Viva Community was formerly known as Yammer. It helps bring your people together across the organization to  

• Connect 
• Share knowledge 
• Find belonging at work.  

With advanced analytics, you gain insights to improve engagement, productivity, and business outcomes. 

Today, we’ll explore the analytics available with Viva Community. And how you can leverage by different roles to drive real impact. 

Overview of Microsoft Viva Engage Analytics 

Viva Engage analytics enable: 

• Users to check their own engagement through personal analytics 
• Leaders and delegates to watch their audiences’ engagement through audience analytics 
• Corporate communicators to manage campaign engagement through campaign analytics 
• Knowledge admins to track Answers engagement through global analytics 
• Network admins to monitor organization-wide engagement through network analytics 

These powerful analytics are available with Viva Community Premium with Viva Suite licenses. 

Analytics refresh daily, providing a near real-time view into community health and engagement. 

Want to learn more? Check out this overview of Microsoft Viva Community 

Now let’s dive deeper into each analytics capability. 

Accessing Analytics in Viva Engage 

You can access analytics via the top bar icon. Find it in Viva Community. It’s easy and quick. 

For network, knowledge admins get more controls. Find these in the admin center. Go to Manage analytics. 

Network Analytics 

Network analytics offer engagement views. See communication health organization-wide. Broad insights are available. 

With metrics like sentiment, retention, matter. They help admins make informed decisions. Improve network health with data. 

Key Metrics of Network Analytics 

Daily Active Users shows how many unique users posted, liked, or read a message on a given day. This helps gauge overall engagement. 

28-Day Active Users shows monthly active users, indicating sustainable engagement over time. 

Sentiment analysis detects emotions. It scans posts and comments. Reflects public feeling on topics. 

Employee Retention metric is revealing. Compares engaged users’ retention rates. Check against less active peers. This metric compares 28-day retention rates of active vs non-active users. 

Most Active Communities highlight engagement. Identify and emulate successful communities. Learn from the best practices. 

How Network Analytics Help 

With network analytics, admins and communicators can: 

• Identify low engagement areas to focus community building efforts 
• Analyze sentiment to guide strategic decisions and culture initiatives 
• Correlate engagement with employee retention to showcase Viva Community ROI 
• Spot highly active communities to replicate their strategies more broadly 

Audience Analytics 

Audience analytics inform leaders and delegates. They offer engagement insights for audiences. Understand your audience better. 

Found on the leader’s storyline page, these analytics foster leader connection. Motivate your people effectively. 

Key Metrics  of Audience Analytics

Active Communities reveal top engagement. It’s shown by reactions and replies. Also, by reads. 

Sentiment analysis gauges audience mood. It detects positive, negative, neutral feelings. Understand common themes deeply. 

Top Contributors reveals who is driving conversations and engagement within the audience. 

Reach shows what percentage of the audience is being reached with the leader’s posts. 

How Audience Analytics Help 

Audience analytics empower leaders and delegates to: 

• Identify and engage their most active communities 
• Analyze sentiment to understand people’s attitudes and morale 
• Recognize top contributors to showcase their expertise 
• Assess their reach and refine communication strategies 

Knowledge Analytics 

Viva Engage Community Answers offers knowledge analytics. They show engagement and impact clearly. Many insight for organizations like yours. 

Find metrics via the analytics icon. Knowledge managers can even optimize Answers. Use these metrics for improvement. 

Key Metrics of Knowledge Analytics

Questions Asked and Answered shows volume of questions posted and resolved over time. 

Resolution Time indicates how quickly answers are provided to questions. 

Active Responders reveals top contributors answering community questions. 

People Helped quantifies the reach of the Answers program. 

How Knowledge Analytics Help 

With knowledge analytics, knowledge managers can: 

• Analyze Ask and Answered volume to identify gaps 
• Optimize responder resources based on resolution time 
• Spotlight top responders to recognize their expertise 
• Showcase reach with People Helped to demonstrate value 

Campaign Analytics 

For organizations using Viva Community campaigns, campaign analytics provide insight into campaign performance. 

