In this era of technological advancements and transformational shifts in the world of work it has become more common to work outside the office and see your colleagues (almost exclusively) on the screen. At least this is the case in our team! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We may have our own schedule or live in different time zones, which means that sometimes we won\u2019t have our computers ready for a quick call or reply. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
PC, tablet and mobile app<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nOne of the best practices here is to, in addition to your PC app, install Microsoft Teams on your mobile device and\/or a tablet. This way you will always know what your Team is discussing even if you\u2019re on the go. And if you do not want to be disturbed at certain time, just configure your notifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/techcommunity.microsoft.com\/t5\/image\/serverpage\/image-id\/35219i7CB5EE1A3229466B\/image-size\/large?v=1.0&px=999\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nAdd another device to the call<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut here\u2019s the coolest feature for you. You can join a meeting both from your computer and another device – a phone or a tablet. This means you don\u2019t have to leave the meeting in case you need to leave your office. Just transfer the call to your mobile device and stay connected with your team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/support.content.office.net\/en-us\/media\/4ca8f216-cc12-41b3-af9d-156be90164af.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nYou can also stay in the call from several devices at the same time: say, if your computer camera\u2019s failing, or you have issues with the mic on one of the devices. Awesome, isn\u2019t it? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n2. Have productive conversations <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThroughout the day you may find yourself talking to many different people both within and outside your team. It\u2019s important to keep these conversations productive by following certain rules: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nPrivate chat vs. posts in channels<\/em>\u202f <\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"To](\"https:\/\/support.content.office.net\/en-us\/media\/abbac25b-1188-43b3-a70e-4364d3f1fb37.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nUse\u00a0private chat only\u00a0when the matter you\u2019re discussing\u00a0with another person doesn\u2019t concern other individuals in your team. In all other cases stick to conversations in channels, so that everyone could track your team\u2019s activities\u00a0and progress, share insights, and give feedback, even if only you two are working on a project.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn more about when to use chat vs. channel conversations in this blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n@mention<\/em>s <\/h3>\n\n\n\nDon\u2019t forget to @mention the right individuals or groups of people in your posts, otherwise you risk not being heard at all. When you tag people in a message, they\u2019ll receive the notification and will see your post in Activity tab. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Microsoft](\"https:\/\/support.content.office.net\/en-us\/media\/5bd0eed7-3f22-43d5-8d4d-bf622ab22c4a.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nYou can set a tag for a specific group of people, for example your new hires – @growthteam, and mention them in the relevant posts, just like we do here at SalesTim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nUrgent messages<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"Microsoft](\"https:\/\/nboldapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/image.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nIf you need to get an instant reply from your colleague, you can set delivery options and mark your message as important or urgent. The latter means the receiver will get notifications of your message every 2 minutes for 20 minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just don\u2019t overuse it\ud83d\ude0a <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nAnnouncements<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nMake important messages stand out by creating announcements. You can add a background image or a color you like to highlight your announcement. This way you\u2019ll make sure your message won\u2019t get lost among other posts in the channel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Microsoft](\"https:\/\/nboldapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/image-1.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nShare emails<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nDid you know that you can also send emails to your team\u2019s channel? Unless, of course, this option is disabled by your IT department. If you wish to discuss with your team an external email before sending an official reply, share it in the right channel and get insights from your peers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Microsoft](\"https:\/\/techcommunity.microsoft.com\/t5\/image\/serverpage\/image-id\/13189i82AC6F2187E0C8BC\/image-size\/large?v=1.0&px=999\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nFind out your channel email by clicking on more options<\/em> \u2026 and then Get email address<\/em>. You can use to share documents, communication with partners and customer and other purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nReply to conversations<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nWhenever your colleague posts a message in a channel, use the reply button to comment instead of starting a new conversation. Same way, update the existing posts with new comments in order to track team\u2019s activities, even if it was an old message regarding the same topic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n3. Create channels for working on specific projects <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nHaving worked with a great deal of customers, we couldn\u2019t help but notice that many organizations don\u2019t take the full advantage of channels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s be honest, chances are you and your team deal with more than 3-4 topics in their work. And there\u2019s no need to create yet another team to discuss a new topic if it involves the same people. Try adding a new channel instead and add those members of your existing team that you need for this particular project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At\u00a0nBold\u00a0we have 21(!) channels,\u00a0which lets us keep our conversations well-organized and easily tracible. Besides the obvious channels such as\u00a0Marketing, Sales, Product\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Customer Support<\/em>, we also have the ones\u00a0like Microsoft, Station F,\u00a0Website<\/em>\u00a0and others.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Project](\"https:\/\/nboldapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Group-420.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nIf you work in project management, your team can create such channels as Planning, Steering Committee, Budget, Contractors<\/em>, and many others. Explore all the activities you deal with, and keep discussions in your team organized. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019re not sure about which channel suits better the topic of the post that you wish to publish, use the\u00a0General channel<\/em>.\u00a0Your team can use it as a space for\u00a0mixed discussions that don\u2019t fit other channels.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nLearn more about best practices<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n4. Take advantage of virtual meetings <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nMany of us have multiple virtual meetings per day, be that with our customers, potential clients, partners, colleagues, or recruiters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Microsoft Teams has quite a few perks that make it stand out among other apps offering a fun and engaging user experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nSchedule a meeting <\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019re not sure when your teammates are available for a call, Scheduling Assistant can help you choose the time slot by showing when your required attendees will be available. Pick who you want to schedule a call with and see what time suits everyone best! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Microsoft](\"https:\/\/support.content.office.net\/en-us\/media\/b5dae0de-c758-456e-8938-62e0927804f9.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nYou can also invite guest users to the meeting by adding their email address. They will receive an invitation and will be able to join the call through the link. