​​Setting up a good governance in Microsoft Teams is standard practice. Tomorrow’s challenges lie elsewhere.​

By Oliver Zeiser, Director Software Development at MondayCoffee.  

Reporting, naming, conventions, lifecycle management for teams and users, policies, approval processes or templates - you need to have all of this under control to enable secure, modern work. And even more so to scale with the organization or adapt to changing conditions in real time. Numerous providers for this can be found today. Microsoft itself has recognized the need for governance tools and offers solutions or has announced them, as the following examples illustrate:  

• Sensitivity labels: Use sensitivity labels to protect content in Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365 groups, and SharePoint sites (to the article).  

• Teams app policies: Know about policies to manage access and installation of Teams apps (to the article)   

• Sites lifecycle policies: SharePoint data access governance (DAG) insights V1 - general availability (to the article)   

• Microsoft 365 groups naming policy (to the article)   

• Access reviews in Azure Active Directory (to the article)   

• MS governance reports (to the article) 

So what issues should you be addressing today? What steps are worth taking to ensure that IT remains capable of operating and that users can concentrate on their core tasks?  

At MondayCoffee, we have been thinking about this for a long time. I would like to share some of these thoughts with you in this post.   

Having the ‘after’ under control is even more important than the ‘before’ 

It's clear that a good template engine should offer much more than the standard elements such as teams, settings, channels and tabs.   

For example, what about:  

• Planner tasks, buckets or labels?   

• Or with the underlying SharePoint sites, pages, lists and libraries, content, columns, content types or SharePoint permissions?   

• What about flows? Or with group settings, logos, colors, branding?   

And of course, WYSIWYG!   

A good template engine can do it all. Reproducing identical teams or workspaces using templates is a must. 

But what happens, once a team has been provisioned? What if the users need another private channel, for example? Or another library in the SharePoint site underlying it? 

Shouldn't this all be based on templates and defined governance rules, as well?   

The initial creation of new teams and workspaces and the clean handover to the users is important, but even more important is what they do with their teams afterwards!   

With our Modern-Work-Solution, CoffeeNet 365, end users are not left alone with their teams 'afterwards'. They go through a controlled framework and receive assistance in meeting the organization's policies without being hindered in their actual work and role.   

For example, end users have centrally managed templates for individual team channels, as well as templates for lists and libraries. These make it easy for them to expand their workspaces or adapt them to their needs, even at a later date. And in doing so, they also comply with the company's specified governance rules as a matter of fact, without having to pay attention. 

Continuous changes must be anticipated    

What happens to existing team workspaces when requirements change or new functionalities are to be added?  

Lifecycle management should also, but not only, focus on "sorting out" - archiving and deleting – teams that are no longer in use. Much more important are the teams that are still in use.   

With CoffeeNet 365, changes to templates and governance rules can be easily applied to existing workspaces, even after they have been created, so that they are always up to the latest standard.   

Another use case is also worth anticipating: A team that has already been created needs to be transferred from one template to another. What may have started as a small workgroup may eventually evolve into a project.   

Then the team should also correspond to the project template and get the appropriate features and settings for it. With the Switch Template Feature of CoffeeNet 365, this is possible with just a few clicks. It eliminates the need for time-consuming migration of content.  

Whatever is not there yet, can be done quickly with CoffeeNet 365

Many IT departments rushed the introduction of Microsoft Teams during the pandemic. There was no time for planning and orderly rollout process. Sorting out the mess is still on the minds of some. 

A modern template engine must also be able to bring existing teams workspaces into the ordered structures and configure them according to current governance requirements. Subsequently applying templates to already created teams is possible with little effort using CoffeeNet 365's Apply Template-Feature.  

Detected, reported, resolved in real time   

Of course, governance violations are bound to occur in day-to-day operations. It's not always possible to cover everything technically. Microsoft simply does not offer the necessary options and APIs. Therefore, a strategy for dealing with such cases is inevitable.  

A classic approach to reacting to governance violations would probably be: Reporting!   

IT sees the teams in the reports, which are not compliant. Which, conversely, means that a person in IT must regularly look at the reports and reach out to the users.   

