Do you feel that communicating and collaborating with other employees in your workplace could be improved? Surprisingly, you’re not alone. Microsoft and YouGov recently conducted a survey issued to workers across the UK on how effective they feel the communication is between employees in the workplace. Survey results revealed that the top leading cause of stress among UK employees is poor communication with other internal teams at 34%. Further showing that 29% of UK employees also believe that lack of organisation – wide communication/transparency contribute to the stress they feel within the workplace. Communication is a core component of having a successful business – having the best communication possible provides stable relationships, productivity and company growth. 

You can check out the full Microsoft results here.

 

 

For many, traditional methods of communication can cause more hassle than it’s worth. Organising meetings and catching people face to face in a busy office with hundreds of employees really can be more stressful than helpful. Although this was the norm 20 years ago, in today’s high-tech, digitally fuelled society it’s quite far from it. Whether it’s through email, Skype meetings or even phone calls, technology has revolutionised the way communication takes place throughout the workplace.

Alongside the more common digital methods of communication we all know, Collaboration Platforms are now becoming a must-have for businesses worldwide. Designed to allow team members and employees to contact each other through a digital application in a quick and simple way, collaboration platforms are soon to become a necessity in the modern workplace.

As a part of the Office 365 package, Microsoft offers a collaboration platform – Microsoft Teams. With the initial release in 2017, approximately 13 million people currently use teams. Designed to provide users with the flexibility to reach other employees easily and quickly through its many functions - erasing the need for traditional methods of communication in the workplace and providing users with quicker answers throughout the business.

 

So, what is Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams is a platform designed solely for more effective, collaborative work. The platform provides cooperative options through its core functions; chat messaging, document sharing and online meetings via phone, video or chat. To make it quick, we have created a break of some of the key features of the platform:

• Microsoft Teams provides an instant messaging chat system with the option to either message individuals or create group chat-style conversations with other employees. Designed for quicker responses and an easier way to contact colleagues without leaving your desk.

• Integrated with current Microsoft packages – document sharing and uploads are also easily achievable on Teams. Using SharePoint, Cloud and Power BI intelligence as integrated features within the platform, Teams allows documents from Word, OneNote, Excel and more to be uploaded and stored easily on the platform. The ability to create designated locations and folders depending on your personal customisation is also available for clean and organised storage for multiple users to access.

• Within Microsoft Teams, is a team The ability to create a segregated group only for specific users to access – for example having a ‘Sales’ team where all members of your sales department can access this section. With the ability to store all relevant information in the group for those members to see and access. Within this, you can also have group conversations, use SharePoint technology to share documents and create different tabs depending on what suits you.

• Microsoft Teams also provides an Activity Feed, the ability to see all recent activity within the platform so you can never miss out on any notifications or updates.

• Video calls and meetings can also be held on Teams via Skype, also implemented with Office 365. Providing quicker solutions for online meetings with the simple integration feature means you don’t need to leave the platform. Calls can be done in group sessions or individual sessions depending upon your desired circumstances.

• Outlook application also has integrated features within the platform. Teams provide a calendar and meeting times are automatically uploaded into your Teams calendar from your Outlook emails, providing an extra place to keep track of upcoming events, meetings or plans so you can never lose track.

 

 

If you are interested in creating a more collaborative work environment, here at Blacklight Software, we can offer you bespoke software and customisable Microsoft solutions for your business. If you are interested in our services or perhaps want some more information on how we can help you, call us on 01924 640350 or email us at sales@blacklightsoftware.com.