Access these metrics from icon or pages. It helps communicators refine campaigns. Tailor future outreach efforts. 

Key Metrics of Campaign Analytics

Reach shows the percentage of targeted users who viewed campaign posts. 

Engagement Rate reveals how many impressions led to post clicks, reactions, comments, etc. 

Top Content Creators get the spotlight. It shows who posted most. Recognize their advocacy efforts. 

How Campaign Analytics Help 

With campaign analytics, communicators can: 

• Evaluate reach to adapt distribution and targeting 
• Assess engagement levels to refine content and delivery 
• Showcase top advocates to encourage further activation 

Personal Analytics 

All Viva Community users can access personal analytics from their profile icon. Insights come from posts and comments. Understand your audience engagement. See how they interact. 

Key Metrics of Personal Analytics

Post Impressions shows how many times a user’s posts were viewed. 

Reactions indicates how many likes, laughs, etc. a user’s posts received. 

Comments reveals how many comments people left on the user’s posts. 

Reads shows how many times the user’s posts were clicked into and read. 

How Personal Analytics Help 

Personal analytics allow individual users to: 

• Gauge if their messages are reaching their intended audiences 
• Assess how well their posts resonate in terms of reactions 
• Evaluate their success in driving discussion via comments 
• Determine whether their content is valued via click-throughs 

Maximizing Microsoft Viva Engage Analytics 

Viva Community analytics are powerful. They provide deep engagement insights. Learn about communication, knowledge sharing. 

But deriving value takes more than just looking at default analytics. Here are best practices for getting the most from your Viva Community analytics: 

Take action – Don’t just view analytics, act on the insights. Address weak areas. Capitalize on strengths. Analytics without action provide no value. 

• Set goals. Define clear key performance indicators. Identify target metrics. Focus your efforts strategically. Measure your success accurately. 
• Segment and filter. Analyze data by specific subgroups. Consider regions, departments, or tenures. Look for hidden trends. 
• Correlate with other data. Cross-reference with HRIS or help desk. Use multiple systems for insights. Uncover deeper understanding. 
• Test and iterate. Experiment to improve metrics. Track the impact over time. Learn what works best. Adapt to your organization. 
• Think long term. See past daily fluctuations. Understand sustainable trends. Know your overall direction. Plan accordingly. 
• Simplify and visualize. Avoid too much data. Create compelling visuals. Make executive summaries digestible. Communicate insights clearly. 

Use default analytics wisely. They’re a solid foundation. Apply best practices. Enhance Viva Community analytics. Maximize value gained. 

Conclusion 

Microsoft Viva Community changes the analytics game. Distributed organizations now access what was once tough. Analytics now dive deep into varied organizational roles. Network, audience, knowledge, campaigns, personal levels – all transparent. Insights from these drive your strategy, engagement, and productivity. They also boost retention, keeping your team solid. 

Rich analytics, once elite, are now for all. Microsoft Viva Goals can finetune your connected employee experience. Your core business objectives? You’ll hit them sharper. But tools work best when wielded with skill. Learn to leverage Viva for your organization’s rhythm. 

This guide, a starting point for Viva Engage analytics. But remember, your organization’s needs are distinct. Need tailored advice? A strategic plan for Viva’s best use? Our experts are here to collaborate with you. Together, we’ll harness analytics to energize your team. Connect deeper, perform better, and soar higher, united. Contact us today. 

With Viva Goals, you can: 

• Set clear, measurable goals. 

• Track your progress and stay on track. 
• Get feedback from your team. 

And much more. In fact, studies have shown that organizations that use goal-setting software are 30% more likely to achieve their goals. So if you’re serious about achieving your goals, then you need to try Microsoft Viva Goals. It’s the only software that can help you bridge the gap between dreams and reality. Continue reading this blog and see for yourself how Viva Goals can help you reach your full potential. Let’s get started!

1. The Power of Goal Setting

Goals, my dear readers, possess an extraordinary power, an undeniable force that propels us towards success. They serve as beacons of light, guiding us through the tumultuous sea of life. Whether you’re a C-level executive, a consultant, or a manager, comprehending the true might of goal setting can turn the tides in your favor. 