This effort can be saved - with CoffeeNet 365's powerful rule engine and simple IF-THEN rules that can be created by IT and tailored specifically to the templates.  

Any governance violations are thus automatically detected in real time. An MS flow is started, which on the one hand resets the settings and on the other hand reminds the user again of the current governance rules. And not only that. The user can be offered additional help or a ticket can be created directly in the IT ticketing system. Or both. 

Improving the user experience  

The CoffeeNet 365 Rule Engine can also be used to improve the user experience.   

For example, when new users are added to a team, they automatically receive a welcome message, such as an email or chat. The message can be customized and personalized for external guests accordingly.   

If it’s an internal user, a rule can be defined that he or she is immediately added to a private channel ("Internal only"). Without the owner of the team having to do this manually over and over again. The Rule Engine of CoffeeNet 365 also offers such possibilities; and these are configured with just a few clicks.  

The use cases of the CoffeeNet 365 Rule Engine are almost unlimited.   

But it is through such tools that automation is possible, helping end users comply with governance in the long run and quite incidentally.  

Rule the rules 

It goes without saying that the rules in the Rule Engine may have to be changed and adapted centrally at any time. Only then is true teams governance possible, which does not prevent users from doing their work and sharing knowledge but supports them in doing so. And, meanwhile, IT retains full control at all times and remains flexible and responsive.   

What could be more important in today’s rapidly and constantly changing age of cloud?  

Modern Work: Proper preparation prevents chaos

In the Modern Work environment, as is often the case, the devil is in the details. Moving to the cloud is a good start. But to realize the many benefits in the hybrid, the tools must also be configured and used correctly.

Public cloud platforms such as Microsoft 365 play a central role in the digital transformation of companies: the workforce demands apps such as Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 for working in the hybrid, and CIOs are tasked with realizing cost-saving potential by replacing expensive on-premises solutions.

But what happens after that?

Once Microsoft Teams has been installed on employees' PCs and mobiles?

The first impression: simple and flexible

The superficially simple usability is followed by various chaos scenarios, because IT, users, management are often unaware of the challenges of the many hidden settings of Microsoft Teams.

Microsoft Teams is a very versatile application. In addition to telephony, conferencing and chats for communication, there are Teams and Channels for collaboration. More and more additional functions are being integrated. The goal is to integrate formerly separate applications into one interface that works for all devices and delivers on the promise of simplicity and flexibility to users.

At length, it can get messy

Yes, the apps are easy to use. But it's the ease of use that is the bane of many companies - namely, where users work uncontrollably with the various Microsoft applications.

Untangling Babylonian Confusion

The multi-layered nature of Microsoft 365 often means that no one can see or keep track of the big picture in order to manage the necessary digital transformation.

At MondayCoffee we focus on a holistic and integrated approach consisting of software, business consulting, engineering and adoption. This way we address different target groups in the organization and meet their needs and goals.

For business departments and individual employees, we improve the user experience and provide them with additional functions for more productivity in work and collaboration.

For IT, we enable efficient management of an orderly and secure Modern Work environment through automation and standards.

We accompany the management on their way to modern and secure work.

Want to know more? We look forward to an exchange with you.

Get in touch

New Form

Are we communicating, or still on the phone?

Screen sharing killed the audio call - at the latest since the pandemic. Meetings are being held by video conference. The telephone number is almost obsolete. About the advantages of integrated telephony in Microsoft Teams with CoffeeNet 365.

---

TELEPHONY AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF COLLABORATION

Today, even sophisticated telephony requirements can be implemented directly in Microsoft Teams and with our modern workplace solution CoffeeNet 365. Companies no longer think of telephony as a separate special topic - with separate systems and providers - but as one of several reliable communication formats for a modern way of working.

Technical capabilities allow us to think of telephony as an integratited part of collaboration. It no longer has to be locked into a technical silo. The different systems are getting closer and closer together, and that's a good thing:

• Telephony systems

• Contact center solutions

• Video conferencing systems in meeting rooms

• Collaboration software

• Intranet software

• Fileshare systems

• Workflow software

Employees want simple solutions - everything together, without context switching. A platform that puts everything they need, and more importantly, at their fingertips.

