How to Use Microsoft Teams and Whatsapp for Better Communication and Collaboration

The Covid-19 pandemic has come, but its impact has definitely not gone. When the world went into lockdown, we had to find different ways of connecting with others and getting things done. From having food delivered to our doors with absolutely no human contact, all the way to holding a full board meeting over video, people were innovative and quick to adapt to using familiar technologies differently and taking on board new technologies effectively. Remote work was the dream, and we were all living it.

 

And people are reluctant to let go of the freedom these technologies have given them. As businesses are recognizing the need to embrace hybrid work arrangements, and as they continue to expand globally, their teams are becoming more dispersed and their operations decentralized. This means organizations are looking for robust communication and collaboration tools that can help them foster teamwork, and maintain levels of communication necessary to keep productivity high – tools that can effectively bridge the distance between people.

 

Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp are two of the most powerful platforms coming out of the pandemic. In March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic, Microsoft Teams had 44 million daily active users (DAU). By April 2021 they had 145 million DAUs – a staggering increase. WhatsApp emerged from the pandemic with over 2 billion users, a figure unseen by any other competing platform. They have now become indispensable to many workplaces, whether this was a planned strategy or just naturally evolved as employees gravitated toward their preferred channels.  

This blog will explore how the effective use of these two platforms can enhance communication and collaboration for diversely located teams. 

Exploring Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams managed to keep its pandemic users and has gained a host of new users since. By 2023, Microsoft Teams has accumulated 280 million users, far outperforming its biggest competitor, Slack, with only 18 million users, making it the most popular collaborative work platform on the market – there are 300 conversations taking place on Microsoft Teams every minute.

 

Microsoft Teams is part of the Microsoft 365 suite – a key selling point for businesses who don’t need to pay an extra fee to use Teams if they are already using this operating system. The platform offers a wide range of features, including instant messaging, video conferencing, and file sharing. An added benefit is that Teams integrates with other Microsoft tools like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. With this level of integration, employees don’t need to move off the platform to communicate or share documents with their colleagues, making it comfortable and natural to use.

 

Some of its key strengths include: 

• Organized Conversations: Microsoft Teams has the capability to keep discussions organized through dedicated channels. Each channel is like a designated virtual room where team members can communicate, collaborate, and share files related to a specific project or topic. 
• Efficient File Management: Microsoft Teams also allows for easy file management – users can upload and share files within channels, eliminating the need for separate email attachments and reducing the risk of data breaches and inbox clutter. 
• Mobile App Accessibility: Microsoft Teams created a mobile app that extends the platform’s capabilities to smartphones and tablets. With the mobile app, team members can participate in discussions, respond to messages, and access files even when they are away from their desks.

Microsoft Teams is a user-friendly platform, from initial setup to day-to-day navigation, making it easy for employees to adopt. Getting started with Microsoft Teams is easy and organizations can quickly set up their teams and channels based on their project structures or departmental divisions. Administrators can invite team members, and new users can join with a few simple clicks.

 

It’s easy to see why Microsoft Teams gained so much popularity during lockdown, and how it is supporting the move to hybrid work arrangements. 

Understanding WhatsApp for Business

WhatsApp was the first electronic messaging app that could be used across different operating systems, meaning Android and iOS users could share videos, images, and texts with each other. While it was initially used largely as a social platform, its massive boom in popularity across a range of settings, including business, resulted in the launch of WhatsApp Business in 2018.

 

Aside from WhatsApp’s extensive use for day-to-day communications between colleagues, employees, and clients (there are over 100 billion messages exchanged on WhatsApp daily), WhatsApp Business is a very powerful tool for commerce. While not yet as popular as its predecessor, WhatsApp Business was downloaded 292 million times in 2022 and is used by over 50 million businesses globally.

 

Thanks to many new features that the platform keeps on releasing, WhatsApp Business is becoming a great remote retail space. Some of its features include: 

• Business Profile: This feature allows businesses to create a dedicated profile on WhatsApp. It includes essential information such as the business name, description, address, contact details, website link, and working hours. 
• Quick Replies: Quick Replies are pre-set responses that businesses can create to address frequently asked questions or common customer inquiries. 
• Automatic Greeting Message: This enables businesses to set up an automated welcome message that is sent to customers when they initiate a conversation with the business for the first time. 
• Automatic Away Message: Businesses can set up automated responses when they are unavailable or outside of business hours. 
• Message Statistics: Allows businesses to track metrics like the number of messages sent, delivered, read, and received.
• Catalogs: Catalogs allow businesses to showcase their products and services with images, descriptions, and pricing information directly within WhatsApp. 
• WhatsApp Payments: Users can send and receive payments securely within the WhatsApp chat. 

It’s clear why WhatsApp Business is a popular platform, and working in conjunction with WhatsApp and Microsoft Teams, any type of business can be conducted from any place, globally. 

Integrating Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp

Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp have emerged as two powerful platforms, each with its unique strengths that can be harnessed to enhance productivity and teamwork. By integrating these platforms, organizations can maximize the benefits of both these tools.

 

For example, Microsoft Teams excels in facilitating internal communication within organizations. By integrating WhatsApp into this ecosystem, businesses can extend their communication capabilities to external stakeholders, such as clients, customers, and partners. So a sales team using Microsoft Teams internally can leverage WhatsApp to engage with potential customers and share product catalogs – without having to leave the one platform.

 

By combining WhatsApp’s real-time messaging with Microsoft Teams’ project management capabilities, teams can stay connected and collaborate effectively on projects, even when they are on the move. For instance, teams working in a channel together can also use WhatsApp to send quick updates, reminders, or alerts. 

The fact that both Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp have mobile apps, means team members can switch between platforms effortlessly, ensuring constant connectivity and availability, irrespective of their location. This mobile connectivity is particularly valuable for remote teams or employees who frequently travel. Whether they need to attend virtual meetings on Microsoft Teams or respond to urgent messages on WhatsApp, this integration ensures that team members can stay engaged regardless of the device they use.

LeapXpert: Your Solution for Microsoft Team and WhatsApp Integration

LeapXpert offers Leap Work, a cutting-edge solution that enables consumer messaging on WhatsApp from within Microsoft Teams. Powered by LeapXpert’s fully integrated communications platform, the application allows Teams users to use one-on-one WhatsApp messaging and group chats with external parties from within the Microsoft Teams platform and interface.

 

The LeapXpert Communications Platform integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Teams via our mobile and desktop app, allowing Teams users to easily switch from text conversations to voice calls. All the while, clients continue to use their preferred messaging services. 

Ensuring the security and privacy of communication and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp is also of utmost importance for organizations. Both platforms handle sensitive information, and any compromise in security can lead to severe consequences, including data breaches, unauthorized access, and privacy violations. Added to that is the importance of proper recordkeeping and archiving of documents for regulatory purposes.

 

LeapXpert’s platform ensures that all external chat conversations are captured and stored securely for compliance or proof of business interaction. LeapXpert’s platform services also include data leakage prevention for outbound communication, an antivirus/antimalware integration to protect external messaging, information barriers, and ethical walls for customer messaging. 

Integration Is The Path To The Most Powerful Collaboration Platform

Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp Business are each powerful tools in their own right, and they cater to different communication needs. Microsoft Teams focuses on internal teamwork and WhatsApp Business targets customer engagement. Allowing those two aspects of a business to operate through the same platform only increases the effectiveness of each. Like Lego pieces, it is only by putting them together you can build a full solution for your business. 

LeapXpert is the right partner for this integration. Visit our Leap Work page for more information or book a demo.