What Is Microsoft Teams?

Teams is Microsoft’s ‘one-stop-shop’ for the communication and collaboration needs of your organisation. Designed as a unified communications (UC) platform, it efficiently combines your workplace chat, video meetings, file storage and application integration.

Back in September 2017, Microsoft announced that Teams would build on the capabilities of Skype for Business. With Skype for Business reaching End of Life on 31st July 2021 and with Teams regularly adding features to its already impressive capabilities, making the upgrade to Microsoft Teams has never been more appealing.

There are many reasons why your Not For Profit should harness the power of Microsoft Teams. We’ve taken the time to explain five reasons why you should consider Teams.

1. Access Whenever, Wherever

Flexible and remote working is nothing new for those in the charity sector, but what is new is the rate in which it is becoming the new norm, with as many as 87% of businesses dependent on their employees’ ability to access mobile business apps from their smartphone. Whether you’re working from the office, at home or even your local coffee shop, you’ll need the ability to access your business-critical applications.

The Microsoft Teams mobile app will keep you connected from anywhere. You’ll have the ability to communicate, share and collaborate on files and join conference calls. All from your smartphone. No matter where you are. Helping you stay connected with your team on the go.

2. Organise and Plan Around Your Team

When files, emails and calls are all happening on different platforms and being saved in different places, things can quickly become unmanageable, greatly effecting team members ability to deliver to your service users.

Microsoft Teams can be used as a centralised hub for all project information. Simply create a channel as part of the project kick-off, and your team will have the latest updates, messages, files, calls and tasks in one centralised location.

3. Collaborate In Real Time

Thanks to cloud technology, the days of sending document edits back and forth over email are gone. Microsoft Teams provides your business with the opportunity to share your documents and collaborate live with colleagues, seeing the changes in real time as you work together.

With charity workers often working together in the office or in the field and across the world, this level of collaboration can drive true transformation in productivity and efficiency.

4. Information Recall – On Demand

Charity teams and volunteers often find themselves needing specific information to hand in remote locations, often at short notice to support service users.

Teams allows you to not only store all your data in a concise and logical way, but also allows you to search for specific items with ease. No more scrolling through email chains to find a conversation you had 7 weeks ago!

5. Maximise Your O365 Licenses

Microsoft Teams is included in all O365 licenses on the not for profit tier – even the donated ones! So, no matter if the license for your organisation is E1, E3, E5 or a combination of all three, you can use teams to transform how you work.

Our Kickstart package is the perfect way to ensure you are making the most of the productivity tools available to you in O365, and you can contact our team today to hear how this can work for you.

All sounds great, doesn’t it? You can learn more and see a live Teams demo from our Modern Workplace experts in our webinar on the 26^th March! Register your place today.