Meanwhile,
it is well known that the solution Microsoft Teams for remote and home office
is very suitable. In the context of COVID-19, Microsoft has made teams
available free of charge until February 2021. How you can use this offer is
described in this article: Welcome to Microsoft Teams free.
This means
that we now have the prerequisite that we already know from other case studies
and from other industries, namely: "People are creative and help
themselves". The example of a toy store was in the press in the last weeks
- the shop is currently closed; however, customers can phone the owner and
order toys. The owner then places the order with the butcher across the street because
the butcher is still open.
The depositing of the goods at the butcher
across the street and the option to pay by bank transfer is only one aspect of
the whole thing. Toys can also be ordered at Amazon and are delivered to your
home by the postman. The key point is the individual advice to the customer on
the phone before the purchase. And it's the same with online meetings. Whether
or not a Teams meeting is successful or not is not dependent on the fact that a
free version of the product is now available. Preparation is the key.Successful online meetings with Microsoft Teams
(Some
features not available in the free version)
Before
the meeting:
Successful meetings require preparation. This is more important in an online
meeting because we usually lack feedback channels such as body language etc. or
have only limited access to them. Here are a few useful tips:
- What do you want to achieve in the meeting and what does your customer / partner get out of it?
- If necessary, prepare alternative options.
- As you prepare for the meeting, ask yourself: Is what I am offering relevant to my partner / customer? And if not, why not?! And if so, how do I have to communicate it so that my counterpart understands it?
- Provide information about the attendees, their roles and responsibilities etc. for all participants.
- Share the agenda and context before people get together. This allows participants to chat and share content before the meeting. This information can then be brought directly into the meeting.
After
the meeting: After
the meeting, all meeting content is retained for 30 days so that participants
can review the meeting, continue the discussion and move forward with their
work. You can return to the meeting to use the chat, meeting notes, digital whiteboard, and shared
files. Nothing gets lost.