The Help-Files: The Truth Is Here
Vol01:Iss04 – Talking in the Tower
Welcome to the Tower. The options are endless. No idea what the Tower is? Please take a look at the previous article of the Help Files which tells you everything about it.
Did you know that the Tower has over 500 users, which are Serve the City heroes from all over the world? In the Lobby they exchange experiences in volunteering, brainstorm together and inspire each other to make a difference in our local societies. Are you new to the Tower? Guess what? There is a VIP floor in the Tower reserved for your city only, where you can work privately with everyone who’s involved in your local projects.
In this article, we want to show the tools that are in the Tower to make communication quick and easy. Cities that have moved into the Tower show a significantly lower use of e-mail because most conversations take place in Teams. Everything is stored in one place. Documents, ideas and conversations. Now let us zoom in on those communication tools.
What are those communication tools?
As explained in our previous article, in the Tower you can create channels that function as separate co-working groups in which you have digital walls on which you can share documents, start discussions and interact with all members in that channel.
With @mentions you can get someone’s attention for your message, as they will receive a notification. For instance, you’ve created a flyer for Big Volunteer Day and want another team member to take a look at it. You just share the flyer and @mention that person in the message. They’ll receive an immediate notification which helps to get their attention.
Do you want to talk more privately to someone or a group? Click on ‘chat’ and type in the name or names of those you want to reach out to. The chat also offers space to share documents, photos and more.
Of course, we are not limited to communication in written messages only. To speak in person, Teams also offers the opportunity to make calls, with or without video. You do this by either starting a call in a particular channel or in the chat, by clicking on the camera icon. When you have the Teams app for your mobile phone, you can easily phone or videocall people in Teams when you’re on the road.
Calling and chatting in Teams on a computer (left) and phone (right)
You can call anyone from Teams, even if they don’t have the app. Just enter the e-mail address or phone number and the person you want to reach out to can connect via their webbrowser. Just click on ‘calls’. To call someone directly from the chat, click videocall or audiocall. You can even install a voicemail in Teams. For virtual meetings with a large group of people, there’s the option of live events to stream webinars in a very professional way.
The communication tools of the Tower will make it easier to manage your projects, work together and make it more fun too! If you have any questions about the Tower’s communication tools or you want to know more about other IT-support that we can off you, please send an e-mail to support@servethecity.net and we’ll be there to help you.