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nEnable background image<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nWe at\u00a0nBold\u00a0absolutely love this feature! You can have some group\u00a0fun and choose the same background image for all the participants of the call, imagining that you\u00a0are\u00a0all\u00a0working together at the beach in\u00a0San Diego\ud83d\ude0a\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moreover, you can customize<\/a> your background image to make the experience more personalized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Microsoft](\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/microsoft-365\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/06\/Custom-backgrounds-in-Microsoft-Teams-1.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAll jokes aside, we all might find ourselves in a situation where we\u2019re not very comfortable with our background and want to leave a good impression during the call \u2013 especially when talking with clients and partners. Enabling background image is truly one of the best practices of Microsoft Teams usage as it will take your stress off choosing the right spot to have your call. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nMute when needed<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nThis one might seem obvious, but sometimes we forget to use the mute feature when we are having a call in a noisy space. In order not to distract other participants, make sure to mute your mic whenever you\u2019re not presenting or actively participating in a discussion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n Record meetings and share transcripts<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nWe all have busy schedules and sometimes need to be at two places at the same time. Luckily, with Microsoft Teams you don\u2019t need to lose out on important meetings if you have somewhere else to be at that moment. With permission from the call participants, you can record the meeting and then share it with your team in case someone wasn\u2019t able to attend, or just need to review some key points of the conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/support.content.office.net\/en-us\/media\/343f409d-c928-4f78-8056-d6e95b06d663.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAdditionally, Teams allows you\u00a0to get transcription of the recording if this feature is enabled by your admin.\u00a0This can save you and your team lots of time\u00a0and improve collaboration.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here<\/a> are the instructions on how to record a meeting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nTake notes with Whiteboard<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nBrainstorming sessions can get quite intense sometimes: ideas are flowing as waves one after another, and one just has to be a Sheldon Cooper to remember and keep track of all of them in a virtual meeting. To make this easier on everyone, you can use Whiteboard during your brainstorming session, where each member of your team will be able to add notes in then modify them together at the same time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/techcommunity.microsoft.com\/t5\/image\/serverpage\/image-id\/100339i563D2C41B99F2000?v=1.0\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nYou don\u2019t need to assign one person to do the job of the whole team anymore \u2013 everyone can equally participate and make their contribution. Share the notes in the right channel later one and assign the tasks accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n5. Organize yourself and your team with Planner <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nFinding it difficult to organize yourself, set priorities and coordinate the activities with your colleagues? One of the best practices to better organize yourself and your team in Microsoft Teams is to use Planner. It will help you be more productive, and will send you notifications if certain tasks are due soon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can create tasks templates for all the possible assignments that you and your team might have. Set different categories, create buckets with stages of task progress and include required deliverables. You and your colleagues will only need to copy these templates and then add their tasks, attach links and files to them, assign them to the right people and set priority and due date. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Find out more about Planner in our blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nboldapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Planner-WP-1-1024x727.png\")
<\/figure>\nCreate teams with an already pre-built set of tasks <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Download our Free Guide and learn how to build teams with pre-build Planner task boards via Collaboration Templates in Microsoft Teams<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tGet the Guide! <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n6. Add apps as tabs <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nIf you and your team constantly work on the same document, say your Marketing Plan spreadsheet, the best practice will be to add it as a tab in the relevant channel (Marketing, in this case) to ensure quick and easy access. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same goes for other apps that your team uses on regular basis \u2013 that could be Planner<\/em>, Yammer<\/em>, Polly<\/em> and even YouTube<\/em>, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\nDiscuss with your team what tabs you\u2019d like to have in common channel and organize your work environment accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/microsoftteams\/platform\/assets\/images\/tab_gallery.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n7. Invite guest users <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nSome organizations constantly work with external stakeholders in their projects \u2013 be that partners, suppliers, contractors and others. Microsoft Teams allows you to invite guest users, which means they will have access to all the content and conversations available in the team they\u2019re invited to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/support.content.office.net\/en-us\/media\/616f1a89-38e1-4d4d-9c95-ba97b552cd96.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nBefore\u00a0granting access to your team to external users, make sure you discuss it with your peers and the IT department. This way you\u2019ll make sure your actions don\u2019t jeopardize company\u2019s sensitive data.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lear more<\/a> about collaborating with people outside your organization with Microsoft Teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n8. Share files <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nOne of the greatest things about Microsoft Teams is that it allows you to store, share and collaborate on documents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nCreate files and folders<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nEach of your channels will have its own space in SharePoint\u00a0drive where you can create folders and files structuring your documentation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our recommendation is to create separate folders for different types of documents that your team is working on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/support.content.office.net\/en-us\/media\/267c80a3-38d7-4fce-b749-6a04c2fabc20.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThen, create a document right in that space or upload it from your computer. If you wish to share the document with your team, just share the link to your peers. This will ensure the same content isn\u2019t duplicated several times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nCollaborate on documents<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nMultiple users can work on the same document at the same time. You can easily track the changes and the see how your colleagues are modifying the document in real time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/microsoft-365\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Collaborate-in-Office-1b.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nUse Metadata<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo help you and your team better organize and structure your files, use metadata<\/a> from SharePoint in Microsoft Teams. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSometimes folders will do the trick, but they only allow you to separate your documents in one way. With metadata you can categorize your files according to different criteria and easily navigate through your documentation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To do so, just create a new tab Website<\/em> in the relevant channel and add the link to your SharePoint Library. And voila! You get easy access to your document library with all its functionalities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Add another device to the call<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nBut here\u2019s the coolest feature for you. You can join a meeting both from your computer and another device – a phone or a tablet. This means you don\u2019t have to leave the meeting in case you need to leave your office. Just transfer the call to your mobile device and stay connected with your team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nYou can also stay in the call from several devices at the same time: say, if your computer camera\u2019s failing, or you have issues with the mic on one of the devices. Awesome, isn\u2019t it? