How Microsoft Teams is Dominating Business Communication

The pandemic accelerated the adoption of remote work and virtual communication, leading to an increased demand for video conferencing solutions. Previously, Zoom, Google Meet, Slack, were waging a war for the top platform for online meetings.  However, as of today, Microsoft Teams surpasses all of them to claim the top spot, while Google Meet maintains its position as second.

Four years after its initial release, Microsoft Teams continues to grow as one of the top collaboration and productivity tools available for businesses and organizations of all sizes. The usage has spiked over the past year, with users continuing to flock to Teams services when it comes to an all-in-one solution. Read the article below to know how Microsoft Teams emerged as a clear winner in today’s digital age.

Features that make Teams a winner

Teams was created to embrace all the wonderful things about the digital revolution and make it easier than ever for groups of people to collaborate on tasks. Its features appeal to users who have grown up with social networking and smart technology. Likewise, it has plenty of sensible tools to help the rest of us keep up.

For businesses already subscribed to Microsoft 365 Business, Teams is a free add-on, instead of a separate bill. Microsoft has also received heat for aggressively pushing Teams to all users, even non-365 subscribers.

Easy to use

Teams is designed with a simple and intuitive user interface, making it easy to learn and use – so that employees can concentrate on performing their jobs more effectively. The goal of Teams is to make work faster, smarter, and better together.

It’s more than just a chat

Teams is an all-in-one tool that combines video conferencing and team chat with other productivity features. The platform is integrated with Office 365, giving users easy access to Office productivity apps such as Excel and Word, as well as cloud storage. It also syncs well with solutions like SharePoint, Power BI, and Delve. Other apps, on the other hand, lack this integration and extension, as they focus solely on video meetings and conference calls.

Moreover, in Teams all edits, comments and updates happen in real time, so there’s no more searching for notes or trying to find out who last had access to that all-important document. Users can easily see conversations and workflows they’ve been tagged in, along with color-coded highlights to show the importance of each task.

Additionally, GIFS, “likes” and emojis are also used to add emphasis and little fun.

Before, during and after meetings

Meetings in Teams make conversations so much easier. As soon as you create the meeting, you can start chatting with the participants about the agenda, share the files that you need them to review, and keep track of the meeting notes and to-dos. You can even check who are those unknown people who have been invited.

Moreover, the ‘call recording’ option is available in the same tab, which allows you to record the entire meeting without any disturbance. So, if you missed the meeting, you don’t need to hunt for details.  The call recording is right there, with the meeting notes and agreed actions.

Stay connected anytime, anywhere

Microsoft lets you stay connected, be reachable, and have access to all your resources. With the Teams phone app, you have immediate access to all your files and documents. You can easily respond to chats and conversations, join meetings with one click, and continue to collaborate. So, even while on the move, you are kept connected and completely in the loop.

Integrated security

Teams comes with the enterprise-grade security integrated with the Microsoft Purview and Microsoft Azure Active Directory. It safeguards and manages sensitive data across, to support privacy operations across your organization’s data landscape. 

New developments

Recently, one of the most exciting developments in Microsoft Teams has been supporting the metaverse with Microsoft Mesh, which empowers developers and business leaders alike to unify their teams with avatars, co-presence, and rich virtual environments. It has also introduced the Microsoft Teams Premium option with a host of features to enhance user experience. 

Likewise, many exciting developments are just on the horizon. Having built a product that is now a staple in our everyday lives, the Microsoft Teams product group continues to innovate. Using the lessons from the past years, the team strives to improve its user experience. The aim is to make every meeting/chat more intelligent, engaging, and protected.

Key learning for CTOs and other business leaders

In a changing world, success is merely a by-product of a culture that promotes continuous learning. So, while the world is making a tech shift, leaders should initiate a move in the usual business-model. As Satya Nadella says, “Our industry does not respect tradition. What it respects is innovation. The view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life.” 

In the end, everyone wants to feel accomplished and successful, and the best way to do that is by developing a growth and learning mindset.

A growth mindset fosters curiosity, invites new ideas, and paves the way for innovation. This mindset isn’t just something to motivate employees; once implemented, it reflects in product decisions and a company’s internal practices. By default, it creates an environment that promotes continuous learning. And as much as it is about embarking on change, it is also about learning from mistakes.

In brief

Microsoft Teams has clearly overtaken other platforms as the market leader in terms of the sheer number of active users and is rapidly becoming the collaboration platform of choice among enterprises.