Microsoft Teams is a valuable collaboration and communication platform; however, it is not always an appropriate channel for official or auditable communications. When using Teams, classified staff should confirm and respect each department’s preferred method of communication, particularly when the communication involves official decisions, approvals, records, or actions that may be subject to retention, auditing, or compliance requirements. Some departments cannot conduct official business through chat, and may require communication to occur via email, service ticket systems, forms, or scheduled meetings instead.
Using the correct communication channel: Protects the institution and employees during audits or reviews; Ensures records are properly retained and retrievable; Respects departmental workflows and compliance obligations; Reduces miscommunication and follow up delays
Microsoft Teams offers many features to help you stay connected, organized, and productive. By customizing channel notifications, creating private channels, sharing files, pinning important resources as tabs, using subject lines, and making announcements, you can make the most of Teams.
On the go? No problem. Teams is mobile friendly. Use Teams on your phone, tablet, laptop or desktop seamlessly. The Teams app allows for quiet time. Set your do not disturb for predefined hours every day or switch it on or off for a quick break. Take it with you or leave it be. Video or regular audio calls are effortless. Simply press “Join” to jump in a meeting, “Meet Now” to start one or call someone without video, all straight from any device. Happy calling!
In Teams, Chat is used for the Quick Tap Your Co-Worker On the Shoulder with a Question style chats (without the tapping or the deep dive into your inbox looking for an answer). You can even name conversations, create group chats and search files saved to conversations. Categorized communication is the way of the wise, and lucky you, you’ve got Teams. Also, what’s life without a little fun, right? Personalize your communication with GIFs, photos etc. so when you say, “Catch my drift?” people act
Your calendar is always available in teams and syncs seamlessly so you never have to toggle back to email
Meetings in Teams makes meeting experiences easier. As soon as you create a 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 those unknown people are that have been invited. After the meeting, the meeting chat, shared files, attendance record and the meeting recording (if recorded) is immediately available in the Chat and on your Calendar item.
How to create and use personal meeting rooms in Teams (similar to Zoom)
With PowerPoint Live in Teams, both the presenter and the meeting attendees can view and move through the slide deck in a variety of ways. The presenter can easily share a slide from anywhere in the deck, and attendees can absorb the content at their own pace (unless the presenter prefers to keep everyone focused on the current slide).
Have you recently been added to a new Team for collaboration? Use this helpful tip to stay updated with the Team conversations!
How to mute notifications during specific meetings and change settings for all meetings and calls
If you want to make sure people know when you’re busy or away from your desk, set your status in Teams. The little dot on your profile indicates if you’re available or not. Teams will automatically set the status in some cases, like when you’re in a call. To explicitly set it yourself, go to your profile at the top of Teams and select one from the list.
Teams has a new feature that you can use to communicate your location with your co-workers. This can be exceptionally helpful for those working a hybrid schedule both on-campus and off.
This topic contains an overview of the many accessibility features that make sure all users can have the best possible experience.
Wherever you go in Microsoft Teams, the command box is always there at the top of the screen to help you search, take quick actions, or launch apps.
Many users find that using an external keyboard with keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Teams on Windows helps them work more efficiently. For users with mobility or vision disabilities, keyboard shortcuts can be easier than using the touchscreen and are an essential alternative to using a mouse.
Tips for using the Teams application to include pop-out windows, record video clips for messaging, run quick surveys/polls, and how to switch device during meetings
Apps are a great way to find content from your favorite services and share it with others. A few examples include pinning services to the top of a channel, chatting with bots, and sharing and assigning tasks. Whether you're looking to connect Salesforce, DocuSign, or Adobe Acrobat, our extensive app selection likely offers a new way to access the services you already use every day. Here are a couple examples of recommended apps.