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n2. Have productive conversations <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThroughout the day you may find yourself talking to many different people both within and outside your team. It\u2019s important to keep these conversations productive by following certain rules: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nPrivate chat vs. posts in channels<\/em>\u202f <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nUse\u00a0private chat only\u00a0when the matter you\u2019re discussing\u00a0with another person doesn\u2019t concern other individuals in your team. In all other cases stick to conversations in channels, so that everyone could track your team\u2019s activities\u00a0and progress, share insights, and give feedback, even if only you two are working on a project.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn more about when to use chat vs. channel conversations in this blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n@mention<\/em>s <\/h3>\n\n\n\nDon\u2019t forget to @mention the right individuals or groups of people in your posts, otherwise you risk not being heard at all. When you tag people in a message, they\u2019ll receive the notification and will see your post in Activity tab. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nYou can set a tag for a specific group of people, for example your new hires – @growthteam, and mention them in the relevant posts, just like we do here at SalesTim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nUrgent messages<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nIf you need to get an instant reply from your colleague, you can set delivery options and mark your message as important or urgent. The latter means the receiver will get notifications of your message every 2 minutes for 20 minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just don\u2019t overuse it\ud83d\ude0a <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nAnnouncements<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nMake important messages stand out by creating announcements. You can add a background image or a color you like to highlight your announcement. This way you\u2019ll make sure your message won\u2019t get lost among other posts in the channel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nShare emails<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nDid you know that you can also send emails to your team\u2019s channel? Unless, of course, this option is disabled by your IT department. If you wish to discuss with your team an external email before sending an official reply, share it in the right channel and get insights from your peers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nFind out your channel email by clicking on more options<\/em> \u2026 and then Get email address<\/em>. You can use to share documents, communication with partners and customer and other purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nReply to conversations<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nWhenever your colleague posts a message in a channel, use the reply button to comment instead of starting a new conversation. Same way, update the existing posts with new comments in order to track team\u2019s activities, even if it was an old message regarding the same topic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n3. Create channels for working on specific projects <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nHaving worked with a great deal of customers, we couldn\u2019t help but notice that many organizations don\u2019t take the full advantage of channels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s be honest, chances are you and your team deal with more than 3-4 topics in their work. And there\u2019s no need to create yet another team to discuss a new topic if it involves the same people. Try adding a new channel instead and add those members of your existing team that you need for this particular project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At\u00a0nBold\u00a0we have 21(!) channels,\u00a0which lets us keep our conversations well-organized and easily tracible. Besides the obvious channels such as\u00a0Marketing, Sales, Product\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Customer Support<\/em>, we also have the ones\u00a0like Microsoft, Station F,\u00a0Website<\/em>\u00a0and others.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nIf you work in project management, your team can create such channels as Planning, Steering Committee, Budget, Contractors<\/em>, and many others. Explore all the activities you deal with, and keep discussions in your team organized. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019re not sure about which channel suits better the topic of the post that you wish to publish, use the\u00a0General channel<\/em>.\u00a0Your team can use it as a space for\u00a0mixed discussions that don\u2019t fit other channels.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nLearn more about best practices<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n4. Take advantage of virtual meetings <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nMany of us have multiple virtual meetings per day, be that with our customers, potential clients, partners, colleagues, or recruiters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Microsoft Teams has quite a few perks that make it stand out among other apps offering a fun and engaging user experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nSchedule a meeting <\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019re not sure when your teammates are available for a call, Scheduling Assistant can help you choose the time slot by showing when your required attendees will be available. Pick who you want to schedule a call with and see what time suits everyone best! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nYou can also invite guest users to the meeting by adding their email address. They will receive an invitation and will be able to join the call through the link. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nEnable background image<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nWe at\u00a0nBold\u00a0absolutely love this feature! You can have some group\u00a0fun and choose the same background image for all the participants of the call, imagining that you\u00a0are\u00a0all\u00a0working together at the beach in\u00a0San Diego\ud83d\ude0a\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moreover, you can customize<\/a> your background image to make the experience more personalized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAll jokes aside, we all might find ourselves in a situation where we\u2019re not very comfortable with our background and want to leave a good impression during the call \u2013 especially when talking with clients and partners. Enabling background image is truly one of the best practices of Microsoft Teams usage as it will take your stress off choosing the right spot to have your call. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nMute when needed<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nThis one might seem obvious, but sometimes we forget to use the mute feature when we are having a call in a noisy space. In order not to distract other participants, make sure to mute your mic whenever you\u2019re not presenting or actively participating in a discussion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n Record meetings and share transcripts<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nWe all have busy schedules and sometimes need to be at two places at the same time. Luckily, with Microsoft Teams you don\u2019t need to lose out on important meetings if you have somewhere else to be at that moment. With permission from the call participants, you can record the meeting and then share it with your team in case someone wasn\u2019t able to attend, or just need to review some key points of the conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAdditionally, Teams allows you\u00a0to get transcription of the recording if this feature is enabled by your admin.\u00a0This can save you and your team lots of time\u00a0and improve collaboration.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here<\/a> are the instructions on how to record a meeting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nTake notes with Whiteboard<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nBrainstorming sessions can get quite intense sometimes: ideas are flowing as waves one after another, and one just has to be a Sheldon Cooper to remember and keep track of all of them in a virtual meeting. To make this easier on everyone, you can use Whiteboard during your brainstorming session, where each member of your team will be able to add notes in then modify them together at the same time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nYou don\u2019t need to assign one person to do the job of the whole team anymore \u2013 everyone can equally participate and make their contribution. Share the notes in the right channel later one and assign the tasks accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n5. Organize yourself and your team with Planner <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nFinding it difficult to organize yourself, set priorities and coordinate the activities with your colleagues? One of the best practices to better organize yourself and your team in Microsoft Teams is to use Planner. It will help you be more productive, and will send you notifications if certain tasks are due soon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can create tasks templates for all the possible assignments that you and your team might have. Set different categories, create buckets with stages of task progress and include required deliverables. You and your colleagues will only need to copy these templates and then add their tasks, attach links and files to them, assign them to the right people and set priority and due date. