In today’s globally dispersed workforce, online team collaboration has become the new standard. Gone are the days of relying solely on group emails. Tools like Microsoft Teams offer a real-time, instant chat-style interface, enabling teams to work together seamlessly, regardless of location.
Microsoft Teams, a chat-based workspace, was initially launched in 2016 for Office 365 Enterprise and Business subscribers. It replaced both Skype for Business and Microsoft Classroom in Office 365 Education. The platform gained wider accessibility in March 2017 for all Office 365 subscriptions. A free version was released in July 2018, providing most subscription-based features but limiting storage capacity and user count. Mobile versions were later equipped with family-friendly features in March 2020.
The Building Blocks of Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is structured around five key components:
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Team:
This virtual “building” serves as the central hub where invited members collaborate.*
Channel:
Think of channels as individual “rooms” within the “building.” They can be open to all team members or accessible only to specific invitees. Administrators can create multiple channels with distinct themes, such as “Editorial,” “Gaming,” “Accounting,” or “HR.”*
Channel Tabs:
These allow you to “pin” posts, files, apps, and other important resources to each channel. Tabs are channel-specific, so different channels may have different pinned items.*
Activity Feed:
The Activity Feed acts as a virtual hallway, connecting all channels. It’s where you’ll receive mentions, replies, and other notifications related to your active channels.*
Chat:
This feature facilitates private conversations between you and individual team members.To create a functional team workspace, administrators first establish a team, followed by creating individual channels within that team. For large organizations, multiple teams with multiple channels may be necessary. Each team member can access multiple teams through a single interface.
Shared Resources and Collaboration
Team members have access to a shared document pool by clicking the “Files” section in the client. This includes images and videos uploaded within channels. Members can open files in their browser, download them to their computer, or share a link with others. The OneDrive feature facilitates the creation of shared folders, Word documents, Excel workbooks, PowerPoint presentations, and more.
Integration with Third-Party Apps
Microsoft Teams seamlessly integrates with a wide array of third-party applications, including popular tools like Trello, Zoom, Asana, GitHub, Evernote, Adobe Creative Cloud, Salesforce, Google Analytics, and many others. It even supports social apps such as YouTube and StubHub.
Why Choose Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams is a prominent player in the team collaboration landscape, competing with platforms like Slack and Workplace from Facebook. While each tool has its strengths and weaknesses, Teams excels as a seamless complement to Microsoft 365.
Navigating the Microsoft Teams Interface
The Microsoft Teams interface is relatively intuitive and straightforward. On the left side, you’ll find a navigation bar with several tabs, including “Activity,” “Chat,” and “Teams.” At the top, depending on the selected tab, you’ll see options for “Posts,” “Chat,” and “Files.”
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Activity:
The second column displays a list of all mentions, replies, and notifications. Clicking an item reveals the related conversation in the third column. You can search for specific activity by using the filter button in the second column.*
Chat:
This tab lists your private conversations in the second column, sorted by recipient. Selecting a recipient displays the complete conversation in the third column. The three-dot ellipsis icon next to a recipient allows you to pin, mute, hide conversations, or receive notifications when the individual signs in.*
Teams:
The Teams tab presents a list of your connected teams and their channels in the second column. Channels with new activity are highlighted in bold text. Selecting a channel displays the messages within that channel in the third column. Unselected channels with mentions will show an exclamation point next to their names.Message Formatting and Tools
When composing a message, you’ll find formatting options similar to Slack, such as adjusting font size, creating bullet lists, inserting links, highlighting text, and more. You can also mark a message as a new conversation or announcement, restrict replies to only you and moderators, or post the message to multiple channels (if permitted). Additional tools include adding emojis, stickers, GIFs, and files.
Video Calls and Meetings
To initiate an audio call or video meeting, simply click the “Meet Now” dropdown arrow in the message toolbar at the top. Scheduling meetings requires a paid plan, which is indicated by a calendar icon on the message toolbar.
Pricing and Plans
Microsoft Teams offers a range of pricing plans for both home and business users.
Home Plan (Free)
* 5GB of storage
* Group calling for up to 100 people (limited to 60 minutes)
* Unlimited chat
* Collaboration features
* Data encryption
Paid Home Plans
Starting at $7 per month, paid Home plans offer additional features like increased group calling options, more storage, creative tools, and live captions.
Business Plans
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Microsoft Teams Essentials ($4/month):
10GB of storage, unlimited group meetings (up to 30 hours), Microsoft Whiteboard, file sharing and tasks, and live meeting captions.*
Business Basic ($6/month):
Features of Essentials plus user management, more storage, a custom business email, and spam and malware filtering.*
Business Standard ($12.50/month):
Features of Business Basic plus advanced features like advanced security, access and data control, and cyber-threat protection.*
Business Premium ($22/month):
Includes features from Business Standard with even more advanced security and data control features.Platform Availability
Microsoft Teams is accessible on a variety of platforms:
* Windows (32-bit and 64-bit)
* MacOS
* Linux (DEB 64-bit and RPM 64-bit)
* Android
* iOS
* Web-only
Getting Started with Microsoft Teams (Free Version)
To try out Microsoft Teams for free, you only need a Microsoft account, which you can create during the setup process. You don’t require a Microsoft 365 subscription to access the free version.
1. Visit teams.microsoft.com and enter your Microsoft account email address and password.
2. If you use a different email address, it will be used to create a Microsoft account.
3. Optionally, check the box to sync Outlook and Skype contacts.
4. Select “Continue.”
5. You’ll be directed to the “Chat” tab, ready to start a new chat or initiate a meeting.
Embrace the Future of Collaboration
Microsoft Teams is a rapidly evolving platform for business communication, continuously adding new features and enhancements. If you’re seeking a powerful and flexible collaboration solution, Microsoft Teams is worth exploring. To delve deeper into its functionality and learn how to utilize it effectively, be sure to check out comprehensive tutorials and resources available online.
