Nearly everyone with Microsoft Teams knows what a tremendous tool it is for chat, document sharing, and meetings between individuals or large groups. We’re used to using the tool as it appears on our screens daily. But did you know hundreds of integrations available in Microsoft Teams allow you to customize your Team experience to your organization’s needs? Even better, many of them are designed to meet the unique needs of specific industry verticals.
The opportunities are practically endless. Do you run a legal firm that needs to keep compliant meeting transcripts and share electronic signatures? Do you run telehealth operations or medical onsite visits where HIPAA-compliant records need to be shared? Are you a firm that serves customers and needs to share service ticket data among your staff? This, and so much more, can be handled by apps available in Teams.
These New Apps Are Great—But Should You Customize Microsoft Teams?
If your business has compelling use cases for these enhancements, our answer is a qualified yes. Before you click that download button, however, we recommend working through some issues first, namely:
- Can we afford it?— Most of these Teams enhancements are affordable, but the prices go up with more compliance issues. Payment varies, too. Some require a yearly fee, others a by-the-seat fee, and others come free with your SaaS subscription.
- Who needs to use it?— Not everyone on your staff will need the same capabilities. Limiting the app to the team members who need it can help reduce your expenses and minimize your cybersecurity exposure.
- What impact will it have on our systems?—Will this enhancement need to connect to your data or any other part of your existing systems? How will that affect your work patterns?
- How will we train employees to use this new function?
- How will we measure its effectiveness?
- How will this addition affect our backup, disaster recovery, and written cybersecurity policies?
And, as always, we recommend cybersecurity thoroughly vet any program you add to your systems, whether cloud-based or not. Many apps sold on the Microsoft marketplace are not necessarily “endorsed” by the company, so it’s truly buyer beware.
Nine Apps That Let You Customize Microsoft Teams to Your Industry
The apps listed below are just the beginning of what you can do in Microsoft Teams. Of the hundreds available, we chose these to give you a taste of the possibilities. Remember that these examples listed below are not based on merit, ratings, or any security vetting. When considering integrations for your systems, always consult your IT team first.
#1—Dynamics 365 Field Service helps organizations deliver onsite service to customer locations.
Dynamics 365 Field Service uses workflow automation within Microsoft Teams, empowering your frontline workers to get it right on their first try. Imagine being able to whip up work orders in a jiffy within Teams, tap into the wisdom of remote experts, and keep your customers in the loop about their service call status – all from one convenient place. This integration is designed to work in tandem with companies already using Viva Connections for their service management. It’s free to use with a Microsoft 365 and Viva Connections license.
#2—Neo is an AI-powered Co-Pilot for Managing IT Tickets in Teams
Neo is an AI-powered application tailored to Managed Service Providers (MSPs), streamlining their service desk operations by automating the processes of ticket retrieval and resolution suggestions. Service desk agents within MSPs, particularly those dealing with high volumes of IT tickets, will benefit significantly from Neo’s intuitive, time-saving solutions. Neo effectively tackles critical pain points of manual and time-consuming ticket management and the lack of predictive insights for ticket resolution, enhancing overall productivity and efficiency. Companies can use NEO without being in Teams. However, this Teams integration can increase their effectiveness with their service process, overall. An additional charge is required for the Teams integration.
#3—ASC Recording Insights Offers Legally Compliant Call Recording, Archiving and Analytics in a Certified Microsoft Teams App
ASC Recording Insights provides a fully compliant recording and analytics solution that covers all of Microsoft Teams’ communications. The program uses Microsoft’s Cognitive Services to transcribe audio into text, and its natural language processing enables automated categorization, emotion detection, and translation within the app.
Contact centers, the heart of any business, constantly face new challenges. Legal obligations such as MiFID II and Dodd-Frank, especially for banks and insurance companies, require recording all consultation calls and professional advice. That’s where ASC Recording Insights steps in. Users can record calls in compliance with the law while analyzing its content for trends and internal process improvement.
