external sharing
Businesses should also prioritize strong user adoption policies to ensure that all team members feel empowered to make the most of Microsoft Teams, with strategies like:
- Comprehensive onboarding and demonstrations for new team members
- Regular training aligned to new features and capability releases
- Champion programs to encourage peer-to-peer learning and support
Ultimately, continuous optimizations are the key to long-term collaboration success with Microsoft Teams, and businesses can ensure they’re maximizing its potential with:
- Regular analysis of usage data to optimize engagement strategies
- Feedback collection used to fuel feature utilization and training
- Strategic planning to ensure users can access new versions without disruption
Wondering where to go for Microsoft Teams deployment?
At Sipcom, we tailor your Microsoft Teams deployment to your organization, going beyond standard implementation to deliver complex integrations, strategic consulting, and an enterprise-grade platform with global scalability.
Just drop us a line to get started.
Let’s discuss Microsoft Teams
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Frequently asked questions about Microsoft Teams for collaboration
How do I collaborate effectively on Microsoft Teams?
Organization is the secret to effective Microsoft Teams collaboration. Create dedicated channels for each project or topic, and use @mentions strategically to get people’s attention without overloading their notifications. Leverage co-authoring for real-time collaboration, wherever teammates are located, and establish clear norms including response time expectations and meeting protocols to make sure everyone is on the same page.
How should I use Microsoft Teams to improve communication for my teams?
Focus on keeping channels organized with clearly defined purposes, and take advantage of rich messaging features like formatting and reactions to add context and encourage engagement. Implement consistent naming conventions across all your channels, chats, and meetings to maintain clarity. In environments where advanced call capabilities are needed, a professional-grade integration beyond standard Teams Phone can be useful.
What best practices should I keep in mind for Microsoft Teams meetings?
Clear agendas and defined outcomes are essential for keeping meetings on track. Use interactive features like polls and breakout rooms to keep sessions interesting and engaging, while limiting attendees to essential participants only to avoid fatigue. Record important sessions so that team members in different time zones can catch up, and always end each meeting with clear action points and ownership assignments.
What are the best Microsoft Teams features for stronger collaboration?
The most impactful features include:
- Persistent chat for maintaining context
- Real-time co-authoring for seamless document collaboration
- The integrated app ecosystem for reduced tool switch
- Cross-device synchronization so that users can work with continuity at home, in the office, or on the go
How do I integrate Microsoft Teams with other business tools?
Start with your most critical business systems, like your CRM, project management, or analytics tool. Then eliminate context switching by focusing on apps that work within Microsoft Teams. Remember that specialized and legacy systems may need custom integrations.