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Find out more about Planner in our blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\nCreate teams with an already pre-built set of tasks <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Download our Free Guide and learn how to build teams with pre-build Planner task boards via Collaboration Templates in Microsoft Teams<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tGet the Guide! <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n6. Add apps as tabs <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nIf you and your team constantly work on the same document, say your Marketing Plan spreadsheet, the best practice will be to add it as a tab in the relevant channel (Marketing, in this case) to ensure quick and easy access. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same goes for other apps that your team uses on regular basis \u2013 that could be Planner<\/em>, Yammer<\/em>, Polly<\/em> and even YouTube<\/em>, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\nDiscuss with your team what tabs you\u2019d like to have in common channel and organize your work environment accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n7. Invite guest users <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nSome organizations constantly work with external stakeholders in their projects \u2013 be that partners, suppliers, contractors and others. Microsoft Teams allows you to invite guest users, which means they will have access to all the content and conversations available in the team they\u2019re invited to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nBefore\u00a0granting access to your team to external users, make sure you discuss it with your peers and the IT department. This way you\u2019ll make sure your actions don\u2019t jeopardize company\u2019s sensitive data.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lear more<\/a> about collaborating with people outside your organization with Microsoft Teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n8. Share files <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nOne of the greatest things about Microsoft Teams is that it allows you to store, share and collaborate on documents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nCreate files and folders<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nEach of your channels will have its own space in SharePoint\u00a0drive where you can create folders and files structuring your documentation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our recommendation is to create separate folders for different types of documents that your team is working on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThen, create a document right in that space or upload it from your computer. If you wish to share the document with your team, just share the link to your peers. This will ensure the same content isn\u2019t duplicated several times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nCollaborate on documents<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nMultiple users can work on the same document at the same time. You can easily track the changes and the see how your colleagues are modifying the document in real time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nUse Metadata<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo help you and your team better organize and structure your files, use metadata<\/a> from SharePoint in Microsoft Teams. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSometimes folders will do the trick, but they only allow you to separate your documents in one way. With metadata you can categorize your files according to different criteria and easily navigate through your documentation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To do so, just create a new tab Website<\/em> in the relevant channel and add the link to your SharePoint Library. And voila! You get easy access to your document library with all its functionalities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nYou can also stay in the call from several devices at the same time: say, if your computer camera\u2019s failing, or you have issues with the mic on one of the devices. Awesome, isn\u2019t it? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Have productive conversations <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThroughout the day you may find yourself talking to many different people both within and outside your team. It\u2019s important to keep these conversations productive by following certain rules: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nPrivate chat vs. posts in channels<\/em>\u202f <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nUse\u00a0private chat only\u00a0when the matter you\u2019re discussing\u00a0with another person doesn\u2019t concern other individuals in your team. In all other cases stick to conversations in channels, so that everyone could track your team\u2019s activities\u00a0and progress, share insights, and give feedback, even if only you two are working on a project.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn more about when to use chat vs. channel conversations in this blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n@mention<\/em>s <\/h3>\n\n\n\nDon\u2019t forget to @mention the right individuals or groups of people in your posts, otherwise you risk not being heard at all. When you tag people in a message, they\u2019ll receive the notification and will see your post in Activity tab. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nYou can set a tag for a specific group of people, for example your new hires – @growthteam, and mention them in the relevant posts, just like we do here at SalesTim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nUrgent messages<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nIf you need to get an instant reply from your colleague, you can set delivery options and mark your message as important or urgent. The latter means the receiver will get notifications of your message every 2 minutes for 20 minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just don\u2019t overuse it\ud83d\ude0a <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nAnnouncements<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nMake important messages stand out by creating announcements. You can add a background image or a color you like to highlight your announcement. This way you\u2019ll make sure your message won\u2019t get lost among other posts in the channel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nShare emails<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nDid you know that you can also send emails to your team\u2019s channel? Unless, of course, this option is disabled by your IT department. If you wish to discuss with your team an external email before sending an official reply, share it in the right channel and get insights from your peers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nFind out your channel email by clicking on more options<\/em> \u2026 and then Get email address<\/em>. You can use to share documents, communication with partners and customer and other purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nReply to conversations<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nWhenever your colleague posts a message in a channel, use the reply button to comment instead of starting a new conversation. Same way, update the existing posts with new comments in order to track team\u2019s activities, even if it was an old message regarding the same topic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n3. Create channels for working on specific projects <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nHaving worked with a great deal of customers, we couldn\u2019t help but notice that many organizations don\u2019t take the full advantage of channels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s be honest, chances are you and your team deal with more than 3-4 topics in their work. And there\u2019s no need to create yet another team to discuss a new topic if it involves the same people. Try adding a new channel instead and add those members of your existing team that you need for this particular project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At\u00a0nBold\u00a0we have 21(!) channels,\u00a0which lets us keep our conversations well-organized and easily tracible. Besides the obvious channels such as\u00a0Marketing, Sales, Product\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Customer Support<\/em>, we also have the ones\u00a0like Microsoft, Station F,\u00a0Website<\/em>\u00a0and others.