Item: Microsoft Teams
Rating: 8
Author: Taylor Martz

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Microsoft Teams is currently being used by our entire organization. It was rolled out this year as part of an effort to increase employee communication and engagement. Previously, the only form of communication was through email (not including phone and videoconferencing). The speed at which we can now communicate has helped add to the overall production of our workforce. In addition, it's built camaraderie. Employees interact more frequently across the organization and around the globe and can get answers to their questions much quicker.

Pros and Cons

Allows for "groups" to be formed to help segment and organize chats and communication for projects, teams, departments, etc.
Allows file sharing and storage within the platform.

I feel the user interface is a little clunky and could be more modern/smooth.
The "call" and "video chat" feature does not work well with overseas counterparts.

Return on Investment

Increased employee engagement and interaction - Both locally and around the globe.
Sped up productivity on projects - Allowed for quicker turnaround since questions can be answered in real-time.

Alternatives Considered

Skype for Business (formerly Lync), Skype and Slack

I personally like Skype and have used it in all other places of business. I found it easy to use, it synced well with business practice, and was more counter-intuitive. Teams took awhile for our company to roll-out and communicate, but once people latched on, it's helped increase communication, engagement, and efficiencies. I think Teams have a lot of work to do in the audio & visual department - the calls drop and are often glitchy. I've preferred Skype to Teams in this arena.

Support Rating

Our IT department has been utilizing the Office 365 environment for quite some time and has designated support available; however, this support is not necessarily real-time. I feel a missed opportunity is having designated support who we can "Teams" message any time, as opposed to needing to go through a formal process to receive help (i.e. web form, email, calls, etc). What better way to show dedication to the product and what it stands for than by using it to address simple customer support questions?

Key Insights

Do you think Microsoft Teams delivers good value for the price?

Not sure

Are you happy with Microsoft Teams's feature set?

Yes

Did Microsoft Teams live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Microsoft Teams go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Microsoft Teams again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Wufoo, Workday Human Capital Management, Trello

Likelihood to Recommend

If you are already operating within the Microsoft Office 365 platform, then Teams easily integrates into the O365 environment across the organization. You are able to incorporate OneDrive and SharePoint files and links within the chats and "Teams" feature, which helps keep work moving. I don't know if it's best for places where you'd need a paper trail or need a written word for legal issues (as these aren't as easily accessed). I also feel there are some enhancements and improvements that need to be made before I would willingly want to share this format with others.

Teams at a glance

Overall Satisfaction with Microsoft Teams