A SELF-EXPLANATORY, DIGITALLY INTEGRATED WORKPLACE

Microsoft Teams has brought us closer to that goal. The pandemic massively increased the pressure for change and adoption of digital working.

We have fully integrated Microsoft Teams into our Modern Workplace solution so that employees and organizations - small and large - can tap into its potential. With Microsoft Teams as an integrating interface, the various communication formats can be selected on a use-case basis - independently of time, location and device.

• Chat for informal communication - as a group or bilaterally

• Calling and video conferencing with screen sharing for collaboration in real time - also integrated in the physical meeting rooms.

• Intranet functionalities for presenting information and sharing knowledge

• Document management for storing and collaborating on documents

• Bundling of all communication channels in a central platform (contact center)

Telephony is one of several reliable communication modes for a modern way of working.

We are convinced that an overall concept for all these communication formats - voice, video, screen sharing, connection to a secure file storage - brings many advantages. So that everything fits together in a secure, structured and self-explanatory for way the employee. We are constantly advancing our CoffeeNet 365 modern workplace solution with this goal in mind.

We have already implemented telefony integration for several customers. And often, this very step became the driver for a modern and increasingly digital way of working.

On the one hand, we bring the technical expertise for the individual applications. On the other hand, our experience and knowledge in dealing with the employees - with the business, contributes to a successful adoption.

As we all know, providing digital capabilities does not make the organization more digital. I don't dial the phone anymore, I share - but only if I also understand the benefit behind it and can translate it into added value.

Get in touch

Contact

Everything just a few clicks away

"Didn't know that!"

"I missed that news."

"I didn't hear about that."

Since the hybrid world of work has helped define the New Normal, statements like this from employees have become more frequent. We no longer feel as strongly integrated as part of a team as we once did. The employer has become more abstract.

While I used to catch the latest company gossip during my coffee break, nowadays a lot of things remain hidden from me. Partly even things that an employee needs to know to be efficient, to be innovative and to drive company growth.

EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT MUST BE PUT BACK ON THE AGENDA

The virtual portion of cultural interaction between companies and employees and among employees, has become an much more important role.

With Viva Connections, Microsoft brings a technical solution - especially for mobile users - to strengthen the sense of togetherness.

We have integrated the new functionalities and benefits of Viva Connections into our Modern Workplace solution. So that employees can keep their finger on the pulse of what's happening every day, even if they're not always on site.    

PERSONALIZED NEWS FEED 

Using our Modern Workplace solution, employees can access their personalized news feed directly on the Microsoft Teams app. Posts can be liked, commented on, forwarded or even saved - just like you're used to on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn.  

The news feed brings the latest or most relevant content directly into employees' field of sight - wherever they are. 

YOUR OWN WORK MANAGEMENT DASHBOARD

Especially when you're on the road, accessing your most important documents, communications, tasks, meetings, etc., can be complicated. Not with our Modern Workplace solution. Through Microsoft Teams, each employee has their own dashboard at their fingertips, with personalized quick links to everything they need day-to-day.

Linked items are:

• Tasks from Microsoft Planner that need to be completed,

• documents that have been recently edited,

• meetings that will take place soon,

• workspaces that have been visited frequently,

• approvals that are pending or that you want to record,

• and much more

GOODBYE BROWSER!

Another advantage of integrating all Microsoft technologies through our modern workplace solution is the elimination of the browser. Employees have the ability to manage their day-to-day work in a secure, regulated and uncomplicated way via the Microsoft Teams app. That way, nothing stands in the way of the hybrid work model.

Would you like to learn more? Arrange a meeting with us.

Get in touch

Contact

The digital optimists

THE CIRCLE

Microsoft Switzerland will soon be moving into the CIRCLE at the airport Zurich. There is plenty of open space and collaboration rooms of all sizes for the approximately 400 employees in the Zurich region. Classic focus workstations, on the other hand, are down to 88. Hybrid working is no longer a vision of the future. We spoke with Marc Holitscher, National Technology Officer at Microsoft Switzerland, about the hybrid future. This much is certain: we have a unique opportunity to completely rethink the way we work now.

