Exploring Digital Workplaces and ecosystem of tools for Collaboration and Communication using Microsoft 365 Apps (Part I)

In any work atmosphere, collaboration is key to improving business operations and increasing productivity. And Microsoft 365 applications such as Word online, Excel online, Microsoft Teams, Power Apps and many other apps are excellent tools for collaboration with colleagues and customers around the globe. When you are looking for a digital workplace solution provider, Microsoft 365 is a great option, a lifesaver! What is exciting is that it includes the entire suite of apps that you already own. Microsoft 365 provides a foundation for office tools like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.?Microsoft offers premium intranets, powerful workplace communication tools and collaboration tools as well as other tools that can help you engage your employees.

Teams allows companies to connect with their employees, which improves office collaboration. Companies can use SharePoint and other tools to create powerful corporate communication platforms that keep employees updated and provide the content they need daily. An application like Yammer and its extensions provide corporate communicators with a social platform that connects employees, drives engagement, shares knowledge, and creates a community.

In a survey conducted by Buffer, a popular social media marketing tools provider, the company discovered that 22% of remote workers felt the most frustrated by communication, collaboration, and 19% felt lonely and isolated. These are alarming statistics. Microsoft 365 can address these issues with Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Power Apps and other useful apps.

Microsoft Teams is your ideal workstation

Digital workplaces are more than just a way to communicate and collaborate, people using Microsoft services would definitely know that by now. They provide employees with a network of tools that allows them to be their best. Teams is a great example of Microsoft's innovation at the workplace. It is the ideal workstation because it combines video conferencing with collaboration tools. When we look at it, these innovations are just the beginning. Microsoft Teams is an excellent platform for creating a digital workplace. With apps, connectors, and customization capabilities, it pushes the boundaries in communication and collaboration, just what you need for your work to be smooth and seamless.

Microsoft Teams allows employees to connect at all levels within the company and department. You can easily customize the environment and integrate with many other applications.

Here are few ways Teams keeps you connected:

Digital Communications and Collaborations

Microsoft Teams offers several Digital Communication and Collaboration benefits for users. With Teams you can create channels or teams at any level that is most appropriate for your organization and department. Channels offer tabs that enable departments and groups to create the environment they need for their jobs. It is as easy as clicking a button. Your team will see a rise in productivity if they work together.

It is definitely timesaving. Microsoft Teams can bring together departments and allow them to work in a Team/Channel. It also eliminates the need for switching between applications. This saves employees a lot of time. This can lead to cost savings of thousands of dollars each year, if the time is spread across the company for all employees.

How Teams can help to address Basic IT and HR queries

Microsoft Teams can also help address some of basic IT, HR and company policy level queries and requests coming from the company staff by leveraging chatbot (Virtual Power Agents). ?Chatbots can be integrated to Teams, to automate and resolve staff queries and service requests. In the event that the chatbot is unable to resolve, it can offer to handover the chat to the IT support person operating in MS Teams, thus saving time and preventing unnecessary frustration. According to the Forrester's report, "New Technology: Projected Total Economic Impact(tm), Microsoft Teams Platform", chatbots can reduce HR and Help Desk requests by 10% to 15%.

Teams can be useful in applied communications, along with its collaborative advantages. There are many problems, needs, and issues that teams can address in various company departments. The application can be configured in many ways.

Using the power of SharePoint

Most of us know that SharePoint has been used to manage intranets for over a decade. And we all know its amazing ability, so much so that it has been used by many as an Intranet foundation. However, SharePoint’s application is more than just an intranet, it allows for enhanced collaboration with your employees. SharePoint's modern UI/UX is highly intuitive and configurable. SharePoint is an excellent option for your Intranet, if you haven't yet.

SharePoint is both the heart of Microsoft 365's digital workplace platform and the backbone for some. It serves two purposes. One, it improves employee engagement through collaboration and effective communications. SharePoint's purpose aligns with Microsoft's promise to a better digital workplace. These results are amazing.

When you create a site from SharePoint home, you can choose the type of site you want to create: a team site or a communication site. Then, your business goals and intent should guide you when choosing between a team site and a communication site. There are many nuances that you should explore, but these are the two most common use cases.

Collaborate, Connect

A Team site is a place for members of a project or work group to collaborate on deliverables, plan events, track status and exchange ideas. All members of a Team Site are content authors and can create and edit content together. Team sites are a place where work is done. Let's take, for example, the case where you are working on an assignment and need to work together on deliverables and assign and manage tasks. You can also have discussions about the work from your colleagues. Although everyone has their own tasks, you all work together to create assets. A Team Site is essential for your project team.

Share Services, Story, Showcase

A Communication site is required if you want to broadcast a message, tell stories, share content (but not edit), or showcase people or services. A Communication Site will usually have a smaller number of content creators and a larger number of content consumers or readers.?Your corporate intranet is a good example. Even if there are collaborative sections to your intranet, your primary purpose is to communicate a story like corporate news or showcase services. You also need information about your benefits and policies. Examples of Communication sites are your intranet sites.

Make the most of an expanding platform

SharePoint can power your Intranet for many reasons. SharePoint's cloud-first capabilities, as well as its ability to scale quickly and drive innovation can be very handy. [SA7] ?This allows your Intranet to continue growing, improving, and innovating.

Cloud-first features

Only companies that integrate Microsoft 365 and cloud platforms will have access to the cloud-only capabilities. SharePoint Server is part of Innovation for SharePoint environments.

On-premises VS Online

These SharePoint releases make use of Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Online innovations. In some cases, you may need to wait until a SharePoint cloud-based feature becomes available on-premises. Based on the innovation/code and testing cycles that took place at the start of 2018, the last version SharePoint server was feature locked. SharePoint 2019 will be close to 3 years old by 2021, when it comes to innovation and improvements to SharePoint Online.

The Hybrid Scenario

SharePoint Online may not be accessible on-premises for certain features. SharePoint Online can be connected to Azure-enabled services like Video Streaming or Deep Analytics/Insights. These capabilities might not be available in all configurations and may require additional licensing. Innovation can still be cloudfirst or cloud-only.

Final Thoughts

Microsoft will accept as many third-party applications as it can into its Teams fold. More collaboration options are available with the Microsoft Teams integrations. The program offers third-party apps the opportunity to grow and users have access to high-quality, useful apps.

With so much focus on Microsoft Teams and so many other happenings right now, this is the perfect moment to join Microsoft Teams. It will amaze you how simple, efficient, and collaborative Teams can make your business.

Are you ready to get started with Teams or the rest of Microsoft 365? Our experts are here to assist you!

There are other collaborative applications too we will be covering. So, watch this space to know more in the next articles in the Microsoft Collaborative Applications series.