In an environment where rapid digitalisation and technological dynamics are taking place, the onus lies on IT leaders and decision makers to implement innovative systems for transformation and productivity. An effective way of doing this is by ensuring interconnectivity across all applications for efficiency. With Microsoft Teams integrations, organisations can achieve synchronisation for the promotion of maximum collaboration and cohesion. Teams also comprises of modern features that facilitate the free flow of work.
This blog will outline some of the useful integrations Microsoft Teams offers and how they can support businesses in attaining seamless collaboration and maximum productivity.
Why opt for Teams?
Microsoft Teams is a powerful tool which facilitates progressive businesses in enhancing collaboration in the form of video conferencing, chat, messaging, file sharing and many more. Over the course of the pandemic, Teams transformed work setups across the globe. Post pandemic, Microsoft managed to not only retain Teams users but increase year on year. Microsoft recently announced that Teams now had over 270 million users, up from the 145 million they reported in 2021.
Now over a quarter of a million people use the platform making it the most popular business communication service in the world. It contributed to the enhancement of remote and hybrid working to allow for employee flexibility, by providing a centralised platform for all internal and external communications.
Benefits of Microsoft Teams
Fosters real-time collaboration
Consisting of various tools, employees in organisations across a wide range of departments can communicate effectively without any restrictions. Additionally, they can work real-time on documents and files on any Teams channel. The simple chat and messaging functions also allows users to communicate effectively and in a speedily manner, hence improving the frequency and mode of interactions between users.
Boosts productivity
Microsoft Teams is automation and process driven, thus creating an environment where group members can effectively collaborate and work towards all types of projects. Organisations and users have benefited from the agile functions within the application since implementation. Teams can be used concurrently with many other software such as Excel successfully without having to exit the platform, thereby contributing to the streamlining of tasks across board.
Enhances the power of the cloud
With flexible working becoming the norm these days, the need for cloud storage has also increased. In 2021, Gartner forecasted an 18.4% growth in end-user spending on public cloud services worldwide. To cater to this demand, the Microsoft 365 suite which includes Teams, integrates with useful cloud storage tools such as SharePoint and OneDrive. These allow users to share, collaborate and work on documents together without any hindrances or time limits. In addition, group members can work simultaneously on files at the same time. Gone are the days of various versions of the same document floating around. Within Teams you can grant access to files and documents that require collaboration between individuals and teams.
Best Microsoft Teams integrations
According to Microsoft, there are currently about 270 million monthly active Teams users. There therefore lies the need to ensure that these users receive the essential integrations required for overall business success. This section will look at some of the most useful Microsoft Teams integrations to facilitate growth and solution building.
Power BI
Microsoft Teams integrates with Power BI for efficient reporting and data analytics. Power BI is a suite of business intelligence (BI), data visualisation and reporting tools geared towards providing deeper and interactive insights within organisations.
Installing Power BI into Teams is simple and easy to do. The integration allows users to navigate Power BI seamlessly on the Microsoft Teams platform. As such, major Power BI service functions will also be available, including the below:
- Content sharing, via email or through Microsoft Teams.
- Workspace creation and participation.
- Creation and editing of dashboards, reports, and apps.
Furthermore, there is also the option to pin Power BI in Teams to allow for easy access whenever need be.
Power Apps
Power Apps in Microsoft Teams provide an enhanced user experience for the streamlining of apps and workflows. App makers can easily create workflows and applications in the Teams interface without having to exit the platform.
Comprising of an array of applications, services, connectors and a data platform, Microsoft Power Apps offers users a robust environment for application development to facilitate custom application building. Additionally, it includes pre-built AI components for intelligent app building and faster deployment.
The Power Apps integration in Teams allows developers to operate efficiently through the unified publishing and sharing of apps to their wider teams. They can also conveniently use the applications without having to switch between multiple software.
Power Automate
Formerly known as Microsoft Flow, this software combines with Microsoft Teams to automate repetitive workflows in businesses. As part of the Power Platform suite, Power Automate supports organisations in creating intelligent workflows across applications and services for increased productivity. Also, users can customise and produce smart workflows and processes in the environment.
This integration enables Teams users automate any monotonous tasks directly within the Teams platform via Power Automate. In addition, they can easily acquire and create workflows directly from the workflows tab in Teams.
Power Virtual Agents
Microsoft Power Virtual Agents comprises of a set of tools for the creation of adaptable AI chatbots, hence enhancing communication between businesses and their customers. Integrating with Microsoft Teams, it gives users the opportunity to generate meaningful responses and conversations towards client queries.
Furthermore, the integration allows authored content to be easily rendered in Teams. Bots can also be shared with people in other departments within the organisation to chat with customers for specific questions they might have answers to. This can all be done with Power Virtual Agents in the centralised Teams platform.
Virtual Assistant for Teams
This software allows you to create robust conversational solutions while maintaining full control of user experience, organisational branding and essential data. Virtual Assistant is a Microsoft open-source template that can be integrated into Teams to produce a simplified and efficient system. It also makes use of best practices through the robust building of conversational experiences and automates the integration of components required by Bot Framework developers.
Microsoft Dynamics 365
Microsoft Teams integrates with Dynamics 365 to enhance collaboration, productivity and speed across organisations. Dynamics 365 is a cloud-based business applications and artificial intelligent software that combines Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems for the delivery of actionable customer insights.
Some of the benefits of Microsoft Dynamics 365’s integration with Dynamics 365 include enhanced collaboration, productivity boosting and improved group engagement. Dynamics 365 records can also be accessed in Teams directly for an integrated experience. This can be done via chat or channels for ease of convenience and speed.
In summary, Microsoft Teams’ versatile features integrates with the above applications for digital transform and growth. It is therefore beneficial for organisations to implement these system combinations to ensure a unified approach to delivering service excellence and customer satisfaction.