Marc Holitscher, National Technology Officer at Microsoft Switzerland

---

Mr. Holitscher - around 400 of Microsoft Switzerland's 600 employees will soon be moving into the CIRCLE. What awaits them?

Not a place to write emails or make phone calls, but a place to meet and innovate.

Microsoft has been using remote work principles since 2012. Already in Wallisellen, the focus was on communal spaces. What is different in the CIRCLE? Had the pandemic led to short-term changes in the room design?

We have rented another 1,000 m² for the Microsoft Technology Center, which will open its doors in January 2022. There we want to meet with customers to discuss new technologies and bring them to life.

70 percent of our office space in the CIRCLE is also open to our partners and customers. We want to come into the office to innovate together. This trend has intensified once again. In Wallisellen, there were 290 focus workplaces. In CIRCLE, there are still 88.

A clear sign that physical presence is not required for employees.

Yes. With us - with a few exceptions - no one has to be on site. The individual teams should organize among themselves - in a way that it's right for the customer, but also for each individual team member. Studies show that people do want to get together. We want to offer attractive opportunities for this in our space in the CIRCLE.

You address the paradox that Microsoft's annual Work Trend Index highlights: 71 percent of the Swiss employees surveyed would like the hybrid work model, and over 70 percent would like to spend more time physically with their teams. Does Microsoft already have answers to this?

Technology makes many things possible. The experience of hybrid meetings, for example, is improving continuously - with Microsoft Teams, but also thanks to modern infrastructure in meeting rooms. Speakers and cameras automatically focus on the person who is speaking. The meeting rooms here at CIRCLE have been designed and equipped to ensure an optimal meeting experience for people on-site and virtually.

Technology allows for flexibility. Spaces can be customized. We should use that to our advantage - for the well-being of employees as much as for the long-term success of the company.

Since the pandemic, Microsoft Teams is probably as well known to typical Swiss citizens as Migros or Coop. What do you make of it?

We're enormously proud that we've been able to empower so many people to use Teams to continue working, continue their studies, or simply stay in touch with family and friends. At the same time, it was and is a huge responsibility and a real stress test for the system. The good news: our data centers passed the test. The enormous and rapid demand could not have been cushioned with any other infrastructure. It is gratifying to see that more and more companies are making use of the benefits of the Microsoft Cloud in Switzerland and that Microsoft Teams is becoming the center of everyday work.

“The hybrid is a reality. People want to work this way. We have a unique opportunity to completely rethink the way we work now.”

Technologically, some Swiss companies have made a leap forward. They have brought their infrastructure up to date. But Microsoft also often talks about culture. The new Microsoft Technology Center wants make technology tangible. After infrastructure, where do CH companies still have the most catching up to do in order to successfully create a hybrid working model?

At Microsoft, we live in a kind of bubble in terms of technology. At many companies, there are still people who don't have mobile devices. No webcams. That's where we're in a very privileged situation at Microsoft. We have and get everything to fully embrace the hybrid work model.

We think the 3 Ps are paramount for a hybrid future.

PEOPLE: People need to understand and be able to assess how they can use technology to improve things for themselves. This requires regular education and training.

PLACES: Spaces need to be redesigned to serve different purposes and new needs.

PROCESS: Every single process, no matter how small, must be put to the test and rethought.

For example, how will we handle confidential documents that exist only on paper in the future? Can confidential documents be taken home? How do we ensure that we get the necessary signatures for contracts when not everyone is working on site anymore?

We have a unique opportunity to completely rethink the way we work now. The hybrid is a reality. People want to work this way - for Generation Z, anything else would be unthinkable.

Jedes Unternehmen braucht jetzt einen genauen Plan, wie man in Zukunft physisch und digital verbindet. Aber wir brauchen dafür auch die richtigen regulatorischen Rahmenbedingungen, die es uns ermöglichen, modernste Technologien einzusetzen. Die heutigen Gesetze wurden teils vor der Internet-Ära gemacht. Auch sie müssen neu gedacht werden. Dies soll verantwortungsvoll und keinesfalls auf Kosten von nicht verhandelbaren Werten wie Transparenz, Sicherheit oder dem Schutz der Privatsphäre geschehen.

