Microsoft Teams and SharePoint

The Teams and SharePoint integration is yet another example of how combining Microsoft tools amplifies the value of any standalone solution.

See, Teams and SharePoint both facilitate collaboration – but from different angles. With Teams, you’re getting a central collaboration hub where you can host meetings, take calls, chat with colleagues, and access files and information from apps connected to your workspace.

SharePoint is a document management and storage solution that allows users to manage content, provide a centralized hub for sharing internal knowledge, create sites for specific teams or groups, and surface critical information with its built-in search engine.

When these tools join forces, it unlocks flexible, integrated new ways of working and sharing information – allowing teams to connect and collaborate on their own terms.

In this installment of our Velosio Viewpoint series, Teams Specialist, Jon Darling and SharePoint expert, Rod Donavan provide an inside look at what you can do when SharePoint and Teams join forces:

In this video tutorial, Jon and Rod demonstrate the seamless, real-time data syncing between SharePoint and Teams by performing a few basic tasks, while switching between platforms. They’ll show you how to:

• Create a sales document from a template (stored in a SharePoint folder)
• Edit and save a template without changing the master doc
• Send approval requests in Teams
• Run approval flows in SharePoint

Check here to see the integration in action. Or, keep reading to find out what else can do when you combine these two tools with the rest of the Microsoft stack.

Teams and SharePoint: Here’s what you need to know

Jon and Rod get into this in more detail in the video, but it’s worth quickly breaking down the relationship between SharePoint and Teams here, as well.

So, essentially, SharePoint acts as the file cabinet for your Teams channels. Teams is just Teams — it’s an interface that enables chat and voice communication — and when connected to other apps like Dynamics 365, Power BI, or Excel, it brings functionality from those integrations into the Teams UI. With the SharePoint integration, you can use the Teams interface to access and modify SharePoint artifacts, but it’s SharePoint that actually collects and manages those artifacts.

The main benefit of the Teams-SharePoint integration is that everything is in one place – so users spend less time switching between screens and searching for files and more time on activities that actually create value for the business and its customers.

Users can access, edit, and share files during voice and video calls or while collaborating via chat box without leaving the conversation. No more fruitless search missions spend scrolling through the inbox or digging around in company servers. Instead, users can quickly access the critical files and data they need to serve clients and execute on projects faster.

As an example, PwC used Microsoft Teams and SharePoint, Power Virtual Assistants, and Power Automate to create “more meaningful chatbot experiences” for its employees and clients. In this scenario, Power Automate triggers workflows from the hierarchy files in SharePoint, which then create a bot based on the end-user’s query.

Toyota used the integration in a different way, to build what they call a “Know It community.” Essentially, the automaker created a portal in SharePoint, where users could search for key information inside the Teams interface. The idea was to create this central hub where employees could ask questions and access content and for company influencers to provide hands-on guidance.

Additionally, Toyota used Microsoft’s built-in reporting tools to learn how employees and internal influencers were using the portal, then used those findings to drive improvements to increase engagement.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, Microsoft Teams and SharePoint unlock a variety of new ways to access and share information with stakeholders – be it colleagues, clients, or partners.

While it may sound like a simple upgrade, creating a unified workspace for all users represents a significant step forward when it comes to productivity gains, seamless collaboration, and providing faster, more effective service to your customers.

Check out our YouTube channel to see more Microsoft solutions in action. Velosio experts give guided presentations that take you inside Dynamics 365,  the Power Platform, Teams, and if you’d like to review all the features of what a managed service looks like, you can do so here.