WE ARE CHANGING SOCIAL.
Do you keep hearing about the Microsoft Power Platform, but don’t really know what it is? Here’s a high level overview from our Head of Power Platform, Aaron Gumbs, and why you should be interested. The Microsoft Power Platform is
With its Teams platform, Microsoft has played a key role in driving new ways of working, fundamentally setting the tone for hybrid working. A single pane of glass, the 2017 launch of Teams gave employees a hub to house everything
Education has been hugely impacted by the pandemic with hybrid and remote classes becoming the norm in schools and universities. Students have to be prepared for short notice changes thanks to closures due to illness and self-isolation, and even extreme
During the pandemic, the world saw an uptake in both Zoom and Microsoft Teams – they have quickly become the most popular business communication platform around. They are both similar, but Teams knocks it out of the park with its
It’s that time again – Microsoft has announced its June updates, to continue building out the hybrid work world. The goal is to ensure Teams is more inclusive, accessible and connected. This includes updates to meetings, chat and calling.
Intranet systems have been used by organisations for years as a place to share information/news, collaborate with one another, host internal services and more. They serve as a focal point for internal communication, but what if they could be even
In our technological age, it can take time to get certain things done in the workplace due to the uptake of new apps, or the gaps in knowledge some people may have compared to others and more. Thankfully, Microsoft has
Microsoft is constantly updating its software to ensure everyone gets the most out of their experience, making it easier to use, more engaging and at the top of the game. Teams is no exception, and during May, Microsoft announced
It’s been a challenging few years for all of us, with millions changing the way they work, whether it be at home, in the office or on the front lines. Wherever we work, we have an ever-increasing dependency on technology
Over the past few years, the world has seen an increase in burnout as people feel more disconnected from colleagues as a result of hybrid working. People who work at home may also struggle to disconnect from work, continuing
Over the past few years, we have seen our ways of working become more hybrid as a result of the pandemic. Organisations and employees have had to adapt to a brand-new world and at the forefront, there has been a
In our hybrid workplace, we have been utilising different ways of collaborating and communicating. Within many organisations, workers have been getting stuck into both Microsoft Teams and Yammer. Whilst there are similarities between the two, the tools have different strengths
One of the great things about Microsoft is its continual updating of its software to benefit users and improve the user experience. During April, Microsoft rolled out some exciting new features to enhance your Teams experience. Read on to
In our hybrid world of work, technology is more important than ever before and staying on top of new updates or launches is vital to the success of businesses. Many organisations have already begun a digital transition, using Microsoft
We’ve all faced this problem before – you’re doing some work and need to find out more about some specific terminology that you’ve never heard of. Usually in this instance, you would go and search online for answers, or perhaps
Life has changed dramatically over the last 2 years – we went from working in offices every day to working permanently from home and now, for many of us, we are embracing hybridity – partial home working, partial office working.
Use of Yammer is on the up, with more and more organisations making the most of this enterprise social networking tool for their communications, internal socialising, events and more. As it continues to grow, Microsoft has released some updates to
Over the past few years, the pandemic has revolutionised the way we work – as millions of us have begun to work from home, either full time or part time, the lack of disconnect between work and home life has
You may have already seen our blogs exploring Microsoft Viva – exploring how to improve the employee experience, what Viva Connections or Viva Topics are. Another of the new additions is Microsoft Viva Learning, which removes the traditional obstacles found
It’s not only businesses that are impacted by the changes in the way we work and use technology as a result of the pandemic – educators have also adapted to a changing world. In a teaching environment, you have to
By now, you should be familiar with Microsoft Viva, in particular Viva Connections, and how it seeks to provide a better, more accessible and wellbeing focused intranet to your organisation. Within Connections (and also accessible in SharePoint), you will also
As the workplace has transformed over the course of the pandemic, organisations have been looking for new ways to unlock better connections and collaboration for their employees. As hybrid working becomes more and more prominent, and regardless of whether people
In the hybrid world, every business is looking to ensure that their business is as efficient and profitable as possible, whilst also keeping employee experience at the forefront. Microsoft’s Business Process Automation Services can help with this, so read on
Technology is always evolving, and Microsoft software is no exception. It’s a great source of collaboration and engagement, and updates always seek to improve the user’s experience, especially with hybrid working in mind. When utilised the right way, it
Microsoft SharePoint is a cloud-based service that serves as an intranet and helps organisations share and manage content, knowledge and applications to empower teamwork, find information and collaborate seamlessly across the organisation. It’s a great location to store knowledge and
Everyone wants to ensure they get the best out of their employees, right? And employees want to have the best employee experience tools available to them to make sure they feel prepared, organised and happy in the workplace – whether
Everyone is talking about digital transformation these days, but what is it? Digital transformation is, simply, the adoption of digital technology in all areas of an organisation with the view of improving efficiency, value and innovation. Not only that, but
Microsoft Teams has changed the way we work forever, in our adaptive world, making working from anywhere and everywhere possible. The software is constantly evolving and improving, but the core principles remain consistent. As millions of us now use it
As we head further into the new year, we have seen a great deal of changes and Teams is no exception. Microsoft has rolled out updates to boost and refine the user experience. Read on to check out the new
Everyone’s working from all over the place these days – or at least it seems like they are! In this new world of work, businesses have has had to adapt their ways of communicating to ensure all staff are up
This year, it looks like we will be partying at home again. With the new wave of Covid cases, many work Christmas parties are being canned, but fear not, you can still celebrate virtually. Teams is an accessible way
We all want a better way to store important files, right? Having many different drives or locations can be confusing and clunky, but Microsoft SharePoint challenges that, becoming an easily accessible one-stop-shop for everything your organisation needs to collate.
