With so many of us transitioning to working from home, many organizations are using Microsoft Teams as a way to stay connected and share resources with their employees.

Teams is a great tool with a multitude of different functionalities but it can be quite overwhelming using any new software for the first time! Here’s an overview of Teams and some of the different features and terminology that you’ll be using while working remotely. 

Teams terms and features

Teams

Teams are a collection of people resources and tools that all revolve around one common topic. This could be a specific project or task, or it could be a whole department within your organization Teams can be private invitation-only groups, or public for anyone in your organization to join.

“Teams” is also how most people refer to Microsoft Teams generally. 

Channels

Channels are specific streams WITHIN teams that let you target content and group conversations and resources however you wish. 

Channels can also be private or public! This means that you’re able to control who sees what, even in an overarching Team. These channels are where conversations happen and resources are shared, but you can make this more efficient and effective by adding tabs and apps. 

Tabs

Tabs can be added as part of a channel inside a team, a group chat, or as a personal app for an individual user. They show up as a navigation tab and contain a web page, file or app embedded within Microsoft Teams. These can be super helpful to show things like a planner, to make everyone aware of your team’s roster, or an important document that needs to be easily accessible. 

Apps

Apps are one of the things that can be embedded in a tab or added to a Team. Many companies have created apps that integrate with Teams to boost efficiency and make information available to you in the one platform. Office 365 also has a series of apps that are available, such as OneNote and Microsoft Stream. 

Learn more

Check out our Tips and Tricks page or visit the LiveTiles Teams Support page.