Microsoft Teams Business Setup Checklist

To set up Microsoft Teams for a business, create teams for each department, add members, set up channels for projects or topics, add tabs for the files and apps each team uses, and train staff.

Teams now has over 320 million monthly active users (2023), so most clients and partners will already be familiar with it. 

What can Microsoft Teams do?

First, let’s look at the different areas of Microsoft Teams and what it can do. Then, we’ll give you a simple setup checklist to help your team get up and running productively.

You can think of Teams as a virtual office in the cloud. It’s a centralized hub where teams can communicate, collaborate, and manage tasks. There is also an external communication component to Teams. You can use the app to video conference with anyone. You can also invite guests to a chat channel.

Here are some of the features of MS Teams:

• Siloed chat channels
• Security for team communications
• Integration with Office apps
• Integration with 3rd party apps
• File sharing
• Video and audio conferencing
• VoIP phone system (with an extra add-on)
• Keep all team resources in a single place

Teams is the core of many unified communications setups, and works best with properly equipped meeting rooms.

Microsoft Teams Versions

Some good news for small businesses is that there is a free version of Microsoft Teams. If you sign up for a Microsoft 365 business plan, you get the app included, but with a few more features.

Microsoft has also been pushing MS Teams for personal use. So, you can use it to keep your departments better coordinated at work. Or to manage family video calls or PTA meeting collaboration. It’s a versatile and scalable virtual office platform.

 Checklist for Setting Up Microsoft Teams 

1. Set Up Your Teams/Departments

One of the advantages of Teams is that it allows you to set up specific areas for your groups to collaborate. You do not want everyone to set these teams up on their own, or you could end up with an unorganized mess.

Some ideas for setting these up:

• Set up teams by department (accounting, marketing, etc.)
• Add a company-wide team (where everyone can collaborate)
• Set up teams by role (office managers, executives, etc.)

Typically, if you mirror the hierarchy of your organization, that’s a good place to start. Team areas are secured so only those users invited can see or access any of the content in that team.

2. Add Team Members

For each team, add the members allowed to take part in that team. These would be people that can see the resources posted in that team area. It would normally be the members of the department or group that the team is designed for.

3. Set Up Team Channels

The next level beneath the Team is the Channels. These team channels help organize conversations. For example, within a team set up for your marketing department, you may decide to add three channels. This keeps conversations more focused and makes it easier to find things.

For instance, you could have channels for:

• Website Management
• Social Media
• Offline Advertising

Team channels are another area that you want to control. Don’t let everyone set up channels without a plan, otherwise, things get messy fast.

4. Set Up Team Tabs

Tabs are a great way to foster productivity. Say that employees on your accounting team need to access a tax reporting website. Inevitably, there can be time wasted asking for that link or a login. This is especially true if someone is filling in for a co-worker.

You can add that website link and info to the Tabs area at the top of the team channels. Just click the plus sign to add a new resource and consolidate things for your team members.

5. Schedule MS Teams Training

One of the reasons that company initiatives fail is that users weren’t properly enabled. If users aren’t trained on using MS Teams, then they’ll revert to using whatever they used before. This negates the benefits of moving to Teams when not everyone is onboard.

Work with a Microsoft professional to train your teams. We can provide tips on the most productive features. As well as short-cut their learning curve quite a bit! Make sure to have a realistic timeframe. You should also survey users on whether they feel they need more training. Pair it with our Microsoft 365 expert tips.

Need help implementing Teams? 

CloudConsole sets up Teams and Microsoft 365 for businesses in the Philippines and trains your staff. Contact us for a free consultation. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I set up Microsoft Teams for my business? 

Create teams by department, add members, set up channels and tabs, then train staff on how to use them. 

Is Microsoft Teams free? 

There is a free version with basic features. Business plans in Microsoft 365 add meetings, storage, and admin controls. 

What is the difference between a team and a channel? 

A team is a group of people, such as a department. Channels are topics or projects inside that team.