Item: Microsoft Teams
Rating: 8
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

All departments are utilizing the Microsoft Teams application at this time. We are not 100% using Microsoft Teams because many of our users still are utilizing Skype for Business. Knowing that Skype for Business will be phased out soon, we have adopted Microsoft Teams early on. This will allow our end users the ability to become accustomed to the software before the forced switch.

Pros and Cons

Microsoft Teams is highly integrated with other applications such as OneNote and Planner. This helps to increase productivity by not having to switch applications while collaborating.
The ability to search the corporate address book directly from the Microsoft Teams application helps to find contact info for employees easily. Once you have the info, you can then quickly contact a user (by email, chat, or call) directly from Microsoft Teams application.

Unlike Skype for Business, chat history is not quickly recovered from Outlook. You have to perform a Content search, which requires an administrator to perform.
In Skype for Business, I was able to search for a phone number, and the application would display the contact who matched that number. This does not appear to function in Microsoft Teams.

Return on Investment

There is not an ROI for Microsoft Teams since it is included in our Enterprise license model. The collaboration aspects of the application are where it shines.
The ability to quickly reach out to others in our organization is beneficial. This increases productivity because it allows us to be on the phone with one person and chat to a different person at the same time.

Alternatives Considered

Skype for Business (formerly Lync)

I believe that Microsoft Teams offers greater stability than Skype for Business. Additionally, there are more integrated functions with Microsoft Teams, which helps to maintain focus on a task because you have to switch applications less often. One aspect that I think is lacking (when compared to Skype for Business) is the ability to search for phone numbers. I used that feature quite often, especially if my phone rang and did not show a name. I could then quickly search for the number in Skype, and it would tell me who called me based on the Address Book search.

Support Rating

Microsoft has always been pretty good about providing service for their products, and Microsoft Teams is no exception. Unfortunately, you don't always get the answer immediately, but ultimately we generally do receive the answers we are looking for.

Key Insights

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

Yes

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

Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM)

Likelihood to Recommend

Microsoft Teams is a convenient application for those who are needing to collaborate with others. The application offers integrations with other Microsoft (and some 3rd party) applications, which helps to increase productivity. Not quite what you can consider as a "single pane of glass," but it does reduce the need to flip between applications for some tasks. One example of this is how it integrates with OneNote. You can have a conversation with a colleague regarding a project/task and can efficiently work together on a OneNote file. Additionally, the ability to share files by drag/drop is a nice feature to have.

Collaboration made easy - with Microsoft Teams

Overall Satisfaction with Microsoft Teams