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nIf you work in project management, your team can create such channels as Planning, Steering Committee, Budget, Contractors<\/em>, and many others. Explore all the activities you deal with, and keep discussions in your team organized. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019re not sure about which channel suits better the topic of the post that you wish to publish, use the\u00a0General channel<\/em>.\u00a0Your team can use it as a space for\u00a0mixed discussions that don\u2019t fit other channels.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nLearn more about best practices<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n4. Take advantage of virtual meetings <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nMany of us have multiple virtual meetings per day, be that with our customers, potential clients, partners, colleagues, or recruiters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Microsoft Teams has quite a few perks that make it stand out among other apps offering a fun and engaging user experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nSchedule a meeting <\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019re not sure when your teammates are available for a call, Scheduling Assistant can help you choose the time slot by showing when your required attendees will be available. Pick who you want to schedule a call with and see what time suits everyone best! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nYou can also invite guest users to the meeting by adding their email address. They will receive an invitation and will be able to join the call through the link. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nEnable background image<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nWe at\u00a0nBold\u00a0absolutely love this feature! You can have some group\u00a0fun and choose the same background image for all the participants of the call, imagining that you\u00a0are\u00a0all\u00a0working together at the beach in\u00a0San Diego\ud83d\ude0a\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moreover, you can customize<\/a> your background image to make the experience more personalized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAll jokes aside, we all might find ourselves in a situation where we\u2019re not very comfortable with our background and want to leave a good impression during the call \u2013 especially when talking with clients and partners. Enabling background image is truly one of the best practices of Microsoft Teams usage as it will take your stress off choosing the right spot to have your call. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nMute when needed<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nThis one might seem obvious, but sometimes we forget to use the mute feature when we are having a call in a noisy space. In order not to distract other participants, make sure to mute your mic whenever you\u2019re not presenting or actively participating in a discussion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n Record meetings and share transcripts<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nWe all have busy schedules and sometimes need to be at two places at the same time. Luckily, with Microsoft Teams you don\u2019t need to lose out on important meetings if you have somewhere else to be at that moment. With permission from the call participants, you can record the meeting and then share it with your team in case someone wasn\u2019t able to attend, or just need to review some key points of the conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAdditionally, Teams allows you\u00a0to get transcription of the recording if this feature is enabled by your admin.\u00a0This can save you and your team lots of time\u00a0and improve collaboration.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here<\/a> are the instructions on how to record a meeting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nTake notes with Whiteboard<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nBrainstorming sessions can get quite intense sometimes: ideas are flowing as waves one after another, and one just has to be a Sheldon Cooper to remember and keep track of all of them in a virtual meeting. To make this easier on everyone, you can use Whiteboard during your brainstorming session, where each member of your team will be able to add notes in then modify them together at the same time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nYou don\u2019t need to assign one person to do the job of the whole team anymore \u2013 everyone can equally participate and make their contribution. Share the notes in the right channel later one and assign the tasks accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n5. Organize yourself and your team with Planner <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nFinding it difficult to organize yourself, set priorities and coordinate the activities with your colleagues? One of the best practices to better organize yourself and your team in Microsoft Teams is to use Planner. It will help you be more productive, and will send you notifications if certain tasks are due soon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can create tasks templates for all the possible assignments that you and your team might have. Set different categories, create buckets with stages of task progress and include required deliverables. You and your colleagues will only need to copy these templates and then add their tasks, attach links and files to them, assign them to the right people and set priority and due date. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Find out more about Planner in our blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\nCreate teams with an already pre-built set of tasks <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Download our Free Guide and learn how to build teams with pre-build Planner task boards via Collaboration Templates in Microsoft Teams<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tGet the Guide! <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n6. Add apps as tabs <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nIf you and your team constantly work on the same document, say your Marketing Plan spreadsheet, the best practice will be to add it as a tab in the relevant channel (Marketing, in this case) to ensure quick and easy access. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same goes for other apps that your team uses on regular basis \u2013 that could be Planner<\/em>, Yammer<\/em>, Polly<\/em> and even YouTube<\/em>, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\nDiscuss with your team what tabs you\u2019d like to have in common channel and organize your work environment accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n7. Invite guest users <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nSome organizations constantly work with external stakeholders in their projects \u2013 be that partners, suppliers, contractors and others. Microsoft Teams allows you to invite guest users, which means they will have access to all the content and conversations available in the team they\u2019re invited to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nBefore\u00a0granting access to your team to external users, make sure you discuss it with your peers and the IT department. This way you\u2019ll make sure your actions don\u2019t jeopardize company\u2019s sensitive data.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lear more<\/a> about collaborating with people outside your organization with Microsoft Teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n8. Share files <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nOne of the greatest things about Microsoft Teams is that it allows you to store, share and collaborate on documents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nCreate files and folders<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nEach of your channels will have its own space in SharePoint\u00a0drive where you can create folders and files structuring your documentation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our recommendation is to create separate folders for different types of documents that your team is working on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThen, create a document right in that space or upload it from your computer. If you wish to share the document with your team, just share the link to your peers. This will ensure the same content isn\u2019t duplicated several times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nCollaborate on documents<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nMultiple users can work on the same document at the same time. You can easily track the changes and the see how your colleagues are modifying the document in real time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nUse Metadata<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo help you and your team better organize and structure your files, use metadata<\/a> from SharePoint in Microsoft Teams. