You can digitize every workstation with this tool

The corona crisis is forcing many companies to relocate their workstations: from the office to the home office. Not every company is able to react as flexibly as is necessary, because the technical requirements are often not in place. This is one reason why so many people right now are interested in modern workplaces. What does a modern workplace actually look like though? How does it need to be designed and what technologies are needed for this? Our tip: keep it as simple as possible—so the best thing is to use the Microsoft Teams collaboration platform.

A central element of the modern workplace is collaboration. But exactly what does collaboration mean? This is where you communicate verbally or in writing with colleagues, customers and suppliers. You usually need a telephone system for this, and maybe Skype for internal communication. You also need Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Excel to edit files. Any written correspondence along the value chain is then usually done by email. The bottom line is that this on its own makes 5 applications that you need for day-to-day communication.

This number can be significantly reduced with Microsoft Teams, because the different applications and functions are brought together under a single interface. Starting with basic functions such as chat and phone, through joint creation, editing and publication of individual documents. Applications such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Microsoft OneNote or Microsoft SharePoint Online are all directly integrated into Teams for this. This integration capability is not limited just to Microsoft technologies, though. Microsoft’s Marketplace means that around 200 different third-party solutions are now available as add-ins. These range from Polly to Github.

However, collaboration does not only take place within a company, but along the entire value chain. That is why efficient communication is also important across companies. Microsoft Teams lets you quickly and easily add suppliers and customers as guest users.

Microsoft Teams supports operating systems such as MacOS, Windows, iOS and Android, making it ideal for cross-platform and mobile work. This allows employees to be involved in collaboration and work processes in a wide variety of situations—including home workers, first-line workers, or shift workers from logistics or production. The areas of application range from chat and telephone to data exchange—including photos of incidents in logistics or jointly processed production plans—right up to shift planning using Microsoft Shifts.

IT administrators can use Microsoft Teams to reduce the number of applications and processes that exist alongside the official IT infrastructure. Such processes are also known as shadow IT. A good example of a shadow process is using WhatsApp to coordinate shift schedules. A lack of alternatives has led to these shadow processes becoming established in many companies. Microsoft Teams offers the opportunity to push back the shadow world and at the same time ensure a better work-life balance for employees by keeping professional and private lives separate. Apart from that, internal company information is much better protected in Microsoft Teams.

Microsoft Teams is a solid foundation for communication and collaboration inside and outside of your company. The collaboration platform can be easily extended by additional Microsoft Office 365 apps and third-party applications. Even external users can be integrated quickly and easily, making collaboration along the entire value chain more efficient.

How well do you know Microsoft Teams? We have significantly expanded our range of training courses on subjects such as Microsoft Teams, working from home, and digital collaboration. Go to our Events page to find a list of current training opportunities. Register early, as the number of participants is limited.