Clarity: Illuminating the Path to Success 

The beauty of setting clear goals lies in the crystal-clear clarity they bestow upon our actions. When we define our aspirations, we pave the path to accomplishment.  

Goals serve as roadmaps, outlining the necessary steps to reach our desired destinations. Such clarity allows us to allocate our efforts, make informed choices, and utilize our resources with precision. Without this clarity, we may find ourselves adrift, lost amidst a sea of ambiguity and indecisiveness. 

Challenges of Traditional Goal-Setting Methods 

Yet traditional goal-setting methods often present their own set of challenges. The antiquated approach, jotting goals on paper or using rudimentary digital tools like spreadsheets, fails to deliver the real-time tracking, progress updates, and timely reminders that we require. 

Additionally, these conventional methods often lack visibility and hinder collaboration. In our fast-paced, interconnected world, it is vital for teams and individuals to align their goals and work harmoniously towards a shared vision. Alas, traditional means fall short, fostering fragmented efforts and squandering opportunities for synergy.

  2. Introducing Microsoft Viva Goals

 Microsoft Viva Goals-This remarkable platform stands at the forefront of goal setting and achievement, powered by the indomitable might of Microsoft technologies. Viva Goals redefines the very essence of turning dreams into reality, offering an array of features and functionalities that will leave you in awe. 

Microsoft Viva Goals: Transforming Dreams into Reality 

With its user-friendly interface and intuitive design, Microsoft Viva Goals beckons you into a world of seamless goal management. Say goodbye to the days of scattered notes and fragmented tasks.  

Within the heart of Viva Goals, you’ll discover a  

• A centralized hub where you can define your objectives. 
• Set milestones. 
• Break down complex undertakings into manageable steps.  

Prepare to witness the beauty of clarity and organization unfold before your eyes. 

Seamless Goal Management: A World of Clarity and Organization 

One of the crowning jewels of Microsoft Viva Goals is its real-time tracking capability. Bid farewell to tedious manual updates and guesswork. Viva Goals captures your progress as you tackle tasks and conquer milestones, automatically updating your journey with every step forward.  

This invaluable feature provides you with a dynamic view of your overall progress, empowering you to make informed decisions and steer your path toward success. 

Integration for Collaboration: A Unified Platform for Success 

But that’s not all. Microsoft Viva Goals seamlessly integrates with other productivity tools within the Microsoft ecosystem. Imagine the convenience of working within a unified platform, where Microsoft Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, and more seamlessly intertwine.  

This harmonious integration fosters collaboration, enhances communication, and unites teams with a shared purpose. Together, you can soar to new heights of synergy and achievement. 

Intelligent Recommendations: Unleashing Your Full Potential 

Yet, what truly sets Microsoft Viva Goals apart is its ability to offer intelligent and personalized recommendations. Behold the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning, working tirelessly behind the scenes to analyze your work patterns, activities, and preferences.  

Armed with this knowledge, Viva Goals provides you with tailored suggestions and insights, guiding you towards optimal strategies for success. Prepare to unlock your full potential like never before. 

  3. Bridging the Gap: Turning Dreams into Reality 

Ladies and gentlemen, behold the magnificent bridge that is Microsoft Viva Goals. It is not merely a tool for setting goals; oh no, it is a gateway to transforming your wildest dreams into tangible realities. Prepare to witness the remarkable power of Viva Goals as it bridges the gap between your aspirations and their ultimate fulfillment. 

Tracking Progress in Real-Time: A Clear Path to Success 

One of the key pillars of Microsoft Viva Goals lies in its unwavering commitment to tracking and monitoring progress. Through its robust capabilities, Viva Goals grants you the extraordinary ability to witness your journey unfold in real-time.  

It paints a vivid picture of your accomplishments, illustrating the distance you have traveled and the road that lies ahead. This real-time visibility keeps you firmly on the path, fueled by determination, focus, and accountability.  

Whether you’re a visionary executive pursuing business growth or a consultant striving for personal milestones, the power to monitor your progress empowers you to make astute decisions and take decisive actions, ensuring you remain firmly on track. 

