Microsoft Teams is the new kid on the block for chat-based workspace. The new tool in Office 365 Business and Enterprise allows users to chat, share files and collaborate together in a proficient manner. Here’s how to use Microsoft Teams. Also see: Microsoft Teams vs Slack | What is Microsoft Teams?
How to use Microsoft Teams: How to get Microsoft Teams
First and foremost you’re going to need to activate Microsoft Teams. Within Office 365 portal head to the admin centre then look for Settings on the left-hand side, then go to Services & add-ins > Microsoft Teams, then toggle the option – see Microsoft’s video for a detailed explanation.
At the time of writing it’s available in beta form in 181 countries and 18 languages. It will be ready for general release in Q1 2017. To use Microsoft Teams you must be a Business or Enterprise Office 365 customers – prices start from £3.10 a month. Therefore, you’ll need to be a Business Essentials, Premium, or Enterprise E1, E3, or E5 customer to use Microsoft Teams.
You can use Microsoft Teams on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Windows Phone.
Important note: Anyone wanting to use the tool, will also have to have one of these editions of Office 365 – as non-business owners cannot use Microsoft Teams. Therefore, if you have a user with Office 365 Home, Personal or Student you won’t be able to work with them in Teams (unless they upgrade of course).
How to use Microsoft Teams: How to create a team in Microsoft Teams
Microsoft has made it simple to create a team – you can do so in a few easy steps: Click on the Teams tab on the left-hand side and click on ‘Create a team’.
From here you will be presented with option on who to invite to the team and a flurry of options to choose from to customise the team. Once created, members that were invited will be sent an invitation to join the team. If it’s the first time using the tool, then you’ll be prompted to create a team for your company. Also see: How to get Word free on Windows 10
How to use Microsoft Teams: How to manage members of a team in Microsoft Teams
Once you’ve got a team, you can press on the three dots by the team’s name and you’ll be presented with several options, a few of them being linked to member and team management.
You can add members, by selecting the option and entering your colleague’s email address. To leave a team, you can select the option and you’ll be prompted to confirm your removal from a team. If you have sufficient administrator powers, you can edit a team – including its members. Finally you can delete the team – but be wary if you delete, it will delete it for everyone inside it too – only owners of a team can do this.
How to use Microsoft Teams: How to add channels and connectors in Microsoft Teams
If you have sufficient administrator rights, you can add a channel. By doing so, your team will be presented with a new channel/option to chat – you can rename the channel and add connectors to it.
Connectors allow you to integrate various apps with Microsoft Teams – with the likes of Twitter, RSS, JIRA and Google Analytics to name just a few out of over 150 partners available to you.
Using these connectors, allows your team to use these plugins to access data or connect with other team members in a better fashion.
How to use Microsoft Teams: How to view your activity and notifications in Microsoft Teams
You can view your Activity and Notifications through the Activity tab – simply click on the Activity tab on the left-hand side to be presented with a list of notifications where you’ll be able to see people who have mentioned you.
By clicking on the notifications or even recent conversations, you’ll be taken directly to the thread where the relevant conversation has taken place. Also see: Best free email software
How to use Microsoft Teams: How to access and edit your files on Microsoft Teams
Clicking on the Files tab on the left-hand side, you will find all the files that have been shared with you – through this tab you can directly view and edit the files.
If you choose to edit your files, you will be able to do so in real-time with multiple different collaborators editing the file you’re in – this is done through the integration of Office 365. Also see: How to use Excel
How to use Microsoft Teams: How to T-Bot in Microsoft Teams
T-Bot is a Microsoft bot designed to answer questions you might have on Microsoft Teams. To find T-Bot head into Chats on the left-hand side of Teams and fire your questions away. You will be presented with natural language replies, but it takes time for it to learn your tendencies.