Wir bei Microsoft sind digitale Optimisten. Wir glauben daran, dass sich eine hybride Welt schaffen lässt, in der wir erfolgreicher zusammenarbeiten und besser leben.

Transparency as standard - company groups unite with CoffeeNet 365

A blog post by Melodie Fleury, Business Consultant at MondayCoffee

Strictly speaking, we are very lucky: the market is neither lacking in technologies, systems nor solutions for modern working. New tools are continuously being developed, existing ones improved or entire tool landscapes consolidated to simplify collaboration - or so the theory goes. Practice shows that many companies still lack the right infrastructure, a uniform basis for everyday work. The result: complex processes, information chaos, loss of time and money. Especially in corporate groups, this is a brake on success, but one that can easily be solved.

TYPICAL CHALLENGES IN CORPORATE GROUPS

As a rule, the larger the company, the more information and communication there is to process - and the more difficult it is to maintain an overview. In addition, work and communication often takes place in silos. Without the right collaboration solution, it becomes almost impossible to exchange knowledge or information between different companies in a group. This is also the case with one of our customers, a Swiss group of companies. The challenges, which often grow over the years, are mostly of a technical, cultural and structural nature.

Technical challenges: The system landscape of companies has often existed for years, if not decades. Once set up, it has hardly been touched or changed in any major way. As a result, there is a lack of infrastructure that meets current work requirements. This starts with digital places of collaboration and extends to the processes and access rights for smooth working. In many cases, data is still sent as attachments by mail. This quickly results in umpteen different versions - and confusion about which file is the most current.

Cultural challenges: Especially in conservative industries, the corporate culture is still strongly hierarchical. Communication is more top-down than bottom-up. In addition, there is a lack of role models who exemplify the "modern workplace" and demonstrate potential. Employees are not sufficiently empowered to obtain relevant information, share knowledge or take responsibility.

Structural challenges: One of the most common symptoms of the siloed landscape is an uneven flow of information. Without uniform processes and specifications across the company, chaos quickly follows. This starts with distribution lists: If distribution lists are not maintained centrally and synchronized automatically, someone is quickly forgotten and lost in communication. Knowledge is shared informally in small groups: Those who were not present at the right time during the smoking break or at the coffee machine are not informed or are informed late. Within an organization there are departmental silos, within a group of companies there are corporate silos. Another problem is that employees do not have the opportunity to contribute themselves and their skills in the right places. The skills and knowledge of those involved remain hidden in the silo jungle.

Getting an all new meeting culture

The solution is simple: "Keep it simple" - digitally. This is exactly where MondayCoffee's Modern Workplace solution (CoffeeNet 365) comes in. Based on best practices, the collaboration platform enables centralized, simplified and efficient work - in real time and from any location.

“One of the most common productivity killers in companies is still having too many meetings.”

The rethinking already starts with the meeting culture. One of the most common productivity obstacles in companies is still too many meetings that are unstructured and without an agenda. This was also the case for our customer. MondayCoffee provided the Swiss group with a meeting app that makes recurring meetings easy, efficient and structured.

The app enables each individual to plan meetings, prepare for topics or introduce meeting points with just a few clicks. Meetings are now much more efficient and transparent than before, which was met with great enthusiasm by our customer's employees.

AWAY FROM INFORMATION SILOS, TOWARDS COMMUNITY

Modern collaboration solutions are designed to create transparency. Projects, but also individual topics, are visible at a glance with the help of such a platform - for everyone with the necessary authorizations. Relevant documents and personal tasks are easier to find and keep track of. And especially helpful in corporate groups: You can finally see what is happening in other departments and companies.

Work becomes more transparent and efficient

At the same time, everyday work becomes more efficient: The introduction of a new Workplace solution is an opportunity to clean up the old chaos in structures, processes or documents and to redesign the basis. Uniform communication channels, media and tools such as the meeting app streamline processes and free up resources for actual tasks. Documents are stored and edited in a central location on the platform - so that everyone has the latest version available at all times and from anywhere. Outdated email attachments in dozens of versions are a thing of the past. The tedious manual creation of distribution lists is also a thing of the past - the Workspaces feature takes care of that.

