Microsoft purchased a new company named Parlano, that created the group chat application MindAlign, on August 29, 2007. A few years later on March 4, 2016, Microsoft looked at investing $8 billion to buy the well-known chat service Slack. Bill Gates disagreed and said that they need to focus on improving Skype for Business first.

Microsoft director Lu Qi intended to buy Slack but quit his company a few months later. During his resignation, Microsoft decided to develop Teams, its own chat application. On November 2, 2016, they launched Teams at a New York event, and on March 14, 2017, it was released internationally. Microsoft corporate vice president Brian MacDonald is currently in charge of Teams.

What is Microsoft Team?

If you have your own company or are part of a large team, you most likely need a way to interact and work together with people . The good news is that Microsoft Teams is free, so you don’t need to buy costly software like Office 365 or SharePoint.

You can use the Microsoft Teams app on your PC. The very first version was developed by using a system called Electron, which integrates a programming system (Node.js) and a web browser tool (Chromium). A more advanced tool called Microsoft Edge WebView2 was later used to redevelop Version 2.0, making it faster and more user-friendly.

Microsoft Teams is an online application for teamwork. It allows file sharing, video conferences, calls, and message sending. Teams work well for all sizes of businesses. It may be used on any internet-connected device, such as your phone and PC.

How To Use Microsoft Teams?

If you as well as your team are separated across physically, Microsoft Teams keep you all connected. Don’t worry if you’ve never tried it before! Simply follow this straightforward guide.

A. Create An Account:

Step 1:

Open the Microsoft Teams Website. Click at the icon a new sign in page opens in front of you. Press Create One to make a new account.

Step 2:

Put your working email address and password by following the instructions.

B. Create A Team

A Team consists of the group of people working at the Microsoft Teams.

Step1:

Open Microsoft Teams click on the Click or join a Team in the bottom of the left sidebar.

Step 2:

Click on create Team Button on the second Screen.

Step 3:

You can select the New Team or Use an existing Microsoft 365 group if you already had one before joining Teams. Select the “Create from…” option to add your existing group to Teams.

Next Step 4:

Who Can Join Team?

• Private: Only the invited persons can join.
• Public: Any person can join it.
• Organization-wide: Includes everyone in your organization and organizes them into channels.

Step 5:

Choose the relevant name of your Team.

Step 6:

Your new team will show you in the sidebar. You can see your new team in the sidebar.

C. Add Members To The Team:

Step 1:

To add members, click on the three dots next to the team’s name and choose “Add member.”

Step 2:

Type the names of the team members you want to add. If they are outside your organization, you can invite them as guests using their email addresses.

Key Features:

1. Messaging Chat:

You can interact with your team or individual members using Microsoft Teams. Both group and one-on-one messaging are possible, and since the chats are recorded, you can keep track of the discussion. Like other chat applications, you may add fun by using emojis and GIFs. Moreover, voice and video calls are available.

2. Calling:

Voice calls over the internet are possible using Teams. You may make calls to phone lines, cell phones, and other Teams users. Voicemail and business-oriented calling features are also available.

3. Online Meetings:

With room for up to 10,000 people, Teams is an excellent space for large gatherings and training sessions. You can extend invitations to both internal and external parties. Moreover, it enables you to schedule meetings, upload files, talk during the meeting, and share notes.

4. Video Meetings:

You may also make video calls with Teams! This function is very useful for remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, it enables you to divide into smaller groups, record meetings, use whiteboards, create custom backgrounds, and even obtain meeting reports.

5. Screen Sharing:

During a call, you may allow other people to see your computer screen. For showing files, presentations, or anything else you’re working on in real time, this is really useful.

6. Calendar:

Like Microsoft Outlook, Teams comes with a linked calendar. It helps you in managing your scheduled meetings, and timetable. Planning has been made easier by the collaboration between the Teams and Outlook calendars.

7. File Sharing:

Teams allows you to create, share, modify, and store files as soon as possible. Your team can collaborate quickly and easily since everyone may work on the same file at once.

8. Webinars:

You can host webinars for up to 1,000 people using Teams. Meeting hosts have the ability to manage live reactions and mute participants. A broadcast option enables over 10,000 viewers for larger audiences.

9. External Collaboration:

You can collaborate with individuals outside of your organization using Teams. You may quickly invite clients or partners to take part in your projects using the guest access tool.

Final Thoughts:

Microsoft Teams is a powerful tool that helps teams work together, no matter where they are. It provides all the features you need to stay in touch, from calling and chatting to exchanging files and holding meetings. The best part is that it’s simple to use and facilitates teamwork!