Motivation Along the Way: Celebrating Milestones and Fostering Support 

But that’s not all. Microsoft Viva Goals understands that the pursuit of goals can be arduous and challenging. That’s why it has woven elements of motivation into its very fabric.  

Viva Goals celebrates your milestones and achievements, showering you with a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. It encourages social engagement and collaboration, enabling you to share your progress with trusted confidants, seek invaluable feedback, and bask in the uplifting support of teammates, mentors, and friends. 

Collaboration and Alignment: Uniting Teams for Collective Success 

Yet, the true brilliance of Microsoft Viva Goals lies in its ability to foster alignment and collaboration among teams. It serves as a harmonious gathering place, uniting individuals from diverse backgrounds and departments on a single platform.  

This unified haven nurtures cross-functional collaboration, allowing disparate teams to synchronize their goals and march together toward a shared vision. Silos crumble, and the essence of collective success takes root, empowering everyone to reach unprecedented heights. 

Data-Driven Insights: Guiding Your Path with Wisdom 

But wait my friends, there’s more. Microsoft Viva Goals harnesses the power of data analytics and insights. It delves deep into the heart of your goal-related activities, unearthing patterns, and trends that lay hidden. With this wealth of information at hand, Viva Goals offers you invaluable insights and personalized recommendations.  

It becomes your trusted guide, steering you toward optimal goal-setting strategies and highlighting areas where refinement can lead to even greater success. Armed with these data-driven revelations, you stride forward with confidence, knowing that every decision is grounded in wisdom. 

4.  Mastering Technology for Unparalleled Success

In the realm of goal achievement, Microsoft Viva Goals stands as a testament to the power of technology. With its seamless integration, intelligent recommendations, and advanced analytics, Viva Goals revolutionizes the way you work, propelling you towards unrivaled success. Let us explore how Microsoft Viva Goals harnesses the might of technology to unlock your full potential. 

Seamless Integration: A Unified Digital Landscape 

• Experience seamless integration with Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint. 
• Eliminate context-switching and ensure a smooth flow of information and collaboration. 

Intelligent Recommendations: Guiding Your Path to Greatness 

• Leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning for tailored goal-setting insights. 

• Receive intelligent recommendations based on your work patterns and preferences. 

Effective Task Management: Streamlining Your Journey 

• Break down goals into actionable tasks with due dates and reminders. 
• Stay on track with notifications and alerts, optimizing time management. 

Collaborative Synergy: Unleashing the Power of Teams 

• Enable cross-functional collaboration and align teams towards shared visions. 
• Embrace integrated communication and collaboration features for seamless teamwork. 

Advanced Analytics: Illuminating Your Path with Insights 

• Harness the power of data analytics to gain valuable insights into goal progress. 
• Utilize reports, visualizations, and metrics to refine strategies and drive success. 

With every revelation, Viva Goals propels you forward, transforming your path into one paved with wisdom.

5. Real-Life Success Stories: Inspiring Tales of Achievement

• Jane, a Sales Manager: Surpassing Sales Targets

Jane, a sales manager at a leading tech company, harnessed the power of Microsoft Viva Goals to propel her team to unprecedented success. With an audacious goal of increasing sales by 20% within six months, Jane utilized the platform to craft a comprehensive plan. By breaking down the objective into specific targets for each team member, she fostered clarity and accountability. Through real-time tracking and progress updates, Jane swiftly identified areas in need of improvement and provided timely guidance.  

The result? Jane’s team not only achieved their target but surpassed it, experiencing a remarkable 25% growth in sales. This extraordinary accomplishment not only boosted the team’s confidence but also opened doors to recognition and career advancement opportunities for Jane herself. 

•  ABC Consulting Firm: Fostering Collaboration and Growth

ABC Consulting, a mid-sized consulting firm, faced the challenge of goal alignment and collaboration across their diverse departments. Enter Microsoft Viva Goals, the transformative solution that revolutionized their goal-setting process. By implementing the integrated platform, teams within ABC Consulting found a unified haven for aligning objectives, sharing progress updates, and offering mutual support. The firm witnessed a remarkable transformation, marked by improved coordination, enhanced communication, and a profound sense of shared purpose.  

