With businesses around the world no longer sticking to the 9-5 grind amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s now more important than ever before to give employees the tools they need for flexible working. So what is the best tool businesses can utilise to ensure remote and global teams work together, share information and communicate with ease? Enter: Microsoft Teams. The cloud service brings people together no matter where they are in the world through seamless remote connectivity and collaboration. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up some hidden Microsoft Teams features which can strengthen your business’ communication skills and productivity levels. Microsoft Teams For Remote Working Microsoft Teams is one of the greatest tools out there for remote working due to its on-the-go philosophy. From the ability to share your thoughts and ideas in group or private chats to video conference calls for up to 1,000 people, we’ve rounded up five handy Microsoft Teams features you can use to improve remote working methods. Filter Personal And Business Messages It can prove difficult to stay on top of messages when you are trying to work whilst also keeping an eye on your active chat feed. Thankfully, you can easily organise messages and personal lists using the activity filter - a great way to keep on top of your to-do list whilst away from your desk. Handy Microsoft Teams Shortcuts It has never been easier to save time at work, as Future Computers has discovered a number of great keyboard shortcuts that you can use on the platform. To open a new chat: Ctrl + 1 To open calls: Ctrl + 5 To open files: Ctrl + 6 To accept a video call: Ctrl + Shift + A To start a video call: Ctrl + Shift + U To decline a call: Ctrl + Shift + D Another top tip for saving time when using Microsoft Teams is utilising the slash command button. To see how you can use the shortcut, simply type a forward slash (/) into the search bar to see a list of options. Please see a handful of suggestions below: Set your status to available: /available Set your status to busy: /busy See someone’s activity: /activity Call someone: /call Chat to someone: /chat Bookmark Specific Content To Save Time When you’re working on the go, bookmarking specific messages can help save time. All you need to do is click the three dots next to any message within a Microsoft Teams channel. Select the option to ‘save this message’ and this will bookmark the chat. You will be able to access the message whenever you like by clicking your profile icon and selecting ‘saved’. All previous bookmarked items will also appear under here - great for when you’re between desks. Cloud Recording It can prove difficult to take notes whilst participating in a conference call, especially when you’re multitasking or on the go. Thankfully, you can capture - and save - meetings and group calls for future reference through cloud meeting recording. The digital record will then be stored in Microsoft Stream where users can share the clip securely throughout the business when needed. Immersive Reader If you’re using multiple screens or are struggling to concentrate when working from home, Immersive Reader is a great tool to utilise. Designed to increase productivity, the hidden feature will display and speak the text out loud. To use the helpful tool, simply hover over a message with your cursor and select ‘more options’, then ‘immersive reader’. Click ‘play’ to hear the words out loud. Microsoft Teams For Collaboration The Microsoft collaboration platform enables businesses to work together smoothly courtesy of conference calls on the go, live meetings and shareable files. To help you get the most from Microsoft Teams, here are three features which will make collaboration between colleagues seamless from bots to the VoIP phone system. Microsoft Teams Bots Microsoft Teams is also home to a number of bots designed to help colleagues collaborate with ease. For instance, Polly is a quick way to make decisions by gathering vital feedback from other members of the team using a poll. Meanwhile, the Stats bot will deliver scheduled reports via courses such as Google Analytics making it easier for workers to track progress. Another popular option is Workbot which is designed to approve workflows and manage everyday tasks such as requests for IT assistance, expense approvals and monitor sales targets. VoIP Phone System For Small Businesses Sometimes a Slack message isn’t enough and picking up the phone will save valuable employee time and energy. That’s where VoIP solutions come in to play. It doesn’t matter whether you have a Windows PC, iPhone or Google Android, anyone within the business can make a call to a fellow team member. As long as you have internet connection, you can stay in touch with colleagues no matter what time it is or where you are in the world. If this sounds like something your company would utilise, you can even add calling plans to fit your business needs. Calling plans take teams calling to the next level and allow you to make calls on the normal phone networks for local, national, mobile or international calls. Connect With Clients Do you need to connect with potential clients or freelancers? You don't need to be a member of Microsoft Teams to connect, as anyone with an email account can join a chat and meetings. Once you enable guest access, team owners can adjust rules and permissions to protect private company data and information. - Future Computers is an Australian business which offers IT solutions in Townsville, Cairns and surrounding areas. Our team manages the entire lifecycle of your company’s technologies from initial planning and design through to installation and ongoing support. Visit our website for more easy-to-follow tips on using Microsoft Teams from using the service to improve remote working to its place in streamlining business collaboration. Author Bio Andrew Bischof is the Owner/Director of Future Computers, an IT solutions provider in North Queensland. His dream of working in IT became a reality when he moved to Cairns and took over Future Computers in 2003. Since then, he has been providing IT Solutions in Townsville, Cairns and North Queensland. His goal is to provide clients with IT solutions that surprise, inspire and delight.

