For many insurance agencies, choosing a collaboration platform can be a new challenge. Since the industry is more traditional as compared to more digitally advanced industries, it can be challenging to navigate what app would best suit your agency.

We previously discussed how Slack – a direct competitor of Microsoft Teams, can be used to enhance agency collaboration. In this article, we’ll be going over why Microsoft Teams is just as good, if not better.

So why did Microsoft build Teams? Well, we’re all used to the age-old conference rooms, the speakerphones, the missing files – if you’re not in the room then you’re not in the know. The collaboration powerhouse was created in response to this very traditional way of work. Creating a platform for promoting the evolutionary modern way of working – Microsoft Teams has been the fastest growing app in Microsoft’s history with more than 500,000 companies using it worldwide. 

The app solves the collaboration and communication needs of a diverse workforce no matter where they are. In a world where remote working is becoming the new normal, Microsoft Teams creates the bridge to a digital workspace for your team. Being the hub for teamwork within Office 365, Teams has a range of capabilities that have been extended to include chat, voice, and video.

Fully Integrated With Office 365 & Free

Microsoft Teams integrates beautifully with Office 365, which makes it a perfect fit if your agency is already using that. Office 365 applications that are used on a daily basis like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, SharePoint, and Outlook – are fully integrated into Microsoft Teams which makes it much more efficient for your team to have their everyday apps in one place.

Fewer Emails

As an insurance agency, emails are constantly going back and forth between your team, your clients, and your prospects. This usually leads to an overflow of emails in your inbox. With Microsoft Teams drowning in your emails becomes a thing of the past. Because Teams allows conversations to be held in a structural way, you no longer have all the email-upon-email response. If somebody needs to send you a file, they no longer need to email you an attachment – they can just send it to you in the Teams chat!

More Than Just Chat

Microsoft Teams allows you to have quick conversions with your team through their chat feature. But with Microsoft Teams it’s much more than that. If you need to share a file, you’re able to attach it directly in the chat. If you need to discuss the file, you’re able to simply call your colleague and also invite other colleagues to have the discussion straight from the window! You don’t even need to leave the chat to schedule a meeting – Microsoft Teams lets you schedule meetings within chats. Integrations such as OneNote and Office means you don’t need to switch apps. You’re able to collaborate on files with your team all right there in your chat window.

Channels

Microsoft Teams lets you create dedicated channels within a team that helps to keep conversations organized by specific departments, topics, or projects depending on whatever works for your team. Whether you want to create a channel for commercial lines, personal lines, marketing, or even just a general channel for your team to chat and socialize – Microsoft Team’s Channels allows you to do that. Similar to chats, channels too have app integrations and allow you to share files and collaborate on them right within the channel. This helps your agency stay organized and productive knowing that all their files, discussions, and folders are in their relevant channels.

Supercharged Meetings

Getting things ready for a meeting can be a challenge – especially if the meeting is with a client or prospect. The agenda is one email, agreed actions is usually another. Pre-meeting revisions seem to become displaced. Meetings in Teams makes the entire experience seamless. As soon as the meeting is created,  you’re able to start chatting with participants about the agenda, share files for revision, and keep track of meeting notes that are automatically saved. Meetings are recorded and then saved in the same tab in case you needed to go back and recall any important points.

Live Events

Want to hold a web conference? Microsoft Teams allows you to hold any meeting live such as large meetings, webinars, company-wide events, and presentations with up to 10,000 attendees both inside or outside your organization. This feature helps you effectively get your message across to large audiences.

Stay Connected Anytime & Anywhere With The Free Phone App

If you’re on the move you don’t need to worry about missing out! You can remain reachable and in the loop directly from your smartphone. With the Teams app, you get immediate access to all your apps and documents. You can easily respond to chats, take and make calls, as well as join meetings with one click!