A new Premium version of Microsoft Teams promises to enhance communications and collaboration to greater heights. Could this be a valuable addition to Legal Firms operations?
For more over 5 years now, Microsoft Teams has been transforming productivity and streamlining workflows for businesses. It has shown promise for most businesses – but what about the legal sector? According to one company we spoke to – TechQuarters, who provides IT support for Legal Firms – Microsoft Teams is a popular solution for legal professionals nowadays. Microsoft recently announced the release of Microsoft Teams Premium, which could contain more features to help organisations. So, how might this new version of Teams help in the legal profession?
What is Microsoft Teams Premium?
By now, most people should be aware of what Microsoft Teams is. But they might not know what Microsoft Teams Premium is. This new add-on license for Microsoft 365 unlocks a range of new features within Microsoft Teams. These new features are aimed at improving the meeting experience for users in Teams, and adding professionalism to the experience for business’ clients.
Three Reasons Law Firms Should Use Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams has had a boom in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic, as businesses have relied on it for their communication and collaboration needs while working remotely. So, what are the top reasons why law firms should be using Microsoft Teams?
- Modernised Collaboration
Microsoft Teams encourages users to work in a collaborative way by integrating productivity and communications into a single platform. As a provider of IT support Central London law firms have used for years, TechQuarters was able to confirm the ways that Microsoft Teams’ collaborative features can help legal professionals. For example, using teams and channels in the platform can help streamline and simplify workflows by consolidating the work of multiple users into a single space.
- Efficient Virtual Communication
The most well-known feature of Microsoft Teams is arguably its communication capabilities. Virtual meetings have been a massive boon to companies whilst working remotely, and the Teams meeting experience is generally considered to be among the richest of all meeting software on the market. Some users may not be aware of this, but Teams also supports the implementation of cloud telephony – in other words, lawyers no longer need a separate business landline or mobile; they can keep their business phone number in Microsoft Teams, and make and receive professional calls anytime, anywhere.
- Data Governance and Compliance
Having seen the popularity of their solution among legal professionals, Microsoft decided to develop a Microsoft 365 Solution for Legal. This new solution ensured that law firms were able to use Microsoft Teams within the confines of their sector’s strict data governance regulations.
What Additional Functionality Does Microsoft Teams Premium Offer?
So, all in all, Microsoft Teams is a very good solution for law firms to be using. However, how does Microsoft Teams Premium improve this experience further? We asked TechQuarters about this; as Microsoft Office 365 consultancy experts, they pointed to a few features that they think would benefit legal firms the most.
- Branded Meetings
Teams Premium unlocks the ability for organisations to add branding to their meetings. This includes a meeting lobby with custom backgrounds (which businesses can make themselves). This also extends to video backgrounds for individuals, and for Together Mode scenes. This is a small touch, but it can go a long way in personalising the experience for client interactions, adding an air of professionalism.
- Intelligent Recaps
One of the most exciting aspects of Microsoft Teams Premium is that it integrates AI into the meeting experience. The foremost example is with intelligent recap. This is where the AI generates meeting notes and actions – these can even be specific to meeting participants. Intelligent recap can also auto-generate chapters for a meeting recording, to make it easier to review things quickly.
- Additional Meeting Scenarios
Microsoft Teams Premium also unlocks two new meeting scenarios for organisations. Firstly, the Virtual Appointment, which could come in very handy for legal professionals. The other meeting scenario is webinars, which may also have some use for legal firms.