The result? ABC Consulting achieved higher client satisfaction rates, increased profitability, and a fortified position in the market. Microsoft Viva Goals played an instrumental role in reshaping their organizational culture and driving their overall growth. 

•  Mark, an Entrepreneur: Building Dreams from the Ground Up 

Mark, an ambitious entrepreneur, harbored a bold vision of launching his own startup. With Microsoft Viva Goals as his guiding light, he set forth on his journey to turn his dream into reality. Utilizing the platform’s dynamic features, Mark meticulously crafted milestones and actionable tasks to propel him closer to his vision. The platform’s intelligent recommendations served as a trusted compass, providing invaluable insights that enabled Mark to pivot his strategies and seize emerging opportunities.  

The result? Mark successfully secured funding, built a talented team, and launched his startup within the projected timeline. Microsoft Viva Goals not only supported Mark in achieving his entrepreneurial dream but also provided him with a structured framework for ongoing growth and expansion. 

Whether it’s surpassing sales targets, fostering collaboration, or launching successful ventures, Microsoft Viva Goals stands as a powerful catalyst for professional growth and success. 

 6. Implementing Microsoft Viva Goals with Beyond Intranet: Unleashing the Potential

Define a Clear Implementation Strategy: Charting the Course 

Embarking on the journey of implementing Microsoft Viva Goals demands a strategic approach. Before delving into the platform’s transformative capabilities, take the time to define a clear implementation strategy. Identify your specific goals, objectives, and desired outcomes.  

Craft a roadmap that delineates the steps to be taken, assigns roles and responsibilities, and sets realistic timelines. By establishing a well-defined strategy, you lay the foundation for a successful implementation that paves the way for extraordinary achievements. 

Customize Viva Goals to Your Needs: Tailored Excellence 

Microsoft Viva Goals offers a range of customization options, and partnering with Beyond Intranet can unlock its full potential. Work closely with their team of experts to customize Viva Goals, align it with your organization’s distinctive branding, and configure it to seamlessly integrate into your existing workflows and processes.  

This customization ensures that Viva Goals becomes an integral part of your ecosystem, enhancing user adoption and engagement. Through tailored excellence, you unlock a world of limitless possibilities. 

Provide Training and Support: Empowering Success 

To ensure a seamless transition and maximum adoption of Microsoft Viva Goals, prioritize comprehensive training and support for your employees. Collaborate with Beyond Intranet, as they offer training sessions and resources tailored to your organization’s needs. By equipping your team with the knowledge and expertise to navigate Viva Goals’ features and functionalities, you empower them to harness its full potential. This empowerment translates into enhanced productivity and the effective achievement of goals. 

Foster Collaboration and Communication: Thriving Together 

At the heart of Microsoft Viva Goals lies the power of collaboration and communication. Leverage the expertise of Beyond Intranet to maximize these inherent features within the platform. Unleash shared goals, encourage progress updates, and establish seamless feedback mechanisms. Foster a vibrant culture of teamwork and transparency, where individuals and teams unite to pursue shared objectives, exchange innovative ideas, and provide unwavering support for each other’s progress. Together, you can achieve remarkable feats. 

Monitor and Measure Progress: Insights for Excellence 

To stay on track and make informed decisions, consistently monitor and measure progress. Microsoft Viva Goals offers robust analytics and reporting capabilities, and Beyond Intranet can guide you in harnessing these features effectively. Unlock valuable insights into goal progress, performance trends, and areas for improvement. With a data-driven approach, you can refine strategies, identify bottlenecks, and optimize the achievement of goals. The power of insights propels you towards excellence. 

With Beyond Intranet as your trusted partner, specializing in Microsoft solutions, you can navigate the implementation process with confidence. Their expertise ensures seamless integration of Microsoft Viva Goals into your organization, maximizing its impact on your business. From customization to comprehensive training and ongoing support, Beyond Intranet provides end-to-end assistance, unlocking the full potential of Viva Goals. 

