The global pandemic has fundamentally changed the how and where people work. Work has gone from being a place people go, to a thing people do – largely at home. Technology has been the enabler of this shift, which is why we think it’s important to put the user at the center of a Digital Workplace.
Microsoft’s digital workplace Teams has had the largest and fastest adoption rate on record. It has grown from 35 million daily users at the start of the year to 115 million in October. And it has swiftly become the place where work is being done.
Microsoft Teams’ key advantage over the competition is that it deeply integrates with other Microsoft 365 products. This means users can access all their favorite tools such as Word, PowerPoint and other Microsoft apps, such as Stream, within the single platform. Plus, with instant one-to-one or one-to-many messaging at the user’s fingertips – they’re finding there’s little reason to leave the platform.
The user at the center of a digital workplace with all tools in one place
Yet, as great as Teams is (we love it and use it every day), it can’t do everything. Its search isn’t as powerful as SharePoint’s, and there are still better ways to publish group-wide comms or news. Plus, the user still needs to leave the platform to access third-party apps and tools.
However, as Microsoft’s Jeff Teper recently said at Microsoft Ignite 2020 with work becoming more hybrid, “customers need the simplicity of having all their tools working harmoniously”, and for us, that means in one place, in Teams.
This is where our latest product Valo Connect comes in. We may be known for being the most loveable intranet provider – but we are much more than that. During the last year, we’ve built a fantastic suite of digital workplace tools around the end user’s needs.
We recognized early on that the end-user needs all the tools and apps to do their job effectively, right where they are – and that’s in Teams.
Take a look at our graphic:
As you can see, our vision is that the user should be at the heart of the digital workplace. All the tools and apps they need to do their job effectively should be accessed from one central place. We believe that’s within Microsoft Teams, using our newly launched Valo Connect tool.
Valo Connect augments Microsoft Teams + 3rd party apps
Valo Connect lives inside Microsoft Teams and augments it by enhancing search, news aggregation, and connecting employees to each other and to all the digital workplace tools they need to do their job.
It gives users access to their intranet, governance dashboard, ideation tool, extranet, and third-party apps all from within Teams. This means the user only needs to go to one place to connect to the people, conversations, news, information and content in order to have an efficient workday experience.
In addition, as the solution is part of the Microsoft 365 product suite, it can be accessed from anywhere and any device, safely and securely.
Users feel more connected, productive and engaged
Valo Connect marries communication and collaboration channels – bringing together corporate comms, employee engagement, and organizational information along with productivity – so end users can do everything they need to do, in a single place, including using third-party solutions.
You can build a custom, one-stop enterprise portal inside Microsoft Teams and can integrate our other solutions Valo Intranet, Valo Teamwork and Valo Ideas under this one roof.
In fact, we’re actively encouraging our customers to embrace this way of working. We believe bringing everything inside Teams, means employees won’t have to leave the platform for anything they need.
Take a look at the Valo Connect Virtual Launch event. In this recording, you’ll hear how Microsoft Teams is “taking over” and what it changes in your workdays. You’ll see what this new HUB is and how it benefits you. Plus, you’ll learn how Valo Connect fits into the bigger picture to make your “new normal” workdays so much better.
If you need tips on how to become a Microsoft Teams Rockstar want to learn about all its functionalities, check out our Product Marketing Manager Gokan Ozcifci’s eBook on the topic!
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Want to know more? Find out Valo Connect can make working life simpler by booking a demo today or get in touch for a tailored discussion.
