Five things to know about apps in Microsoft Teams

Apps let you do more in Teams. Think about the tools, files, and dashboards your organization already uses. Many of them can be added right into Teams. And you can find new ones by going to Apps on the left of Teams.  

Five things you should know about apps:

1. You can use apps in tabs in both chats and channels.

When you work with different people, you want different information and different tools on hand. You can add relevant files and apps as tabs to any Teams conversation.

For example, your team might review a Trello board several times a day. Or a smaller group may want to collaborate on a PowerPoint deck. To do work like this in Teams, Add a tab   at the top of a chat or channel to get started.

Note: To turn a specific file into a tab, you or a teammate must first upload it to Files or attach it to a message in the chat or channel. Once you pick your app, you'll be shown files of that type for you to select for the tab.

2. Messages can be more than just text, thanks to apps.

Some apps let you insert content from the app directly into Teams messages. These messages are chock full of info, have functionality, or simply look cool. 

To use one, select   beneath the box where you type a message and choose an app. 

Right click a favorite app to Pin it for easy access.

3. Some apps answer questions and follow commands.

A well-known benefit of Teams is collaborating with colleagues—a lesser-known perk is working with bots! 

You can interact with bots by @mentioning them in chats, channels, or search. For example, you can chat with Survey Monkey to create a new poll right from within a message. Or @mention Wikipedia in the Command box to find and share articles.

Bots may not give you the same warm, fuzzy feelings as your colleagues, but they can save you time by handling certain tasks.

4.  App notifications keep the right people informed.

Are there certain notifications that are useful to the whole team? Go to the channel you want, select More options   > Connectors, and choose an app. Then you’ll be prompted to configure notifications.

5. Some apps offer a personal view.

Any app with a personal view will appear on the left side of Teams. From here you can get a bird's eye look at your tasks or just have a place to do your own thing! 

Right click any app icon to Pin it for easy access.

A final note: Each app will have one or more of the features explained in this article. Scan its description to see what it can do. No matter where you add an app, all of its features will be ready to use… in all the right places in Teams!

For more information on improving your productivity, collaboration, and/or optimizing Microsoft Teams or to learn more about our IT support, contact RCS Professional Services to speak with our IT team. You can also visit our youtube channel for Microsoft Teams Training.