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSometimes folders will do the trick, but they only allow you to separate your documents in one way. With metadata you can categorize your files according to different criteria and easily navigate through your documentation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To do so, just create a new tab Website<\/em> in the relevant channel and add the link to your SharePoint Library. And voila! You get easy access to your document library with all its functionalities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Throughout the day you may find yourself talking to many different people both within and outside your team. It\u2019s important to keep these conversations productive by following certain rules: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Private chat vs. posts in channels<\/em>\u202f <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nUse\u00a0private chat only\u00a0when the matter you\u2019re discussing\u00a0with another person doesn\u2019t concern other individuals in your team. In all other cases stick to conversations in channels, so that everyone could track your team\u2019s activities\u00a0and progress, share insights, and give feedback, even if only you two are working on a project.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn more about when to use chat vs. channel conversations in this blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n@mention<\/em>s <\/h3>\n\n\n\nDon\u2019t forget to @mention the right individuals or groups of people in your posts, otherwise you risk not being heard at all. When you tag people in a message, they\u2019ll receive the notification and will see your post in Activity tab. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nYou can set a tag for a specific group of people, for example your new hires – @growthteam, and mention them in the relevant posts, just like we do here at SalesTim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nUrgent messages<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nIf you need to get an instant reply from your colleague, you can set delivery options and mark your message as important or urgent. The latter means the receiver will get notifications of your message every 2 minutes for 20 minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just don\u2019t overuse it\ud83d\ude0a <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nAnnouncements<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nMake important messages stand out by creating announcements. You can add a background image or a color you like to highlight your announcement. This way you\u2019ll make sure your message won\u2019t get lost among other posts in the channel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nShare emails<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nDid you know that you can also send emails to your team\u2019s channel? Unless, of course, this option is disabled by your IT department. If you wish to discuss with your team an external email before sending an official reply, share it in the right channel and get insights from your peers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nFind out your channel email by clicking on more options<\/em> \u2026 and then Get email address<\/em>. You can use to share documents, communication with partners and customer and other purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nReply to conversations<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nWhenever your colleague posts a message in a channel, use the reply button to comment instead of starting a new conversation. Same way, update the existing posts with new comments in order to track team\u2019s activities, even if it was an old message regarding the same topic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n3. Create channels for working on specific projects <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nHaving worked with a great deal of customers, we couldn\u2019t help but notice that many organizations don\u2019t take the full advantage of channels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s be honest, chances are you and your team deal with more than 3-4 topics in their work. And there\u2019s no need to create yet another team to discuss a new topic if it involves the same people. Try adding a new channel instead and add those members of your existing team that you need for this particular project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At\u00a0nBold\u00a0we have 21(!) channels,\u00a0which lets us keep our conversations well-organized and easily tracible. Besides the obvious channels such as\u00a0Marketing, Sales, Product\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Customer Support<\/em>, we also have the ones\u00a0like Microsoft, Station F,\u00a0Website<\/em>\u00a0and others.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nIf you work in project management, your team can create such channels as Planning, Steering Committee, Budget, Contractors<\/em>, and many others. Explore all the activities you deal with, and keep discussions in your team organized. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019re not sure about which channel suits better the topic of the post that you wish to publish, use the\u00a0General channel<\/em>.\u00a0Your team can use it as a space for\u00a0mixed discussions that don\u2019t fit other channels.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nLearn more about best practices<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n4. Take advantage of virtual meetings <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nMany of us have multiple virtual meetings per day, be that with our customers, potential clients, partners, colleagues, or recruiters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Microsoft Teams has quite a few perks that make it stand out among other apps offering a fun and engaging user experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nSchedule a meeting <\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019re not sure when your teammates are available for a call, Scheduling Assistant can help you choose the time slot by showing when your required attendees will be available. Pick who you want to schedule a call with and see what time suits everyone best! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nYou can also invite guest users to the meeting by adding their email address. They will receive an invitation and will be able to join the call through the link. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nEnable background image<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nWe at\u00a0nBold\u00a0absolutely love this feature! You can have some group\u00a0fun and choose the same background image for all the participants of the call, imagining that you\u00a0are\u00a0all\u00a0working together at the beach in\u00a0San Diego\ud83d\ude0a\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moreover, you can customize<\/a> your background image to make the experience more personalized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAll jokes aside, we all might find ourselves in a situation where we\u2019re not very comfortable with our background and want to leave a good impression during the call \u2013 especially when talking with clients and partners. Enabling background image is truly one of the best practices of Microsoft Teams usage as it will take your stress off choosing the right spot to have your call. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nMute when needed<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nThis one might seem obvious, but sometimes we forget to use the mute feature when we are having a call in a noisy space. In order not to distract other participants, make sure to mute your mic whenever you\u2019re not presenting or actively participating in a discussion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n Record meetings and share transcripts<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nWe all have busy schedules and sometimes need to be at two places at the same time. Luckily, with Microsoft Teams you don\u2019t need to lose out on important meetings if you have somewhere else to be at that moment. With permission from the call participants, you can record the meeting and then share it with your team in case someone wasn\u2019t able to attend, or just need to review some key points of the conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAdditionally, Teams allows you\u00a0to get transcription of the recording if this feature is enabled by your admin.\u00a0This can save you and your team lots of time\u00a0and improve collaboration.