It doesn’t matter what sector your company is in. At the end of the day, every business succeeds because of the people who work there, from those toiling behind the scenes to the boardroom shot-callers. However, employees get into the door and move up through Human Resources, so empowering your HR professionals helps bolster your company’s foundations.

Modern software tools help them do their job better and in less time. Job description software can bring in the right people, keep them on track, and help everyone succeed.

Let’s check out how it works.

Better Job Descriptions in Less Time

Job titles seldom reflect every aspect of a position. What are the key skills, experiences, and behaviors that make a person excel in a certain job?

HR professionals may struggle to nail these down quickly. At large organizations with many divisions, it’s impossible to know the core traits needed to thrive in every job opening. In smaller, scrappier companies, employees are expected to be agile and potentially wear different hats. In both cases, it’s hard for HR to write full and accurate job descriptions that get to the heart of the positions without wasting time.

Leading job description software comes with a database of core competency-based job descriptions your HR pros can use as they come or customize as needed. The software combines the distilled wisdom of HR professionals and the computing power of AI to give your company a major leg up in the hiring process.

Hiring the wrong person can be a major setback. You spend a lot of time and money on training and onboarding, only to pay a severance if it doesn’t work out and begin the process from square one. 

There’s nothing companies can’t achieve when they assemble the right people. Job description software helps you identify the right people in less time and with less wasted energy. That’s not all it does.

Job description software plays a crucial role in your organization long after attracting the best candidates to apply.

More Probing Job Interviews

Once you’re face-to-face with the job candidate, what do you ask next? Job description software reuses the same core competencies in the job descriptions to create questions that align perfectly with the earlier process. Your HR teams will be armed with the right things to ask and won’t have to waste time finding the questions.

Anybody can Google “interview questions for __ position.” The questions job description software pose come from deeper considerations that professionals and AI agree matter most. There’s a major difference between asking a reasonable question and asking the right one.

Getting great candidates for the interview is only the beginning. Hiring the right person means understanding how to ask and navigate the questions once they’re there in front of you, not just sifting through a pile of resumes. 

Career Pathing

After the job interview, job description software stops playing a pivotal role in the organization, right? Wrong! From the time before the job interview to long after that employee retires, job description software performs critical services effortlessly. 

The behaviours, skills, and experiences reflected in the core competencies become the basis of evaluation for all employees. This arrangement helps everybody win; companies get employees who possess the right blend of skills, while each employee gets hired for abilities they possess and is assessed fairly and transparently. This level of clarity and agency helps employees feel deeper rooted in the company. 

They will feel valued because the institution genuinely does value what they bring to the table. Getting evaluated for precisely these skills gives them control over their career and personal finances. 

You don’t need subjective criteria that defy quantification because career pathing answers these critical questions impartially. You’ll better understand what every employee brings to their job, which helps them bring more. The software provides measurable targets employees must reach to attain their next promotion. With this type of clear data, they’ll feel more in control of their work and home life.

Whether you’re looking to boost the next campaign or make succession plans for years down the road, job description software can become the backbone of your operation. Plus, the company or institution can stitch together every employee’s career trajectory to see today where it’s headed in the future.

Job description software sounds like something designed to boost the interview process, but it aligns with all of your company’s fundamental HR processes. It will help get the right people working for you, then keep them on track so they do well enough to get promoted and achieve more. Companies across sectors are struggling to find and retain talent, so getting an HR boost can help more than you think. The right people working as a team can accomplish anything, but job description software helps you find the right people sooner without costly missteps. 

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