Projects, topics and processes are more transparent on the Modern Workplace platform and can be viewed by all - in dedicated virtual collaboration rooms that are set up simply and uniformly. Instead of the old e-mail flood, Microsoft Teams is used for short-term exchange.

Potential becomes visible - at employee and group level

The new way of working on the collaboration platform automatically strengthens the sense of unity within the group. News posts can be used to send targeted messages across the various departments and companies. All areas have the opportunity to present themselves there and show what they are working on and what competencies they offer. The contribution of new ideas meets with public appreciation and is actively promoted.

Often, this is also accompanied by a subtle change in culture: employees can show themselves, learn from each other, participate more easily and act as role models. High potentials, i.e., particularly committed employees, emerge more easily and can be promoted in a targeted manner. On the one hand, this has a positive effect on employee motivation; on the other hand, it also simplifies personnel planning and succession planning. In the long term, hierarchies become flatter and people work together as equals.

Working together more efficiently in virtual collaboration rooms

Onboarding new employees can be made more efficient, speeding up the onboarding process. But collaboration also becomes easier as information silos are broken down. Roles and responsibilities can be defined uniformly and clearly - whether within a company's own team, across departments or with external parties.

All in all, the potential of the whole group can be better utilized and interdisciplinary collaboration can be promoted throughout the group. This also opens up the opportunity to present a modern company or group to employees, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders - with an attractive, contemporary and modern working environment.

HOW DOES THE COLLABORATION WITH MONDAYCOFFEE WORK?

The procedure in such projects is always similar: In the so-called discovery workshops, we analyze the previous collaboration. This includes, for example, communication and collaboration, target/actual comparisons, opportunities, and potential risks and dangers. In the next step, we talk about the effects of these changes in relation to the current way of working and derive new collaboration scenarios together with our customer.

The third workshop aims to obtain a big picture of the new form of collaboration and to plan the procedure, structure and responsibilities. In the later workshops, we get down to the nitty-gritty, such as mapping the structure, working out the various concepts, such as for authorizations, news and also automating processes.

“Our work is done when employees can work well and, above all, happily with the new solution.”

Throughout the process, we provide our customers with advice and support and work together in a close and friendly exchange. Our work is done when everyone is satisfied with the new solution at the end. And to ensure that employees can later work well - and above all happily - with the new solution, we train everyone in the use of the new platform.

Let’s go hybrid

Working in homely confinement with nothing but virtual connections to our colleagues, customers and business partners has left us longing for more.  

Since the pandemic forced us into home office, only few real in-person meetings took place – and the most fun ones are still missing: the informal chat by the coffee corner or at a colleague’s desk. Or an afterwork beer. Or the yearly office dinner.  

The question that is popping up increasingly is: Will the old office culture come back? Do we want to go back?  

---

ONLY NOW, WE KNOW 

While some industries such as media, telco, IT and energy practiced remote work for decades already, most of us hardly ever worked from home at all. Many of us weren’t even sure if it was such a good idea. I remember discussions about all the downsides of letting employees work from home: how impossible it would be to manage them. How unproductive it would get outside of the office. 

“The biggest challenge: maintaining personal relations.”

Today, the perception of remote work as a feel-good perk for selected employees is gone. One year into the pandemic the advantages have stood the test - and the real challenges have emerged. The biggest one, in my opinion: maintaining personal relations. Yes, we’ve tried the virtual coffee break and the virtual afterwork beer. But - don’t you think it is kind of awkward?  

DISCOVERING A NEW HYBRID 

So, what’s next?  As we get out of the pandemic-inflicted lockdowns, some of our remote work behavior will be here to stay. In fact, a BCG-survey with thousands of managers and employees across Europe, foresees a much higher share of remote work than before. It also says that this will come with several advantages: higher productivity, lower office costs, and higher employee benefits.  
Survey participants were also asked about the challenges of remote work - the answer: maintaining work culture, ensuring team engagement, innovating, controlling and driving productivity will no longer work the same way. 