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here<\/a> are the instructions on how to record a meeting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nTake notes with Whiteboard<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nBrainstorming sessions can get quite intense sometimes: ideas are flowing as waves one after another, and one just has to be a Sheldon Cooper to remember and keep track of all of them in a virtual meeting. To make this easier on everyone, you can use Whiteboard during your brainstorming session, where each member of your team will be able to add notes in then modify them together at the same time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nYou don\u2019t need to assign one person to do the job of the whole team anymore \u2013 everyone can equally participate and make their contribution. Share the notes in the right channel later one and assign the tasks accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n5. Organize yourself and your team with Planner <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nFinding it difficult to organize yourself, set priorities and coordinate the activities with your colleagues? One of the best practices to better organize yourself and your team in Microsoft Teams is to use Planner. It will help you be more productive, and will send you notifications if certain tasks are due soon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can create tasks templates for all the possible assignments that you and your team might have. Set different categories, create buckets with stages of task progress and include required deliverables. You and your colleagues will only need to copy these templates and then add their tasks, attach links and files to them, assign them to the right people and set priority and due date. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Find out more about Planner in our blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\nCreate teams with an already pre-built set of tasks <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Download our Free Guide and learn how to build teams with pre-build Planner task boards via Collaboration Templates in Microsoft Teams<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tGet the Guide! <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n6. Add apps as tabs <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nIf you and your team constantly work on the same document, say your Marketing Plan spreadsheet, the best practice will be to add it as a tab in the relevant channel (Marketing, in this case) to ensure quick and easy access. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same goes for other apps that your team uses on regular basis \u2013 that could be Planner<\/em>, Yammer<\/em>, Polly<\/em> and even YouTube<\/em>, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\nDiscuss with your team what tabs you\u2019d like to have in common channel and organize your work environment accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n7. Invite guest users <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nSome organizations constantly work with external stakeholders in their projects \u2013 be that partners, suppliers, contractors and others. Microsoft Teams allows you to invite guest users, which means they will have access to all the content and conversations available in the team they\u2019re invited to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nBefore\u00a0granting access to your team to external users, make sure you discuss it with your peers and the IT department. This way you\u2019ll make sure your actions don\u2019t jeopardize company\u2019s sensitive data.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lear more<\/a> about collaborating with people outside your organization with Microsoft Teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n8. Share files <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nOne of the greatest things about Microsoft Teams is that it allows you to store, share and collaborate on documents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nCreate files and folders<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nEach of your channels will have its own space in SharePoint\u00a0drive where you can create folders and files structuring your documentation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our recommendation is to create separate folders for different types of documents that your team is working on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThen, create a document right in that space or upload it from your computer. If you wish to share the document with your team, just share the link to your peers. This will ensure the same content isn\u2019t duplicated several times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nCollaborate on documents<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nMultiple users can work on the same document at the same time. You can easily track the changes and the see how your colleagues are modifying the document in real time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nUse Metadata<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo help you and your team better organize and structure your files, use metadata<\/a> from SharePoint in Microsoft Teams. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSometimes folders will do the trick, but they only allow you to separate your documents in one way. With metadata you can categorize your files according to different criteria and easily navigate through your documentation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To do so, just create a new tab Website<\/em> in the relevant channel and add the link to your SharePoint Library. And voila! You get easy access to your document library with all its functionalities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nUse\u00a0private chat only\u00a0when the matter you\u2019re discussing\u00a0with another person doesn\u2019t concern other individuals in your team. In all other cases stick to conversations in channels, so that everyone could track your team\u2019s activities\u00a0and progress, share insights, and give feedback, even if only you two are working on a project.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn more about when to use chat vs. channel conversations in this blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t forget to @mention the right individuals or groups of people in your posts, otherwise you risk not being heard at all. When you tag people in a message, they\u2019ll receive the notification and will see your post in Activity tab. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can set a tag for a specific group of people, for example your new hires – @growthteam, and mention them in the relevant posts, just like we do here at SalesTim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you need to get an instant reply from your colleague, you can set delivery options and mark your message as important or urgent. The latter means the receiver will get notifications of your message every 2 minutes for 20 minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Just don\u2019t overuse it\ud83d\ude0a <\/p>\n\n\n\n Make important messages stand out by creating announcements. You can add a background image or a color you like to highlight your announcement. This way you\u2019ll make sure your message won\u2019t get lost among other posts in the channel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Did you know that you can also send emails to your team\u2019s channel? Unless, of course, this option is disabled by your IT department. If you wish to discuss with your team an external email before sending an official reply, share it in the right channel and get insights from your peers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Find out your channel email by clicking on more options<\/em> \u2026 and then Get email address<\/em>. You can use to share documents, communication with partners and customer and other purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whenever your colleague posts a message in a channel, use the reply button to comment instead of starting a new conversation. Same way, update the existing posts with new comments in order to track team\u2019s activities, even if it was an old message regarding the same topic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Having worked with a great deal of customers, we couldn\u2019t help but notice that many organizations don\u2019t take the full advantage of channels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s be honest, chances are you and your team deal with more than 3-4 topics in their work. And there\u2019s no need to create yet another team to discuss a new topic if it involves the same people. Try adding a new channel instead and add those members of your existing team that you need for this particular project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At\u00a0nBold\u00a0we have 21(!) channels,\u00a0which lets us keep our conversations well-organized and easily tracible. Besides the obvious channels such as\u00a0Marketing, Sales, Product\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Customer Support<\/em>, we also have the ones\u00a0like Microsoft, Station F,\u00a0Website<\/em>\u00a0and others.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you work in project management, your team can create such channels as Planning, Steering Committee, Budget, Contractors<\/em>, and many others. Explore all the activities you deal with, and keep discussions in your team organized. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re not sure about which channel suits better the topic of the post that you wish to publish, use the\u00a0General channel<\/em>.\u00a0Your team can use it as a space for\u00a0mixed discussions that don\u2019t fit other channels.