7 ways to deliver ongoing Microsoft Teams training

For many organisations, Microsoft Teams has become one of their primary business tools for communication and collaboration with customers and colleagues alike. Think back for a moment to the first Microsoft Teams training sessions you ran. You likely covered the?basics, addressed features pertinent to your organisation and monitored uptake over time.

But, much has changed since then. Microsoft releases new features every month, new staff have joined your business and you have likely changed how you utilise Microsoft Teams.

We can connect long-term user adoption to the availability of ongoing training. Once the excitement of deploying Microsoft Teams has died down, you need to implement a range of structured training programs so that new and old users have sufficient opportunities to learn.

Refresher courses

To get the most out of Microsoft Teams, it is important to ensure that all employees have a basic understanding of its features and how to use them.

As you?analyse and track usage, you will notice some users have forgotten their initial training. Refresher courses every quarter are helpful to keep certain users from becoming frustrated or disengaged with Microsoft Teams.

I recommend periodically running refresher courses on the basics of Microsoft Teams to ensure your employees are up-to-date with the latest features and best practices. Doing so will maximise the benefits of Microsoft Teams. It will also reduce the number of problems that arise from employees not knowing how to use the platform properly.

Training new users

The staff you had when you held those early training sessions for your users has changed. Some people have left, but more importantly, new people have come on board. They may not have used Microsoft Teams before, or perhaps their previous organisation used it differently.

You need to provide a set amount of training when you induct and onboard new staff. Of course, you will not be able to hold a group course every time you bring on someone new. So, I recommend creating slide shows or video training materials that people can work through when you onboard them.

You might also encourage all new users to attend the first available face-to-face refresher training course in addition to their induction.

Training on new features in Microsoft Teams

As businesses worldwide work in a hybrid fashion, leaders everywhere continue looking for methods to improve communication and collaboration. For this reason, Microsoft Teams has not stayed stagnant for long. It cannot afford to.?

New updates roll out each month to support the needs of businesses everywhere. As Microsoft releases new functionalities in Microsoft Teams, I recommend taking the time to set up a change cycle to ensure your users remain up-to-date:

• Remain in tune with Microsoft Teams’ latest updates on new applications and cloud services to scale your business.
• Create a change planning form to add and implement new functionalities with each upgrade.
• Include technical insights, notes on user activity, and information on essential stakeholders to increase the chances of project success and leave little to no room for risks.

The Microsoft Teams blog posts?monthly updates on new features. That is your best source for staying up to date.

Microsoft Teams training videos

Video content will be your best friend when distributing new training material, whether you are recording peer to peer sessions or simply recording your screen. The search capability in Microsoft Teams is highly effective. Based on their search criteria, users can find the exact second in a recording that will help them solve their issue.

There are many benefits to providing users with recorded sessions on Microsoft Teams training:

• People who missed a live training session have access to the material.
• Reduce your support costs by allowing users to view the material in their own time.
• All users receive the same training.

Overall, providing recorded sessions on Microsoft Teams training is a great way to support ongoing training for users. It ensures that everyone gets the same information and they can review it as needed.

Microsoft Learning Pathways

Microsoft Learning Pathways allows you to embed short training videos regarding Microsoft products (including Teams) directly into the SharePoint Online portals. You can embed these videos in emails, push them via QR codes, etc.

The Pathways system consists of different levels or modules that employees can complete to learn about the features relevant to them at their own pace. Employees can start with the basics and then work their way up to more advanced modules.?

The Microsoft Learning Pathways system is an excellent way for employees to stay up-to-date on all of Microsoft Teams’ features and learn new skills that they can leverage in their work. Microsoft updates the content of the solution regularly, so be sure to check and deploy updates.

Deep dive training for Power Users

When you rolled out Microsoft Teams, you ran training sessions addressing specific use cases to get users immediately engaged. You would have trained them on the features they needed to collaborate and complete their work each day. It is best to continue training sessions regularly to maintain engagement with the platform and ensure people get the most from it. Over time though, you will run out of new scenarios for training.

At this stage, I recommend engaging your Power Users (those that have an advanced understanding of Microsoft Teams). Once you have identified your Power Users, you can train them on the advanced features. Then, they can find new ways to leverage Microsoft Teams without formal guidance from ICT.

As Microsoft releases new features, you should encourage these people to stay ahead of these changes, and they might even influence others in the business to leverage new features as well.

Daily tips

Our Microsoft Teams offering includes the how2hub, which is a workflow for your Microsoft Teams champions to share their tips for Microsoft 365. The tips are stored in a central repository and users receive one daily tip via an automated workflow.

When first deploying Microsoft Teams, we add tips from our team to your repository until you have enough champions to provide a steady workflow. That way, your users can learn from the experts until they feel confident in sharing their insights.

Users have the opportunity to unsubscribe from tips if they prefer.

How Experteq supports ongoing Microsoft Teams training

Modern workplace success requires you to leverage the right tools for communication and collaboration. Before you see success, you need to ensure your users have the knowledge and training to get the most from your platforms.

Experteq understands that success with Microsoft Teams requires ongoing training. We leverage Microsoft Teams every day at work, and we have the training programs in place to ensure we continue learning and getting the most from the platform.

Please visit our?Productivity Apps?solution page for more.