Some of our old office behavior must and will come back - but in a new form, called hybrid.  A combination of in-person with virtual collaboration. A combination of at-home and in-the-office - but with different parameters or rules. We won’t necessarily go to the office to just sit there at our personal desk. But because we want to meet a specific group of people to collaborate in a specific format. We don’t work from home, just because it gives us more flexibility, or because we belong to the lucky ones who are allowed to do so. But because we are more productive at home for specific activities.  

“Our old office behavior must and will come back - but in a new form, called hybrid.”

At MondayCoffee, where I work, we have moved our information infrastructure to the Microsoft cloud as soon as it became possible about seven years ago. Even before the pandemic, I can’t remember office meetings without remote contributors, digital whiteboards or video conferencing.
And even in our company we are longing to get back into the office, especially for certain collaboration scenarios. Innovation workshops, training sessions and team building just are much more effective, when taking place in-person. And if these are the key reasons for being in the office, this will question the current room layout there: Less individual workplaces, more and new formats of meeting spaces that take into account the specific collaboration requirements.

“Employees have to manage the blurry line between personal and professional lives as well as the difference between – and the combination of – physical and digital work.”

WE NEED NEW RULES  

How to organize ‘hybrid work’ should be openly discussed in companies. New rules need to be established. First and foremost, to ensure the health of our employees.  

Employees have to manage the blurry line between personal and professional lives as well as the difference between – and the combination of – physical and digital work. Companies and their managers need to give employees the right tools and set the suitable rules to keep a healthy balance. Employees need to resist the temptation of checking company posts and notifications when they should be enjoying their personal time instead. But not just the employees; managers also need support in how to lead teams in a hybrid world. 

There is a whole new ground to be discovered. And I’m looking forward, together with my colleagues at MondayCoffee to go and determine the best way of working in this emerging hybrid environment. I’m confident that this time of change will bring us many innovations and opportunities to make work more effective, efficient and healthy at the same time.

Mark Albrecht is Director Corporate Development at MondayCoffee AG..

Source illustrations: vecteezy.com

INFORS HT: Pioneering in a future-oriented working environment

INFORS HT is in many ways an exemplary SME. What began in 1965 in an empty kiosk in Basel has grown over the years into one of the most important developers and manufacturers of shakers and bioreactors. The family-owned company has a worldwide trading network and seven subsidiaries. Open-minded thinking and the implementation of unconventional ideas have characterized the company's culture since the beginning.

The open-mindedness towards new things also proved itself with regard to the technologies the family business uses for communication and collaboration. INFORS HT was among the first companies in Switzerland to replace its old on-premises telephone infrastructure with the cloud solution Microsoft Teams. As an expert in digitalized work platforms and the configuration of Microsoft technologies, MondayCoffee had the privilege to support them in this transition. We interviewed Pascal Meury (Senior Project Manager) and Julia Brück (Marketing Specialist) to learn more about the implementation and benefits of the new solution.

---

Digital working has become very important in the pandemic. At INFORS HT, you were already well equipped because you had a future-oriented solution for digital communication and collaboration in Microsoft Teams. How did you benefit from the early investment in Microsoft Teams?  

Pascal Meury: The transition to the home office took place without delay. Our colleagues were already familiar with Microsoft Teams, as we have been using the solution since 2019. The digital way of working - especially in terms of calling, chatting, collaborating - had already been established. That was a huge advantage. The pandemic made it clear that we had chosen the right solution in the fall of 2018. 

At the time, you decided in favor of Microsoft Teams and against Skype for Business. What was your motivation?  

Pascal Meury: We had to replace the old telephone infrastructure in 2019. The investment in a new solution was unavoidable. However, we had already looked into the topic ahead of time. Our appetite for new technologies led us to look at modern solutions at an early stage. Microsoft Teams convinced us because it was the only solution that combined voice, video conferencing and collaboration. And it could be easily integrated with existing systems using familiar tools. Another important motivator was the requirement that the solution had to be sustainable and easy to manage for our IT. As an SME, we have limited resources at our disposal, and we need to make the best use of them. 

“Our appetite for new technologies led us to look at modern solutions early on. Microsoft Teams convinced us because it was the only solution that combined voice, video conferencing and collaboration.”

