Microsoft Teams: Apps & Tools, Which Is Your Favourite?

As part of our Getting Started on Microsoft Teams blog series, this blog looks at some of the apps and tools that you can use in Teams. 

There are literally hundreds of tools and apps within Teams that add extra functionality and whizz bang tech to the already amazing platform. Some of these apps are free, whereas there are additional costs and subscriptions for others. 

And when it comes to using the latest and greatest tools and apps, we didn’t need to look any further than the team at Changing Social. Here a few of our self-confessed Teams fans share their favourites. 

Gregg Loves His Walkie Talkie

As a former teacher, our Education and Accessibility Lead, Gregg Bainbridge, knows how important it is for teachers and other front line workers to keep in touch. He was delighted when the Walkie Talkie app was recently released.  

“You can use the app to turn your mobile phone into a walkie talkie, so you can keep in touch with your colleagues wherever you are in the building. It would ideal for retail or warehouse workers as well as those in environments like schools or hospitals. And it doesn’t cost a penny, saving you on your phone bills too!”, Gregg said. 

Fran and Isabel Like to Dictate

Office 365 Adoption and Change Consultant, Fran Clarke, and Marketing Lead, Isabel Cole, are big fans of the dictation and transcription tools within Word.  

“For someone who thinks quicker than she can type, having a tool like dictate means I can get my ideas down quicker. I love it” said Fran. Isabel added, “I use dictate to write my to-do lists and emails now. I just find it so much easier and it means my dog still gets petted!”

Steve’s All About Culture & Analytics

Changing Social’s MD, Steve Crompton, likes making the most of the plug apps that support organisational culture. Steve uses the Culture Amp app to give and request feedback from his people. He is also a fan of the Swoop analytics app that helps leaders understand which Teams channels are active, who is posting and the sentiment of those posts. 

“As a leader of a remote team, I need to keep tabs on how everyone is feeling. These apps help me do this by giving me great data about collaboration, as well as giving me the opportunity to do pulse checks on the business. These are cool tools that other leader would no doubt benefit from too”, Steve concluded. 

Helena Loves a Quick Design

Helena Gore, Office 365 Adoption and Change Consultant, is a hugely talented graphic designer who just loves the Designer tool in PowerPoint. She says, “Designer is awesome. It’s great for jazzing up boring text slides and really easy to use.  

“Just type Designer into the help bar in PowerPoint and it will automatically create a variety of different slide designs for you to consider before picking one you like. If you’re not a designer but like things to look good, you’ll love this tool.” 

If you’d like to learn more about the apps and tools that exist within Teams, get in touch – we’d be delighted to show you what more Microsoft Teams can do for you. 

Changing Social is a certified Microsoft Adoption and Change Management Partner. We specialise in Microsoft Adoption and Change to help our clients adopt Office 365 in weeks not months. If you would like to adopt Office 365 in your organisation and would like to find out more about our services, including bespoke Office 365 training, please contact us at [email protected].