Microsoft Teams is one of the fastest-growing tools for business today, especially in today’s remote world. Today, more than 44 million users leverage Teams as part of their work, up from less than half in 2019.
SMBs can leverage Microsoft Teams generally to collaborate digitally through chat, document collaboration, file sharing, and more. But there are also many features and functionalities that users might not know about that let them tap into the full power of the platform. These features include add-on applications within Teams that can add new functionalities or hidden commands that speed up the time it takes to complete a task or find critical information.
Here are a few features to check out that might be helpful to enhance productivity for SMB employees:
Microsoft Lists — One of Microsoft Teams’ newest features is Microsoft Lists, which according to the company, can “help you track information and organize your work.” Users can leverage this tool to track tasks, maintain company assets (like laptops), among other things, and then send out notifications for changes or any necessary actions. Microsoft said it would integrate this tool with Teams, with the ability to add to a channel or a chat.
Shifts — For workers on the clock, Shifts allows you to easily clock in and clock out through the Microsoft Teams mobile app. Users can also use Shifts to put in time or trade shifts with their peers. Organizations will have to have their IT admin or outsourced IT company enable the functionality.
Commands — Who doesn’t love a shortcut? In Microsoft Teams, a user can help speed up tasks and reduce time scrolling by leveraging slash commands. Users can type these commands for common tasks right into the search bar. For instance, typing “/Files” reveals the most recently shared files on Teams, and “/Saved” takes you to saved messages. Meanwhile, “/GoTo” can help a user jump straight into a specific channel, or “/Call” can kick off a call through Teams.
These are just a few secret functionalities and expanded features that users can leverage to enhance their user experience within Microsoft Teams.
For SMBs, it might be worth taking the time to educate employees on what features are available to them to help improve productivity and deliver a more enjoyable working experience. This can be done through regular training or even an email blast that provides helpful tips and tricks on the platform that employees might enjoy. As a result, the business could see increased digital community or collaboration, even if employees aren’t necessarily in the same location.
