Microsoft Dynamics 365 For Manufacturing
25th April 2024
Collaboration has been the buzzword in tech for the past 10 years, with Slack starting up in 2013 and Microsoft setting out their stall in 2017 with Teams.
But has Microsoft’s lofty ambition of banishing the use of Outlook to the history books come to fruition? Well, yes and no, but some of that comes down to businesses’ appetite to innovate.
One of the key benefits of using Microsoft 365 and Teams for collaboration in business is improved communication. Teams provides a single platform where team members can communicate with each other through chat, voice, or video calls, allowing them to share ideas, ask questions, and get feedback in real-time. This has been one big tick in the box for most businesses that were forced to adopt this out of necessity from the C word that we must no longer speak about.
However, Teams goes far beyond this, allowing team members to share files, co-author documents, and collaborate on projects simultaneously. This feature eliminates the need for emailing files back and forth, reducing the risk of version control issues and improving overall workflow. Great, this is fantastic, but in reality most businesses live and die by the same workflows that they established 20 years ago and cannot fathom how they would translate these to this modern approach.
Stop, collaborate and listen
Establishing a small test group within a business can be a great way of trialling this in the real world without the need for wholesale change and, more importantly, large capital outlay. Many businesses would be quick to see real improvement of efficiencies and look to roll this out company wide. It’s all about baby steps.
Additionally, Microsoft 365 and Teams provide robust security and compliance features. The platform offers advanced threat protection, data loss prevention, and information rights management, which help protect sensitive information from unauthorised access or breaches. The tools also comply with industry regulations, such as HIPAA and GDPR, making it easier for businesses to meet their legal obligations.
Another benefit of using Microsoft 365 and Teams for collaboration in business is the ability to use it as a phone system. Teams allows users to make and receive phone calls directly within the platform, eliminating the need for a separate phone system. This feature is particularly useful for businesses that have employees working remotely or across multiple locations. If I am already on an internal Teams meeting and I want to invite a customer or third party to join, no problem I can just drop their mobile number into the conversation and bang, there they are without the need to jump between platforms.
Collaboration is no longer a buzzword, it’s a reality but are you ready to dive in?