Channels vs. Chats in Microsoft Teams

What are channels?

Imagine a bustling office where every team has its own dedicated space. This is what channels in Microsoft Teams can offer—a structured environment where conversations are neatly organized by topics. Each channel is like a room dedicated to a specific project or theme.

For instance, in a marketing team, you might have channels for social media, content creation, and campaign planning. With this type of setup, you can ensure your discussions stay focused and relevant. And when you need to find that brilliant idea that someone mentioned last month, you already know exactly where to look!

Channels also integrate seamlessly with other apps in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. You have the ability to add tabs for Microsoft Planner to help track tasks, meeting notes with Microsoft OneNote, and you can also integrate other third-party tools that your team relies on and uses on a daily basis. With this high degree of flexibility and integration, channels instantly become a hub of efficiency and productivity for your team.

However, managing these channels can also be a bit like a juggling act. As projects grow and evolve, so do the number of channels you have to manage. This can become extremely challenging to keep everything organized.

You also may face difficulty with the initial setup of your channels—trying to predict all the topics your team will need ahead of time can feel like gazing into a crystal ball. Sometimes, you may end up with channels that gather dust or ones that need renaming as a result of shifting priorities.

Creating channels ahead of time can be a bit like setting up forum threads where topics are predefined. It’s a challenge because it requires anticipating all future discussion topics, which is not always feasible. You might end up with channels that are misnamed or unused, cluttering the team space. A good strategy is to start with broad categories and refine them as your team’s needs evolve.

When should I use private channels?

Another subsection of channels are private channels. These can offer a unique blend of the structure of channels combined with the privacy of group chats. They are ideal for sensitive projects or discussions that should only be accessible to a subset of the team. For example, if you’re working on a confidential project that involves only a few team members, a private channel ensures that the information stays secure while still benefiting from the organizational structure of a regular channel.

Private channels are also useful for leadership teams or committees within a larger team. They allow for focused, private discussions without the need to create a separate team. However, it’s important to use private channels wisely to avoid fragmentation and ensure that the main team channels remain the primary hub for a majority of your communications.

But what are group chats then?

Now, picture a casual coffee shop where colleagues gather for impromptu discussions. This is the essence of group chats in Microsoft Teams. They are quick to set up and perfect for those spontaneous conversations that don’t require a lot of formal structure.

Group chats are ideal for short-term, focused discussions on-the-fly. Need to brainstorm ideas for an upcoming presentation? Just start a group chat with the relevant team members. These chats can also be private as well, making them suitable for quick and confidential discussions.

But with great flexibility comes a bit of chaos. Over time, group chats can become disorganized, with important information buried in the chat history. Unlike channels, group chats don’t support the same level of app integration within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, which can limit their functionality for ongoing projects.

A unified experience

Recently, Microsoft rolled out a significant update to Microsoft Teams—combining channels and chats into the same space. While this change aims to streamline the user experience, it ultimately may end up creating more confusion than clarity. By merging these two distinct forms of communication, users may struggle to differentiate between ongoing project discussions in channels and more casual, spontaneous conversations in chats—which is why it is so important to understand the key differences between chats and channels.

One positive aspect of the latest update is the introduction of the “New Section” option. This feature allows users to actually combine chats and channels into custom named sections—providing a new way to organize conversations and channels beyond just your favourites.

By grouping related chats and channels together, you can create a more cohesive and organized workspace which can be particularly useful for large projects that involve multiple teams and communication threads.

So should I use channels, chats, or both?

In the end, both channels and group chats have their unique pros and cons. Channels offer a structured and transparent way to organize conversations which makes them ideal for ongoing projects. Group chats, on the other hand, provide the flexibility and privacy needed for quick and focused discussions.

When deciding between channels, group chats, and private channels, consider your team’s communication style and your unique project requirements. By experimenting with all three, you’ll be sure to find the best fit for your team.

You can learn more about Microsoft Teams here.