When it comes to giants in the IT market, Microsoft is one of the largest. Its tools and products are used widely by both individuals and businesses. One of the most commonly utilized and popular apps that are being used today is Microsoft Teams.
This platform combines chat, meetings, notes, and attachments. It also integrates with Office 365 and Skype, along with similar extensions. Ideally, all of these products would create a seamless organization tool for remote work and are almost ideal for online education.
However, as many people know, this system isn't perfect. In fact, it can lead to decreased productivity, difficulty communicating, and many other issues.
Is Microsoft Teams the Only Option?
When it comes to workflow platforms, Microsoft Teams isn't the only option. There are dozens of alternatives readily available. And as with any other tool, there are also pros and cons of Microsoft teams.
If you're not sure about the current drawbacks of Microsoft Teams, here are five things to consider.
We have also included the breakdown of a few alternative platforms and tools that you can consider as they provide additional options and features.
1) Microsoft Teams Offers a Confusing File Structure
Although your own personal file system may have great structure, this is an area where Microsoft Teams falls flat. When you want to know the file location to pull up for meetings or collaboration, this is a challenging area.
The complicated file structure is one of the disadvantages of using Microsoft teams.
Its file structure can be confusing, with all of the conversation uploads making their way into the channel root folder.
Additionally, if you try to organize documents by putting them into files that are appropriately named, you'll find that the file links break. Overall, this makes it incredibly confusing to manage and pull up documents and links when you need them.
HeySpace: Alternative to MS Teams for Collaboration and Communication
One great alternative is a program called HeySpace. This tool is used for collaboration and communication. It's a great alternative to Microsoft Teams, and people often prefer the functionality and simplicity of the design.
Additionally, HeySpace is free, so you won't have to invest any funds into this program.
Thanks to the simple design, you'll open the program and see three boards - your team with various channels, a chat, and a list of cards with tasks. You can also easily convert any conversation into a task or move a meeting into something to do.
The board with the tasks allows people to see all of the projects in one place, and the tasks can be adjusted easily. You can set dates, add tags and files, and comment.
You can also easily share files and keep them organized. This is an excellent asset for the teams who need a little more simplicity for online workflow.
2) Security is Limited in Microsoft Teams
Depending on your company or business needs, computer security may be a vital factor.
One of the features of Microsoft Teams is how simple they make it to share important files and documents.
In fact, it's so easy that all team members in the business are granted automatic access, which is Microsoft Teams pros and cons at the same time.
This may work for some companies but can be disastrous for others. When you want to set permission on specific files, you'll find that this task is impossible.
Is Wire a More Secure Alternative of Microsoft Teams
For a more secure experience, Wire offers an alternative. This collaboration tool's primary goal is increased security when working online.
The platform allows you and coworkers to safely share files and information, video conference with shared screens, or create groups securely to discuss tasks and progress.
"In a group call, every participant connects to every other participant as if they were in a 1:1 call. Therefore, all legs of the group call are individually encrypted and encryption keys are not shared among participants," as mentioned in the Wire Security White Paper.
For increased security, use Wire to create encrypted groups and invite clients to them if needed. All of the information that is uploaded to this platform and shared is secured and encrypted. If you need enhanced security for your business, then you'll find that Wire is a great solution.
3) Poor Team Collaboration In MS Teams
When it comes to online workflows, you need more than just phone conversations and email. Microsoft Teams works for some areas, but the chat features often run into problems.
For example, it's a common complaint that people don't receive messages in Teams until hours later. This can be resolved by signing out and then signing back in. This can lead to poor communication channels with the opportunity for missed messages regularly.
Is Winio Better Option Than MS Teams for Collaboration?
Winio is a collaboration tool that eliminates the need for an email. With Winio, users can see what teams are working on and what still has to be completed.
This online platform gives you an easy and effective communication channel. You'll have all of your data and important messages accessible in one location.
You can also create threads and discuss team projects and tasks with team members in a group chat. Additionally, you can attach files to projects and allow team members to access them.
It's somewhat similar to HeySpace in a way that it allows you to keep all of your essential information in one place.
You'll be able to share processes, take meeting notes, and even collaborate on the specifics of a project. This makes it a great tool to use for efficient communication.
4) Microsoft Teams Has Limited Ability to Distinguish Clients, Tasks, or Businesses
Although you may only work for one company, keeping your tasks separate is a significant disadvantage of Microsoft Teams.
They like to advertise that they keep everything in one place, but that may not be the best option for you.
For companies that take on multiple clients or for individuals who are more in freelance work, this can make completing tasks and collaborating challenging and confusing.
Workplace: An Alternative to Microsoft Teams for Better Business Communication
Most people wouldn't think about Facebook increasing their productivity, but their newest entry with Workplace may surprise you.
The common trait with Facebook is that it has chat functions, groups, audio, and video calling. This has the same interface as Facebook but different features and, of course, focus.
The Workplace also has auto-translate, polls, and powerful bots to speed up things. Keep in mind that your Workplace login is completely different from a Facebook login to manage everything separately.
Through the Workplace, users can connect with anyone using Org Charts, which shows users and their interests.
Document sharing allows people to share through Office, OneDrive, SalesForce, Dropbox, and others, so it's easy to share information with people worldwide. It also comes with unlimited storage.
The Groups feature can be used to collaborate, post updates, and assign tasks with multiple separate groups. They can also be open, closed, or secret so you can keep your work private. Additionally, you can have multi-company groups to connect with partners, suppliers, external teams, and customers themselves.
5) Complicated Structure and Manual Creation Required in Microsoft Teams
When you start Microsoft Teams, you'll find that the setup is a great deal of work.
Unlike having any initial structure, you'll have to determine which channels you need and which teams you need.
Over time, as you use the platform more, this task will become more manageable, but it can be cumbersome at first.
Additionally, even when you have the teams set up, you'll find that the current setup lacks flexibility. They don't let channels and teams be duplicated, so you'll have to do this manually if needed. This is one of the limitations of Microsoft Teams
Slack Has Better Usability Than MS Teams
In contrast, Slack is a great way to liberate you and your teams from endless work trying to set up what you need. Slack comes with a free platform for small groups or individual users.
However, it does have a paid tier for larger organizations, so this will need to be considered. It's one of the best tools that speed up workflows for distributed groups.
Slack integrates communication efficiently, allowing you to create groups easily and reduce redundancies in your system. Teams usually find that they turn less to emails when they unroll Slack and simply join these conversation threads instead.
Slack has all of the key elements that you'll find in Microsoft Teams. They have chat, groups, calling, screen and file sharing, and video calling.
However, integration is much richer on this platform and can be done in a much easier way. Keep in mind that this tool does come with a cost, though, so consider this.
Transitioning from Microsoft Teams
When it comes to using Microsoft Teams, users have multiple complaints, from a confusing structure to compromised online meeting experiences and limited flexibility.
When working remotely, the lack of features can be a productivity killer from the get-go. This is one of the reasons why businesses that are working remotely realize that they need an alternative.
When adjusting to Microsoft Teams, most people find a way to make its functionality work for them, but that doesn't mean it's ideal.
When it comes to finding the best option for yourself or your team, Microsoft Teams may not be it. Although Word and other Office applications are commonly utilized in business, this doesn't mean that you have to use all of their tools and applications. In fact, most of these alternatives can be used with other applications and offer increased flexibility.
This doesn't mean that each of these programs is going to work for you, though. Look at the problems you're currently experiencing to find one or more alternatives. Many of them are free or low-cost, so they can be trialed risk-free until you decide which is better for you.
Note down the common problems you experience while using Microsoft teams and use this guide to consider the suitable alternative.