Whatever you or your business does, community engagement is one of the pillars of success. It’s a great way of developing a good working relationship between public bodies (like local councils) and community groups. But it’s also a great way
Over the past two years, more and more businesses have started their digital transformation as a result of work from home orders and an increased uptake in customers needing more on-demand contact during the pandemic. The importance of the
In the evolving workplace, with home working and flexibility becoming commonplace, it is more important than ever to ensure that all employees are happy, engaged and confident in their career. And with a happy staff, it follows that a
Work-life balance is by no means a new phenomenon, but it’s something we’re hearing more about due to the ever-increasing demands, pressures and changes to the way we work. Companies are investing time and effort into finding the holy grail
Digital Champions are an engaged group of passionate employees, who recognise the value of technology, who are committed and unselfishly help their colleagues adopt new ways of working. Promote the evergreen As Microsoft 365 evolves as a Software As
Microsoft’s vision is to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more. With over a billion people in the world with disabilities, there is no limit to what people can achieve when technology reflects the diversity
According to Deskless Workforce 2018, 80% of our global workforce are frontline. That’s more than 2.7 billion workers across the globe who are on their feet or in the field every day acting as your company steward. These
We’ve had to quickly adapt to a new world and adopt new ways of working as hybrid working has become the norm. And, as usual, Microsoft has been working at breakneck speed to add even more new features and innovation
Before the pandemic, the term ‘hybrid working’ was rarely used. Remote working maybe, flexible working, yes. However, 18-months into the Covid-19 pandemic, hybrid working has been hailed as the ‘new norm’ and will undoubtedly become the work environment of the
In this article, we’re reviewing the two leaders in the collaboration software market – Microsoft Teams vs Slack, to uncover which one really is the best tool for the job. In 2020, the team collaboration software market reached
At a time when constant change has become the ‘new normal’, digital champions programmes add power and impact to change projects, helping people to embed and adopt new technology and new systems. In this week’s article, we talk
To wrap up our insight into Microsoft Teams apps series (Click here to see part 1 and part 2), this article shines the spotlight our favourite apps for helping teams stay focused. With so much going on in the
SharePoint has come a long way over the years since it was launched by Microsoft as a simple server management tool in 2001. Twenty years later, and with every iteration, it continues to evolve. Now a sophisticated file sharing
In the past year, we’ve changed almost every business practice we’ve been used to. So for communications professionals tasked with the job of planning large employee virtual events this year, we wanted to give you some support to make it
In our last blog, we touched on automation and the benefits of ditching paper-based processes in favour of a more efficient, smarter way of working. In this blog, we’ll delve further into: What is automation? The benefits of automation
The face of the ‘traditional’ workplace has changed dramatically over the past 16 months as businesses try to grasp what the workplace of the future will look like. But the pandemic hasn’t been the only catalyst for organisations to
Automating paper-based processes and moving to a more digitally-focused business isn’t something from the future, it’s happening right now and is a trend that’s gaining momentum. There was a time when the term “automation” conjured up images of manufacturing plants full of robots.
