I recently learned that Microsoft is replacing Skype for Business with an application called Teams. This was big news to me. I have used Skype for Business (aka Lync) for half a decade now, and it’s been a tremendous tool. But I think we all know Microsoft is trying hard to compete with Slack. My initial reaction was frustration, because Microsoft is replacing a popular and productive tool with a busy-looking application, and who likes change, anyway? So, what am I going to do? Complain and fight it? Take my ball home and cry? Nope! As an IT professional with 90% of his clients using Microsoft, it’s my job to learn it. So I started testing. Here are some of my take-aways, and the more valuable features of Microsoft Teams.
Collaboration, Collaboration, Collaboration!
Microsoft Teams is designed for swift and thorough collaboration, making it an excellent tool for completing projects with tight deadlines or other tasks where employees need immediate feedback. Who has time to sit on conference calls and share screens back and forth? Teams eliminates those calls and turns collaboration into a 24/7 occasion. This is incredibly helpful, especially when working after hours. Users no longer need to worry about “saving over an edit” or “having the proper draft,” which often adds to the many frustrations of a collaborative process.
Mobility, Mobility, Mobility!
Just as I touched on in the last point, Microsoft Teams is designed for 24/7 access to projects where users are collaborating. Microsoft has a Teams apps for all devices (iOS, Windows, Android OS) which makes editing accessible from anywhere. Having this access will allow users to become extremely efficient and productive. The need for scrambling to find an email with the attached doc is over.
Skype for Biz Clone
Don’t worry about losing any of your favorite features of Skype for Business because Teams kept all of them. Instant message, audio conferencing, and meetings didn’t go anywhere. Teams just added to those elements with new features, including Cloud Recording and Automatic Transcripts, Background Blur Option for Video Calls, and Message Language Translation.
So, there you have it! I’m actually excited about the transition and do think Teams will change the way people (and businesses) think and operate.