— Pascal Meury

And how did you deal with the risk of investing in a rather new technology?  

Pascal Meury: At INFORS HT, we are fundamentally open to new things. We recognized that Microsoft Teams would be the future. The solution covered our needs as an SME and we were prepared to deal with the remaining risk. 

With the introduction of Microsoft Teams, some adjustments had to be made to the IT infrastructure. INFORS HT had to be 'prepared' for the cloud, in a sense. What can you recommend to other companies that still have to take this step (into the cloud)? 

Pascal Meury: To take the step, because it's worth it. Today, we rely on the cloud wherever possible so that we can keep up with developments and offer our employees worldwide a modern infrastructure. At the same time, on-premises solutions would no longer be manageable for our IT, and this is probably similar for other SMEs. The advantages of a central cloud solution, integrated into the Microsoft world, are obvious. 

My recommendation is to know your own systems and processes well, very well, before you go to the cloud. 

“To provide our employees worldwide with a modern infrastructure, we now rely on the cloud wherever possible.”

— Pascal Meury

What did you do right when you introduced Microsoft Teams? What would you do differently today?  

Pascal Meury: We are convinced that we relied on the best solution and the right partner. A small project team dealt intensively with the change in working methods at an early stage. We brought the people involved and affected on board right at the beginning in order to gain a good understanding of the necessary adjustments to the system landscape and the impact on processes, as well as to carry out the necessary training in a targeted manner.  

What would we do differently? Equip everyone who makes a lot of phone calls with better headsets. That might have accelerated the transition from desk phones to headsets. In the meantime, almost everyone has returned their desk phones. 

Does Microsoft Teams cover your needs for modern communication and collaboration today? Or what is still on your wish list?  

Pascal Meury: Yes - our basic needs are covered. But you always have a wish list at the ready. There is still room for improvement when it comes to collaboration with external parties - for example, using Microsoft Teams Live Events for webinars. Or for digital workshops. But there will certainly be new features there soon. And to our advantage, the new functions will be available automatically, without IT first having to perform a system update. 

In your company profile, you talk about an uncomplicated and family-oriented corporate culture. Does Microsoft Teams help you to live this culture even more strongly?  

Julia Brück: A corporate culture develops independently of tools and software. Where there was no good face-to-face exchange before, there won't be with Microsoft Teams. But the solution enables us to communicate more easily - especially with our branches abroad. Today, I can talk to my colleagues in Brazil, North America or Asia on the phone easily and more cost-effectively. Work can be done faster. 

When asked where the greatest added value of Microsoft Teams lies, what would someone from your company say today?  

Julia Brück: Today, if an employee wants to call a work colleague, she doesn't have to switch between her cell phone and landline number to reach the person, because everything is synchronized with Microsoft Teams. And integration with SharePoint Online makes it easy to share documents between branches or even with external parties. I see it in my own work: everything used to be done via email. A document was sent via email, then the phone call followed. Today, everything happens simultaneously and much more efficiently than before.

Jump-start for Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is currently used wherever possible to facilitate teamwork in the home office. Not everyone is familiar with the tool and needs help, especially in the beginning. 

We are happy to provide some training videos prepared by Microsoft to help you get started: 

Teams Beginner Videos

• How to create teams and channels 

• Overview of teams and channels 

• Create a post 

• Save posts or messages 

• Upload and share files 

• Working together on a file  

Chat, Calls & Meetings 

•  Start chats and make calls 

• Create Instant Meetings 

• Create a meeting in a channel 

• Attend a team meeting   

• Attending a meeting on the road   

Content sharing 

• Sharing a screen during a meeting     

• Share PowerPoint slides during a meeting

Would you like to learn more about Microsoft Teams to realize the full potential for your team or your company? Our specialists will be happy to support you. 

With its expertise MondayCoffee is one of the leading Microsoft Gold Partners for teamwork. 

• We tackle the various challenges together with you: 

• How to use the tool? 

• How do you organize yourself as a team with this software? 

• How to ensure effective collaboration and leadership? 

• How can Microsoft Teams be integrated in your existing infrastructure? 

Get in touch

Get in touch