By incorporating these best practices and leveraging the expertise of Beyond Intranet, you embark on a transformative journey with Microsoft Viva Goals. Enhance collaboration, streamline workflows, and achieve remarkable results. Embrace the power of goal achievement, fueled by the unmatched synergy between Microsoft Viva Goals and Beyond Intranet. Witness your organization’s potential unfold before your eyes. 

7. Conclusion of Microsoft Viva Goals

Now is the time to embrace Microsoft Viva Goals and start turning your dreams into reality. By implementing this powerful tool, you can unlock your full potential, achieve remarkable goals, and experience professional growth. 

To further enhance your journey, consider exploring Beyond Intranet’s Microsoft 365 services. Their expertise in creating a connected and inclusive workplace, combining employee experience, learning, and knowledge sharing, can amplify the impact of Microsoft Viva Goals. Visit Beyond Intranet’s website today to learn more and take your goal-setting endeavors to the next level. 

Remember, success begins with setting clear goals, taking consistent action, and embracing the tools and resources available to you. Start your goal-setting journey with Microsoft Viva Goals and Beyond Intranet’s M365 services anda pave the way for a future filled with achievements and growth. 

Turn your dreams into reality. Embrace Microsoft Viva Goals today! 

Microsoft added new and exciting features to MS Teams that will make it easier to use.

Remove calls from your call history list

MS Teams comes up with a fantastic feature for the end-users. Now you can remove calls from history. Hide calls from your list to clear up the clutter in your call history display. 

To remove a call from your history, go to Calls Audio call icon > History. Hover over the call you could like to remove and select the More actions icon > Remove from view.

A call deleted from your call history is no longer visible on any of your devices. Administrators can still obtain call data from deleted calls. 

Shared channels bring ease to working together

You can securely work with partners outside your organization using Microsoft Teams. Collaboration with people inside and outside your business is simpler through shared channels. The main benefits of using Shared Channel are scheduling meetings, sharing files, and working together in apps without switching tenants. 

Create a shared channel in Teams: Team owners can only create shared channels. As the team owner who created the shared channel, you automatically become the channel owner. Follow the steps to create the shared channel.  

• Navigate to the team you want to create the shared channel for and select More options   > Add channel. 

• Provide the channel name and the description. 
• Under Privacy, select the down arrow on the right, and then select Shared – People you choose from your org or other orgs have access. Then click on the Create button.

• Enter the names of the members of your organization you want to add to the channel and choose from the list. To add members outside of the organization, write their email addresses and choose from the list. Then click to the share button. 

Join a meeting with an ID and passcode 

You may now join a meeting using Teams on the web or the desktop client using a meeting ID and passcode. The meeting ID and passcode can be found in the meeting details tab or in the meeting invite. To join the meeting using ID, navigate to the calendar tab, where you will find Join with ID option.

Chat with yourself 

In Teams, Microsoft encourages users to talk with themselves with the newest chat feature —a one-on-one chat with yourself. Send messages, notes, files, and media items to yourself to help you stay organized. Your chat will be the first of your pinned chats in the chat list. 

The updated meeting experience is now available on the web  

Teams users using Chrome and Edge web browsers can now access the updated meeting experience. This includes pre-join features like users can set up mic and camera settings before entering a meeting, a dynamic view of the participants/audience and content, and your meeting controls/options have been moved to the top of the meeting window. 

Show as: comes to Teams  

Now in Teams, when we schedule a meeting, we can choose how that meeting will be shown in our calendar. Similar to Outlook, users can select from the following: Free, Tentative, Busy, Working somewhere, or Out of Office. You can find the “Show as” option at the top of your new meeting window. 

Multi-language meetings invite control  

Multi-language Teams meeting invite features enable admin users to show the join information in meeting invitations in up to two languages throughout all email platforms. Using this feature, users may customize meeting invites to include the languages with which their users are most familiar and comfortable. 

Co-organizer Meeting Role 

Organizers can now share control by assigning the new “co-organizer” role to 10 meeting participants. Co-organizer has most of the same capabilities as the organizer. Only invitees from the same tenant are eligible for the co-organizer role. The co-organizer role has some limitations, like the inability to create and manage breakout rooms, meeting recordings management, and download/view the attendance reports. 

