In Intro to the BT Cloud Work App, we discussed that the app is made up of four main navigation areas: Message, Video, Phone, and Contacts. Together, they form a centralized hub that allows you to message, call, and hold online meetings within the BT Cloud Work app.
The Message interface allows for easy collaboration and helps streamline your workflow by ensuring fewer meetings and more productivity. Using the Message interface, you can chat in real-time with co-workers one-on-one or in a group message.
Additionally, you can create teams so users can collaborate with others in your company, be that on a specific project, to discuss a topic, or to keep in communication with others in your department.
Whether you’re in a one-on-one or group conversation, the Message interface also allows file sharing and creation of team events, notes, and tasks.
Types of conversations
You can have three types of conversations in the Message interface: direct messages, group conversations, and team conversations. Let’s review each of these conversations below.
Direct messages
Direct messages are exactly what they sound like: a one-on-one conversation with another person in your company account. You can direct message another user at any time, and while they are more ad-hoc in nature, they can be used to communicate and collaborate with another individual on a shared task or project.
Direct messages are always labeled with the name of the person and you can find direct conversations you’ve had with people via the Direct messages section in your conversation list (more on that later).
Groups
Groups are similar to direct messages with the exception that it is a conversation among a group of BT Cloud Work app users. Similar to direct messages, groups are ad-hoc and don’t carry the permanence of a team.
You can use group conversations for situations like, say, if you start a direct message with another person in your company and realize that another person should also be included in that conversation. You can start a group conversation by adding that person to the direct message you currently have in order to create a group conversation.
Groups are labeled with the first names of the people added to the group, listed out in alphabetical order, and separated by commas. You can find group conversations you’re a part of under the Direct messages section in your conversation list.
Teams
Teams are similar to groups in that they are a conversation held between a group of people. They can be used to communicate and collaborate with others, from connecting with co-workers in your department to collaborating on a project with others in your company.
Teams are created and managed by a few designated users, also known as team admins. Team admins can give the team a unique name, invite other members, and limit some or all of the permissions of a team’s members, including if they can add members, post messages, and more.
When you create a team, you can choose to make them either public or private. Anyone can search for or join a public team, while private teams are only accessible by invitation.
You can find teams you’ve joined either under the Teams section in your conversation list or in the My teams page under the Contacts menu.
To learn more about teams, visit
Intro to Teams in the BT Cloud Work App.
