Continuing with our series on the awesomeness of Microsoft Teams, this month we're looking at a great feature which allows you to edit documents with your colleagues simultaneously, within the app itself.
If you're new to Microsoft Teams, get up to date with the basics with our first article about the great new replacement for Skype for business. If you missed last month, read about how Microsoft Teams can help you get talking here.
What's the feature?
It's in-app documents - everything from Excel to PowerPoint to Word, accessible within Microsoft Teams so you don't even have to leave the app.
How do you find it?
Open up the app, and select a Team. From there, pick your channel. In the top bar, you'll be able to see a few tabs; Conversations, Files and Wiki. Click on files. From there, you can upload, open and edit a file that you and your colleagues need to work on or access.
How do you use it?
Click the file you want, and it'll open up right in Microsoft Teams. Hit the button that says 'Edit' and you can edit the file alongside people, without saving over each others work or getting very confused. You can even hit 'Start conversation' and start a chat with anyone else currently looking at the document.
Why would you use it? What problem is it solving?
The problem with storing files in a shared location is that only one person can edit a file at once. If someone else gets there before you, or even if someone leaves the file open, you won't be able to edit the file and you might not even be able to access it, depending on the permissions.
With Microsoft Teams, you can edit simultaneously, so you know that you're always working on the most recent version of that file. If for whatever reason you need an older version of the file, you can rewind time and find the save you want.
You can see who is editing (as pictured above in the red circle) and you can see where abouts on the page each person is working (as pictured above, Kirk is working in the pink cell, while Rebecca works in green cell).
What is Microsoft Teams replacing with this feature?
This wasn't possible back in the days of Skype for Business, and it isn't possible outside of Teams either. It's a brand new feature, and it really is a useful one for businesses who frequently need to access and work on the same files. Microsoft Teams has done a great job of centralising and integrating files within the app, so your documents aren't going to get lost (and hopefully, neither will your colleagues).
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