Live Captions and transcriptions for Teams meetings now available on the Web 

Earlier, Real-time captioning and transcription features are only available in the Teams app, but now these features are available for web users in Teams meetings in 27 spoken languages. Click on the More Actions menu […] to enable the option and select Turn on live captions and/or Start 

transcription. Meetings become more inclusive and easier to follow when participants can see who is speaking and what’s being told during and after the meeting. 

Some new spoken languages available for Live captions and transcriptions for Teams Meetings 

Microsoft added six more spoken languages for live captions and transcriptions. The new languages include Czech, Thai, Hebrew, Portuguese, Vietnamese, and Turkish. People who generally prefer these languages will be more comfortable in the meetings, creating a more inclusive environment. 

Disable the chat write access for anonymous users 

IT admins can limit chat write access for non-federated users and unauthenticated users who join Teams meetings over a shared link. This adds another level of security, particularly in the financial industry, where chat messages may be utilized in a data security breach. 

Disable the chat write access using the PowerShell command: [-MeetingChatEnabledType = Enabled, Disabled, or EnabledExceptAnonymous]. Users can also do this using the admin portal under Chat in Meetings policy > Turn it on for everyone but anonymous users. 

Give and Take Control of Teams on VDI for VMware and Azure Windows Desktop 

Now users can Give and Take Control of Microsoft Teams from VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) for VMware and Azure Windows Desktop. During screen-sharing, the presenter’s shared content can be controlled by a meeting participant using the Give and Take Control feature. A presenter can give another team member control of the shared content so that person can do things like change files, etc. Both the presenter and the meeting participant can choose how much to share. Any time, the presenter can take over again. 

The meeting participant can request control when another member is sharing content. 

 The participant sharing content has the choice to approve or deny the request. 

Microsoft Teams chat embedded within Dynamics 365 

Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Teams work together to keep everyone engaged through a complete set of productivity tools. By integrating Teams chat within Dynamics 365, Users of Teams can now easily exchange ideas and collaborate directly and in context right in the workflow. Users can link new or existing chats to your Dynamics 365 records, like sales opportunities and support cases. 

There are three types of chat in Microsoft Teams.

1. One-on-one chats: to connect with people individually.

2. Group chats: to speak with a group of people at the same time.

3. Meeting chats: to ask a question without interrupting the speaker.

Many of you must be aware of these and use all three types of chat, but there are other features to chat that you may not be aware of, which we will discuss in this blog.

Start a Chat

To start a chat, click on the ‘Chat’ from the left navigation and select ‘New chat ’ to add then type in the name with whom you want to chat. You can also start a one-on-one chat from someone’s profile card. Open it by choosing their picture in a channel or by using search.

Once you’ve selected New chat and entered a person’s name, compose your message in the box at the bottom of the chat. To open formatting options, select Format beneath the box where you type your message.

Delivery Options

By clicking the ‘!’ button beneath the message while sending a conversation to an individual or small group, you can choose from three delivery choices. The possibilities are as follows:

1. Standard: The message will be delivered in the usual manner.

2. Important: The message’s title will be ‘Important,’ coupled with an exclamation icon.

3. Urgent: In addition to the headline being ‘Urgent,’ the receiver will be notified every 2 minutes for the next 20 minutes.

Posts in a channel have only one delivery option: ‘Important,’ with the same formatting as conversations.

Pin/Unpin chat

A conversation can be pinned or muted in the same way that we do in channels. To pin a conversation just hover over it and click on the ellipses ‘…’ and select pin.

The pinned conversation can be seen at the top, and to view the conversation in chat or unpin click on the ellipses ‘…’

Mark as unread

Mark a message as unread if you don’t have time to respond right away.

Save Messages

You can also save the messages by clicking on the ellipses and selecting ‘Save this Message’.

Messages you’ve saved are saved in your profile (accessed via your picture in the top right-hand corner).

