Mastering Microsoft Teams: A Guide to Customizing and Administering Your Team Environment
Companies need to stay ahead of the competition in an increasingly interconnected world, which is why businesses are turning towards collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams offers a one-stop communication and collaboration platform that enables team members to chat, call, and work on files from anywhere. In this guide, we’ll show you how to customize and administer your Microsoft Teams environment so that it works optimally for you.
Starting Out with Microsoft Teams Customization
Microsoft Teams offers an expansive array of customization options that may seem overwhelming to new users. Customizing your workspace in Microsoft Teams helps to personalize the user experience and boost productivity levels. Here are some simple steps you can take to begin customizing your environment:
- Select a Theme
Adding a theme to your Microsoft Teams environment can give it an elegant, polished appearance. You have several pre-built options or the freedom to create one from scratch; all it takes is clicking on your profile picture in the top right corner, followed by Settings > Themes. From here, you have access to both pre-made options as well as creating custom themes by selecting ‘Create a custom theme’.
- Add Custom Tabs
Custom tabs provide quick access to frequently-used applications and files. Simply click on the ‘+’ icon next to any existing tab, select from apps like OneNote or Trello, or create your own tab by choosing ‘Website’ as your target option.
- Pinning Important Conversations
Pinning important conversations allows you to keep tabs on them quickly. Simply click on the three dots next to the conversation, select ‘Pin’ and your pinned conversations will appear at the top of your chat list for easy retrieval.
- Add Personal Touch with Custom Emojis and Stickers
Customizing your Microsoft Teams environment by using custom emojis and stickers is easy! Just click on the ‘…’ icon next to the text box, select either ‘Stickers’ or ‘GIFs’, and you can choose from pre-built options or create your own by selecting the ‘Create new sticker pack’ option.
Microsoft Teams Administration
As your team expands, it becomes increasingly essential to manage your Microsoft Teams environment effectively. Doing so can ensure that everyone on the team is productive and all data remains secure. Here are some ways you can effectively manage this aspect of the environment:
- Manage Team Members
Adding and removing team members is an integral part of Microsoft Teams administration. To add a new member to the team, click on the ‘…’ icon next to their name, then select ‘Add Member’. From here you can enter their email address and assign them a role. Conversely, to remove someone from your roster simply click on the ‘…’ icon again followed by ‘Remove member’.
- Setting Permissions
Setting permissions allows you to restrict what team members can do within Microsoft Teams. To do this, click on the ‘…’ icon next to the team name and select ‘Manage Team’. From here, you can grant members certain abilities such as creating channels or uploading files.
- Manage Channels
Channels provide an organized way to organize conversations and files by topic. Effective management of channels within Microsoft Teams helps keep things streamlined, making navigation much simpler. To create a new channel, click on the ‘…’ icon next to the team name then select ‘Add channel’. Here you can give the channel a name and assign members accordingly. Similarly, to delete a channel simply click on its icon then select ‘Delete channel’.
- Manage Files
File management in Microsoft Teams is an integral part of administration. It ensures that files are stored safely and organized for ease of retrieval. To get started, click ‘Files’ tab within your Microsoft Teams environment to upload files, create folders, and share files with team members.
- Monitor Activity
Monitoring activity within Microsoft Teams helps you spot potential issues before they escalate into major issues. To do this, click on the ‘Activity’ tab in your Microsoft Teams environment. Here you can view a log of all activity within your team including file uploads, channel creations and chat messages.
- Customize Notifications
Customizing notifications is an effective way to stay ahead of important conversations and events. To do this, click your profile picture in the top right corner of your screen then select ‘Settings’ > ‘Notifications’. From here, you can decide how you wish to be notified for various events like receiving new messages or being mentioned in conversation.
Mastering Microsoft Teams: Tips & Tricks
Now that you understand how to customize and administer your Microsoft Teams environment, here are a few tips and tricks for making the most of it:
- Utilize @Mentions to Grab Someone’s Attention
Using @mentions can be an effective way to capture someone’s attention during a conversation. All that needs to do is type ‘@’ followed by the person’s name, and they will receive an automated notification letting them know they were mentioned in the conversation.
- Take Advantage of Keyboard Shortcuts to Save Time
Taking shortcuts can save time when doing repetitive tasks around the office.
Keyboard shortcuts can save you time and make working more efficient. To view a list of keyboard shortcuts, press ‘Ctrl’ + ‘.’ on your keyboard.
- Utilize the Search Function to Locate What You Need
Microsoft Teams provides a search feature that allows users to look up conversations, files and people using its magnifying glass icon in the top right corner. To use it, click on the magnifying glass icon and enter your search term into the field provided.
- Utilize the Calendar Function to Schedule Meetings
Microsoft Teams’ calendar function enables you to plan meetings with team members. To use it, click on ‘New meeting’ from the left-hand sidebar icon, then choose your desired date, time, and attendees. From here you have complete control over everything from agenda items and attendees.
- Utilize the App Store for Additional Functionality
Microsoft Teams offers an app store to extend your workspace’s capabilities. To access it, click ‘Apps’ in the left-hand sidebar and browse a range of applications such as Trello, Asana and Zoom.
Conclusion
Microsoft Teams is an essential tool for businesses seeking to enhance collaboration and productivity. By effectively doing Microsoft Teams customization and administration, you can maximize its potential and make it work for you. From selecting a theme to managing team members, there are many ways to customize and administer your Microsoft Teams environment effectively. With these tips and tricks in this guide, you’ll be well on your way to mastering Microsoft Teams and taking your team’s productivity to new heights.
