Microsoft Teams Guide

Welcome to Microsoft Teams!  To provide better communication and collaboration across our nation-wide work force, we are pleased to announce the implementation of Microsoft Teams!  Associates may quickly scroll through newsfeeds and conversations on their PC or mobile devise to keep apprised of topics that impact them. 

What is Microsoft Teams and why would I use it?

Microsoft Teams is a messaging app where all conversations, meetings, files, and notes can be accessed by a team, all in one place. It’s a place for communication, collaboration and work to happen in the open. Microsoft Team’s interface has the look and feel of social media chat clients, like Facebook. 

Sign into Office 365 and Look for the Teams icon

Or from your emails applications shortcut

Main screen breakdown

FAQ

What are teams?

Teams are simply collections of people, content, and tools that center around discussion topics, projects and jobs within an organization. Team members share information, have private conversations and share files, notes, and more.

What is a channel?

Channels are great because they allow teammates to have focused conversations about specific topics. Every team has its own set of channels (starting with the General channel), and the members of that team get to decide what they want the rest of their channels to focus on. Some channels are devoted to specific projects, initiatives, and locations. Some are for different areas of interest, updates, or discussion topics. Some channels are just for fun! Every channel belonging to a team is completely public to all the team members, so everyone can feel free to join in a channel conversation.

If you spot a channel that looks interesting or is relevant to you, you’ve got the option of following (or, favoriting) it. FYI, you’ll always have the General channel for every team favorited and there’s no way to remove it from your favorites, either.

To favorite a channel, just click the  next to a channel name. That way, it will stay visible in your teams list. You’ll also be able to see if there’s recent activity in your favorite channel because its name will appear in bold text. If someone @mentions you in one of your favorite channels, you’ll see a red number count next to the channel name that tells you the number of @mentions you received.

You won’t be able to see the team channels that you don’t favorite by default, but if you ever want to take a look at all the other channels belonging to a team, just click on the text that appears at the bottom of your current favorites telling you how many more channels belong to that team. That will open up a list of all the channels you haven’t favorited. If you see a channel that looks interesting, you’ve got the option of favoriting it from there.

What’s the difference between team channels and private chats?

Team channels are places where everyone on the team can have open conversations. Private chats are only visible to those people in the chat.

What is T-Bot? What does it do?

T-Bot is a useful bot that’s here to help you learn how to use Microsoft Teams! Ask a question or type a keyword or phrase into a chat with T-Bot, and it will find the answer for you.

What are team meetings?

Team meetings are a quick and easy way for people in a channel to go from a conversation to an impromptu meeting.  Anyone from the team can join. Team meetings include audio, video, and screen sharing. You always have a meeting space, and you’ll never need a room or projector.

To start a team meeting, click the video icon in a new conversation:

How do I send a private message?

To send a private message, first click the edit icon next to your search bar to start a new conversation. Type in the name of the person or people you want to chat with. Then, compose your message and press Enter. 

How do I add someone to a private chat?

To loop someone into a private conversation, just click the  Add people button at the top right corner of your screen. Then, type the name of the person you’d like to add and press Enter.

How do I know which conversations include me?

If you’re worried about knowing when someone in a conversation needs your attention, just keep an eye on your Activity feed. There, you’ll get a notification whenever someone:

         @mentions you (you’ll also see your @mentions in the conversation, where you can spot them easily).

         @mentions teams and channels you belong to.

         Replies to conversations you’re part of.

         Replies to your replies.

         You’ll also see a number next to the name of a channel whenever someone @mentions you there.

Can I view my Microsoft Teams channel newsfeeds and conversations in Outlook?

Good News!  Yes, you may view the latest newsfeed and conversations for the channels you are following In Outlook.  Simply turn on the notifications and a reading pane will appear to the right of your screen with feeds from the channels you are following.  Please note, if you want to reply to a conversation or post information you will have to go to Microsoft Teams for that action.

Is there a mobile app for Microsoft Teams?

The Microsoft Teams mobile app for your personal hand held devise is available for Windows, Mac, Android, & iOS.

What can a team owner do?

Team owners can add and remove members. They have the ability to edit or delete a team, and to change the team picture. They can also:

         Set team members’ permissions for channels, tabs, and connectors.

         Control @[team name] mentions that will notify everyone on the team.

         Allow @[channel name] mentions, which will notify members who’ve favorited the channel.

         Allow usage of GIFs, stickers, and memes.

Can I send a message to someone on Skype for Business from Microsoft Teams?

You can use Microsoft Teams to chat with someone who’s using Skype for Business. Simply start a one-on-one chat with the person you’d like to talk to, and they’ll get your message in Skype for Business.  Remember: If the person you’re chatting with has ever used Microsoft Teams, your messages will always be sent there.

Is chatting with Skype for Business users in Microsoft Teams any different?

Chatting with someone on Skype for Business from within Microsoft Teams is pretty cool, but you’ll be missing out on fun things like emoji, file attachments, and tabs. Also, your conversation history won’t be saved, so if you update, refresh, or open up Microsoft Teams on a different platform (like mobile), you won’t be able to view your old messages.

How secure is Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams provides the enterprise security and compliance features you expect from Office365, including eDiscovery and legal hold for channels, chats and files.  Available in 181 markets and 19 languages, Microsoft Teams encrypts data at all times, at rest and in-transit, and includes multi-factor authentication to enhance identify protection.