Replying to a specific message

Within a conversation, users will be able to respond to individual messages in one of two ways. They may select “Reply” from the list after hovering over a message and clicking the ellipsis menu (…). Users may also right-click on a chat message and then select “Reply” from the context menu.

Create a task from the message

With the ability to create a task directly from a message in Teams, you can capture that important thought, to do item, or comment before it slips away. Convert any message into a task with the click of a button, and without the need for an additional app. Hover your mouse over any message in a Teams conversation and select the ellipses (…). On the pop-out menu choose More actions > Create task

In the new window, fill in the specifics of your assignment in the new window and adjust the parameters to match your requirements. The task will be put according to the Create in option.

a. If you choose Tasks, this will add the task to a To-Do list.

b. If you choose a plan name, the task will be added to a Planner plan.

With either selection, the task will also show up in the chat so others can see it too.

Share chat and channel conversations to outlook

You can send a copy of a chat and channel conversations as an email to Outlook from within Teams. Right-click on the message and select ‘Share to Outlook’

Choose the recipient, you can also add attachments or customize the message and then click ‘Send’ to share your chat.

Note: The Share to Outlook feature is currently not supported on mobile.

Final thoughts

In this blog, we have seen a few basic but very important features of the chat in Microsoft Teams. We think this might help you in a day of life with Teams. If you need any further assistance or if you need someone who can help you in the adoption of Microsoft Teams for your organization please email us at contact@beyondintranet.com

SharePoint contains two types of site collection: team and communication sites. Team sites are great for giving the members of a work group or project a way to collaborate on project deliverables, plan events, track status updates, and exchange ideas. Communication sites help you “broadcast” a message, tell a story, and share content to a large audience.

How to create a site collection.

1.Go to the app launcher from the top left corner and click ‘Admin’, under Apps.

2. From the left navigation, click ‘Show all’.

3.Under the “Admin Centers”, click ‘SharePoint’

4. Expand the ‘Sites’ and click ‘Active sites’ in the left navigation bar

5. You will see all the active sites on the right-hand Click on the ‘+Create’ button to create a new site.

6. Choose whether you want to create a ‘Team’ or ‘Communication’ site in the right pane. Here I have clicked on the Team site.

7. Give your site a name, add owner, and select the language. You can also expand the advance settings to change the privacy settings and time zone. Then click ‘Next’.

8. It will take a few seconds to create your site. Write the name of your site in the search box to find the site you created under active sites.

9. Click on the site URL to open the site.

Final thoughts

We hope this post on how to create a site collection on SharePoint helped. If you need more help on SharePoint site collections, contact us at contact@beyondintranet.com.

Here is the process for Office365 Global and Teams admin to customize the Microsoft Teams meeting invite for all users in the tenant. Admins can add the following items to meeting invite:

1. Organization’s logo

2. Specific URLs

3. Custom footers that can include statements for privacy or security and phone numbers for technical support.

You need to follow these 7 steps to customize your Microsoft Teams invite.

1. Sign into the Microsoft Admin center

Global or SharePoint admins can access the dashboard by logging in:

https://admin.microsoft.com If you are already logged in, click ‘Admin’ from the app launcher as.
Note: If you see a message that you don’t have permission to access the page, you don’t have admin rights.

2. Click on ‘Show all’ in the left pane of the Microsoft 365 admin center.

3. Under ‘Admin centers’ select ‘Teams’ you will be redirected to the Microsoft Teams admin center.

4. Select Meetings > Meeting settings in the Microsoft Teams admin center.

5. In the email invitation section customize the following four fields

a. Logo URL – image URL (.jpg or .png)

b. Legal URL – Organization’s legal page or privacy policy URL.

c. Help URL – website contact page.

d. Footer –add privacy, disclosure, or contact information (phone number, address, etc). 

6. Click Preview invite to review it before it is live.

7. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save.

Note: After customizing, the meeting invite changes may take an hour to reflect.

Final Thoughts

The process above shows the ability to customize Microsoft Teams meeting invite and adding the organization’s logo, legal and help URLs with the footer to add privacy, disclosure, or contact information.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below, or reach out to our SharePoint team for more questions. You can reach us at contact@beyondintranet.com