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more about best practices<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of us have multiple virtual meetings per day, be that with our customers, potential clients, partners, colleagues, or recruiters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Microsoft Teams has quite a few perks that make it stand out among other apps offering a fun and engaging user experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re not sure when your teammates are available for a call, Scheduling Assistant can help you choose the time slot by showing when your required attendees will be available. Pick who you want to schedule a call with and see what time suits everyone best! <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also invite guest users to the meeting by adding their email address. They will receive an invitation and will be able to join the call through the link. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We at\u00a0nBold\u00a0absolutely love this feature! You can have some group\u00a0fun and choose the same background image for all the participants of the call, imagining that you\u00a0are\u00a0all\u00a0working together at the beach in\u00a0San Diego\ud83d\ude0a\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, you can customize<\/a> your background image to make the experience more personalized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All jokes aside, we all might find ourselves in a situation where we\u2019re not very comfortable with our background and want to leave a good impression during the call \u2013 especially when talking with clients and partners. Enabling background image is truly one of the best practices of Microsoft Teams usage as it will take your stress off choosing the right spot to have your call. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This one might seem obvious, but sometimes we forget to use the mute feature when we are having a call in a noisy space. In order not to distract other participants, make sure to mute your mic whenever you\u2019re not presenting or actively participating in a discussion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We all have busy schedules and sometimes need to be at two places at the same time. Luckily, with Microsoft Teams you don\u2019t need to lose out on important meetings if you have somewhere else to be at that moment. With permission from the call participants, you can record the meeting and then share it with your team in case someone wasn\u2019t able to attend, or just need to review some key points of the conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, Teams allows you\u00a0to get transcription of the recording if this feature is enabled by your admin.\u00a0This can save you and your team lots of time\u00a0and improve collaboration.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here<\/a> are the instructions on how to record a meeting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Brainstorming sessions can get quite intense sometimes: ideas are flowing as waves one after another, and one just has to be a Sheldon Cooper to remember and keep track of all of them in a virtual meeting. To make this easier on everyone, you can use Whiteboard during your brainstorming session, where each member of your team will be able to add notes in then modify them together at the same time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t need to assign one person to do the job of the whole team anymore \u2013 everyone can equally participate and make their contribution. Share the notes in the right channel later one and assign the tasks accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Finding it difficult to organize yourself, set priorities and coordinate the activities with your colleagues? One of the best practices to better organize yourself and your team in Microsoft Teams is to use Planner. It will help you be more productive, and will send you notifications if certain tasks are due soon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can create tasks templates for all the possible assignments that you and your team might have. Set different categories, create buckets with stages of task progress and include required deliverables. You and your colleagues will only need to copy these templates and then add their tasks, attach links and files to them, assign them to the right people and set priority and due date. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Find out more about Planner in our blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Download our Free Guide and learn how to build teams with pre-build Planner task boards via Collaboration Templates in Microsoft Teams<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n If you and your team constantly work on the same document, say your Marketing Plan spreadsheet, the best practice will be to add it as a tab in the relevant channel (Marketing, in this case) to ensure quick and easy access. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The same goes for other apps that your team uses on regular basis \u2013 that could be Planner<\/em>, Yammer<\/em>, Polly<\/em> and even YouTube<\/em>, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Discuss with your team what tabs you\u2019d like to have in common channel and organize your work environment accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some organizations constantly work with external stakeholders in their projects \u2013 be that partners, suppliers, contractors and others. Microsoft Teams allows you to invite guest users, which means they will have access to all the content and conversations available in the team they\u2019re invited to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Before\u00a0granting access to your team to external users, make sure you discuss it with your peers and the IT department. This way you\u2019ll make sure your actions don\u2019t jeopardize company\u2019s sensitive data.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lear more<\/a> about collaborating with people outside your organization with Microsoft Teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the greatest things about Microsoft Teams is that it allows you to store, share and collaborate on documents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Each of your channels will have its own space in SharePoint\u00a0drive where you can create folders and files structuring your documentation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our recommendation is to create separate folders for different types of documents that your team is working on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, create a document right in that space or upload it from your computer. If you wish to share the document with your team, just share the link to your peers. This will ensure the same content isn\u2019t duplicated several times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Multiple users can work on the same document at the same time. You can easily track the changes and the see how your colleagues are modifying the document in real time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To help you and your team better organize and structure your files, use metadata<\/a> from SharePoint in Microsoft Teams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes folders will do the trick, but they only allow you to separate your documents in one way. With metadata you can categorize your files according to different criteria and easily navigate through your documentation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To do so, just create a new tab Website<\/em> in the relevant channel and add the link to your SharePoint Library. And voila! You get easy access to your document library with all its functionalities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n@mention<\/em>s <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nUrgent messages<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAnnouncements<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nShare emails<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Reply to conversations<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Create channels for working on specific projects <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n4. Take advantage of virtual meetings <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Schedule a meeting <\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nEnable background image<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMute when needed<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Record meetings and share transcripts<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nTake notes with Whiteboard<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
5. Organize yourself and your team with Planner <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>Create teams with an already pre-built set of tasks <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
6. Add apps as tabs <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n7. Invite guest users <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n8. Share files <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Create files and folders<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nCollaborate on documents<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nUse Metadata<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n