The One Mistake Everyone is Making with Microsoft Teams

Today, I want to write about a common mistake I’ve noticed people making when using Microsoft Teams. So that is why the title is The One Mistake Everyone is Making with Microsoft Teams

Introduction to Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a platform that combines workplace chat, meetings, notes, and attachments. It’s integrated with Office 365 and is intended to be a hub for teamwork, where all the tools your team needs to work together are available in one place. It’s designed to significantly improve communication and collaboration within organizations.

The Group Chat Pitfall

One thing I’ve observed is that many people start collaborating using a chat or a group chat. Some companies even use group chat as their primary communication tool. However, I would strongly advise against using group chats for projects. Why? Because all your documents shared during your group chat are stored in one person’s OneDrive. If that person leaves the company, your documents would be gone.

Instead, I recommend using channels and teams. This way, you have full control over your documents, people can start new conversations, and it’s threaded, making it much more organized and efficient.

Underutilizing Integrations

Another common mistake is not fully leveraging the integration capabilities of the platform. Teams is designed to be a central hub for collaboration, integrating with various Microsoft and third-party applications. However, users frequently underutilize these integrations, leading to fragmented workflows and reduced productivity. It’s crucial for users to explore and utilize these integrations to streamline their processes and enhance collaboration within teams.

Status Misunderstandings

Many people are not aware of using the status feature in Teams. They are red, green, orange, and they just forget what this means. So, it’s important to make agreements on the status within your organization. For example, ‘Available’ means I’m always available, you can just send me a message and I will react directly. ‘Busy’ means I’m busy, so if it can wait, you always need to ask the question, “Do you have time now or should I come back to you later with this chat?” ‘Do Not Disturb’ is self-explanatory, and ‘Be Right Back’ or ‘Away’ is also clear.

Document Sharing

Another point to consider is how you share your documents. You can share your documents via OneDrive, but you can also share your documents within SharePoint. Be aware of this.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Microsoft Teams is a powerful tool that can greatly enhance productivity and collaboration within your organization. However, it’s important to use it correctly to fully leverage its capabilities. Avoid the common pitfalls of using group chats for projects, underutilizing integrations, misunderstanding status meanings, and not being aware of document sharing options.

I’m really curious about what you think is the biggest mistake people make with Microsoft Teams. Below the video where I show you some details.