The world produces 300 million tons of paper every year. That’s an astonishing figure considering the advancements in technology specifically designed to help achieve a paperless business. The paperless movement has been rumbling on for quite some time
Many of us are using Teams, but is your organisation using it to its fullest potential? We’ve pulled together 10 Microsoft Teams best practices to help you run and manage a high-performing Teams environment… 1. The ultimate Teams
It should come as no surprise (Microsoft has sent a fair few reminders) that Skype for Business Online is officially on its way out. As of 31 July 2021, Skype for Business Online will be putting its feet up and gracefully
Becoming a Digital Champion is a rewarding experience. As well as helping colleagues who might struggle with change, you’re also learning new skills. However, not appreciating the time and commitment it takes to become a Digital Champion can be a
Ever come back from a holiday to hundreds of emails and had to trawl through them one by one, jumping from one conversation to another? Or been sent a convoluted email trail and expected to be ‘up to date’? Or
You may be familiar with terms like change fatigue or Zoom fatigue, but have you heard of champions’ fatigue? It’s one of the reasons why change programmes fail. In this blog we explain the phenomenon and offer tips and tricks
Teams steps up to provide interactive webinars We all know the power of a face-to-face event. The tangibility of key speakers imparting their wisdom. But with face-to-face events currently on hold, Teams has stepped up to provide interactive webinars that
Welcome to the third instalment of our Digital Champions blog series! In our last blog, we talked about creating a winning environment for our digital champions so they can really have a positive impact on your change programme.
Digital Champion Programmes are an essential tool in the overall change programme. They harness the drive and desire of people who want to help shape the future of their organisation and support their colleagues through the change. A study
Knock out digital champs – how to find the top people who’ll really pack a punch on your digital champion programme. According to the Harvard Business Review and a study by Degreed, 55% of people prefer to learn
We’ve quickly had to adapt to a new world and adopt new ways of working. And as always, Microsoft has been working at breakneck speed, introducing even more new features to the chat and Collaboration functionalities in Teams Chat, to
The benefits of taking a break are well-documented, so why do we continue to join virtual meetings one after the other, leaving our brains literally fried? It’s time to give your brain a break. This year’s Mental Health Awareness
Employee burnout is a term you’ve probably heard a lot more in recent times. Stress and feeling overwhelmed can become part of professional life. When this relentless work pressure becomes debilitating, it’s known as burnout. In this blog, we’ll
Buying into Microsoft 365 is one thing, getting people to understand it and use it is another. Microsoft is continually looking for new and exciting ways to keep ahead of the digital game and make regular announcements of new
April is Stress Awareness month and a great opportunity for us to look at how tech can help us manage wellbeing and stress from O365 in the workplace. As companies start to lift their heads from the initial
Microsoft has been looking at new and exciting ways to keep employees connected and engaged. In this blog, we focus on some of the features that Microsoft recently announced, designed to foster a culture of employee wellbeing in the workplace.
Digital Onboarding; the process of integrating a new employee into the company so they’re fully prepared with the necessary knowledge, tools, skills and connections to succeed in their new role. It’s immersing them in the company culture so they want
Not so much ‘beam me up Scotty’ as ‘beam me in’ as Microsoft launch their new Mesh technology which looks set to reinvent the way we interact online. Announced at the recent annual Ignite conference, Microsoft Mesh uses 3D
So much of our work is relationship-based so how do we stay connected from a distance, and maintain relationships with our colleagues, managers and stakeholders? In part one we discussed people management and how Microsoft apps could help support you
Yet another rammed Microsoft Ignite show. There are so many innovations on the horizon concerning Microsoft 365 that will revolutionise how we interact in the workplace and the social space. We have taken the time to look through everything Ignite
Along with the pandemic of 2020 came digital adoption like we’ve never seen. For so many people, working and learning moved from the office and into their home. This flexible working has continued into 2021 and looks set to
Microsoft recently unveiled a brand-new platform designed for employee engagement, learning, wellbeing and knowledge discovery to help employee’s transform the way they work remotely. In this article I will outline my top 7 Microsoft Viva features and what to expect from them. Viva Topics Content and skills are arranged automatically
There’s no debating that over the past twelve months our employees would have been completely isolated and adrift if it wasn’t for the use of Enterprise Social Networks (ESNs). The surge in remote working cultures has definitely been on the rise in
Showing our appreciation and recognising people for their efforts is simple yet powerful. However, it is often underrated and underused. And in a remote world with a lack of face-to-face interaction, the need to celebrate success is even more crucial.
Last week was a big week for Microsoft aficionados the world-over with the launch of Viva, including for us here at Changing Social. But this announcement felt different. Hear from Changing Social MD Steve Crompton as he explains more about
Change is a constant factor in large organisations but employees are often wary of it and what it means for them. In the current landscape – characterised by ongoing unpredictability in professional and personal lives – employees have a lower
Over the coming weeks, we’re going to be blogging about some of the apps available in Microsoft Teams to support you to manage your people, stay connected and maintain focus. In part one, we will be looking at apps to
In recent months, the shift to remote and hybrid work has led organisations of all sizes, and across every industry, to rethink how their people and teams communicate and collaborate. During the COVID crisis, many organisations transformed quickly and
This is the second part of our blog series on managing and working in virtual teams. As lockdown comes to an end in the UK, the government advice remains that for those who can work remotely should. There is