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    We’ve already got Microsoft Teams. Why do we need an intranet?

    Mike Hicks

    March 31, 2021

    It's a question we get asked.

    With the shift to remote work came a huge wave of Microsoft Teams users (today it’s 115 million daily), as organizations across industries rolled it out on a mass scale.

    Let’s get one thing straight: Microsoft Teams is an excellent tool for chat-based communications and has some cool features to help with small scale collaboration. It lets employees hold meetings, check in, and make video calls with ease. But its name says it all – it’s made for teams. Teams might be a great way to co-ordinate small groups or departments, or keep track of projects, but it isn’t a replacement for a truly integrated digital workplace.

    When you consider that only 13% of employees are fully satisfied with their experience at work (according to this Gartner report), it’s going to take more than a chat tool to engage your digital workforce.

    So, what is Microsoft Teams good for?

    If your employees need a space for quick, informal catch ups, Teams offers instant messaging and works with SharePoint running in the background to allow for longer-term data and document management. It’s easy, accessible and ideal for quick operational announcements.

    However, Microsoft Teams simply isn’t designed to offer the kind of complete coverage that a modern intranet solution should. Nor is it able to fulfil your needs when it comes to corporate communication, collaboration, processes and integrations. All of which are essential aspects of a successful digital workplace.

    Want to know more? We’ve broken down the key points below.

    It's easy to miss important information

    Teams displays everyone in your organization as a single list, with no hierarchy. This is great when you’re reaching out for a quick chat, but not so great for prioritizing messages. Plus, there’s no way for managers to flag communications as urgent, which can lead to crucial information going missing.

    With all contacts and channels displaying on the same level, there’s no effective way to sort the friendly hellos from the urgent messages – which can lead to workflow issues.

    There's no way to unify information in one single global team

    Again, Microsoft Teams is designed to let small groups of people talk to each other and it does this just fine. But, with so many organizations working remotely, or scattered across the globe, a modern digital workplace needs to create a truly unifying workspace for all staff, across all offices and locations. This means connecting all of your local intranets into one single system that you can centrally govern, which is virtually impossible with Teams.

    You're not in control

    Speaking of governing content, this is another area where Teams just can’t compete with properly consolidated digital workplaces. There’s no way to monitor content, and ensure information is accurate, up to date, and relevant.

    There's no way to show off your brand

    Microsoft Teams looks like, well, Microsoft Teams. Which is fine, but don’t you want your intranet to look like your brand? A successful digital workplace should feel like an extension of your organization and match your own unique look. Beezy lets you fully customize every aspect of your digital workplace, so it really feels like home.

    It's tough to engage deskless workers

    If your organization relies on lots of frontline or deskless workers, you’ll seriously struggle to engage this audience with Teams. Unlike with digital workplace offerings like Beezy, there’s no real way to link the top floor to the shop floor, meaning communications might not reach key people – even with the Teams mobile app.

    What's the solution?

     

    There are many ways large organizations can use Microsoft Teams as part of their digital workplace. But that’s the point – it’s part of a digital workplace. Global organizations can’t rely on chat-based messaging alone. If you want to really improve the employee experience and truly connect your workforce, you’ll need the best of both worlds: Microsoft Teams and a digital workplace solution.

    Beezy helps you get the most out of Teams and the rest of the Microsoft 365 productivity suite. We help bridge the gaps and open up new collaboration possibilities with our third-party integrations and award-winning user interface.

    How does Microsoft Teams fit into your digital workplace?

    Combining Beezy and Microsoft Teams lets you communicate properly across different departments, devices, and languages. The result? A workforce that’s more productive, more engaged and, most importantly, happier.

    To learn more about how Microsoft Teams and Beezy work together, download our free eBook.

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