#4— Google Analytics Insights Brings You Reports, Alerts, and Goal tracking for GA4, Facebook Ads, Google Ads, Shopify, and Search Console
Companies investing heavily in their presence on Google will appreciate the shareable insights they gain with this Teams app. In the app, users consolidate their Google investments and tracking under one shareable management platform. With Google Analytics Insights for Teams, you’ll get an integrated platform for:
- Google Analytics 4
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- Google Analytics (UA)
- Google Ads
- Google Search Console
- Facebook Ads
- Shopify
With all your data easily shared in Microsoft Teams and email,
Instantly get automated reports and alerts sent directly to the channels you specify. Choose from pre-made templates with the most popular metrics, or create your reports and what you want to monitor from scratch.
#5—With Steth IO Telehealth, You Can Achieve an Effective Clinical Visit Remotely on Teams
The Steth IO Telehealth app can assess and remotely examine patients during clinical care over the Microsoft Teams platform. Telemedicine should be more than an audio-video call. Steth IO will enable your team to collect patients’ symptom questionnaires, heart sounds, lung sounds, and clinically relevant images, enabling medical providers to collect, examine, collaborate, and coordinate care. During appointments, providers and patients use a central repository of securely collected clinical information. This Teams integration is free for organizations already using the Steth IO system.
#6—Priority Matrix HIPAA Helps Health Providers Focus on High-impact Tasks, Preserve Patient Privacy, and Customize Microsoft Teams
Priority Matrix HIPAA is a project management tool that integrates with Microsoft Teams and Outlook, helping teams prioritize tasks and work efficiently. It allows task management within Teams, email conversion into functions, and one-on-one discussions on action items.
Its integration with Office 365 makes it unique, reducing the need for multiple apps. It uses AI technology to prioritize projects and people and works across all devices. It’s a comprehensive solution for project management within Teams and Outlook, all while handling protected patient PHI data safely.
#7—AMN Healthcare Language Services Brings Interpreters Directly to Your Telehealth Appointments
Other apps provide the ability to have telehealth consults through Teams. But what happens when a patient can’t understand the physician? AMN Healthcare Language Services bridges the gap connecting with interpreters in 40 languages. Interpreters appear over video or phone using the AMN Interpreting application within Microsoft Teams. The platform is secure and HIPAA compliant, offering interpretation services to patients who are non-English speakers, deaf, or hard of hearing.
#8—Construction File Manager Lets You Create Construction/Project Files Customize Microsoft Teams
If your company manages construction projects among a big team, Construction File Manager could be the Teams integration you’ve been waiting for. This tool offers freely configurable project files, ensuring structured team creation and control over projects. It’s like having a construction project wizard tool, complete with life cycle management, naming conventions, and an automated approval workflow.
In each Team channel, users have the ability to add folders, tabs, lists, or apps like Planner/OneNote. The tool also provides interfaces for additional modules and allows for the creation of naming conventions. With Archiving / Lifecycle Management, your project list stays organized. Plus, there’s an automated project management today!
#9—Hosted in Azure Government, Priority Matrix Securely Helps Organizations Focus on High-Impact Work in a Compliant Environment
Priority Matrix Government, developed by Appfluence Inc., is a complete project management software that seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and Microsoft 365. Priority Matrix is government-compliant and hosted on Azure GCC (Gov Cloud). The service enforces single sign-on, simplifies IT login policies via Azure Active Directory, and turns off certain features to prevent data sharing with users outside the system.
This software helps you prioritize, focus, and work smarter. You can manage tasks and projects directly within Teams and even open a personal view to discuss action items with a teammate. It works within Teams, Outlook, and Microsoft 365 and uses artificial intelligence technology to help track projects and people. The app is available for Microsoft Teams, Outlook, mobile, and desktop, with no limits to the number of tasks you can create. It’s a great tool to replace status reports and standup meetings, improve team productivity, share data among collaborators, and communicate your priorities with the rest of your team.
Would You Like to Get the Most out of Your Microsoft Stack and Customize Microsoft Teams?
Integris can help. We have deep experience helping our customers manage their Microsoft licenses and customize them for their businesses. Our vCISO team can also help you evaluate Microsoft Teams plug-ins for your business. Want to know more? Contact us for a free consultation!
