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In today’s fast-changing business landscape, and with inflation on the rise, investing in productivity tools and strategies to increase productivity is crucial for the success of any business in 2023 and beyond.
As of January 2023, there are 1,786 Microsoft Teams Apps approved by Microsoft and listed on AppSource. Major software companies typically create these to integrate their product or platform with Microsoft Teams – and deliver you a better overall experience with both Teams and their product.
At the time of writing this very blog, there are 921 Microsoft Teams Apps approved by Microsoft and listed on AppSource. Major software companies typically create these to integrate their product or platform with Microsoft Teams – and deliver you a better overall experience with both Teams and their product.
Custom Microsoft Teams Apps
Most prominent technology vendors have developed Microsoft Teams apps, but sometimes you may need a custom solution to fully integrate your Line of Business tools. There are three ways to get custom Microsoft Teams apps:
- The App Store, where third-party vendors upload their custom applications.
- Side loading, where users can install Microsoft Teams apps by uploading them to the Teams client. You can also upload custom apps built by your vendor to the Teams admin portal to make them available for users.
- User-built apps, which can range from a Power Automate flow that sends actionable messages to a channel (Adaptive Cards) or embed a Power App they built as a Tab in a Team.
Our favourite 27 Microsoft Teams Apps for 2023:
1. Microsoft Planner
As more businesses turn to Microsoft Teams for its project management capabilities, Microsoft Planner has emerged as an efficient visual task management app that doubles as a chat tool. It has made it easy for employees to add, edit, and view tasks and get in touch with the right people to discuss projects.
2. Jira
Microsoft Teams now allows you to integrate Jira Cloud and collaborate with employees and clients to streamline software development and other deliverables.
You can also track issues and analyse your team’s progress in the meeting without leaving Microsoft Teams. Get essential custom notifications on projects, groups, and other matters to take the necessary action in real-time.
3. Salesforce
You can connect Microsoft Teams to Salesforce for quick and easy access to essential Salesforce data on the users’ desktops and mobile devices. The integration paves the way for a smoother collaboration between people across organisations or external parties. Moreover, Salesforce serves as a common platform for your business to discuss marketing, sales, and customer service strategies through online real-time communication. You can customise it to suit your business and its specific needs with easy to use features.
4. Translator
The Translator App for Microsoft Teams lets you read and translate messages into the language specified by a user’s language settings. Available in real-time and across channels, the app also supports multiple devices and can be activated with just a button. The translator app now supports 60 languages for on-the-spot translation of messages and personal chats.
5. Cisco Webex
You can easily link your Microsoft Teams with the Cisco Meetings bot. This integration allows users to schedule meetings, send links, and join conferences with just a single click on a unique URL. The Webex app shows as a tab in Teams and includes meeting reminders and notifications. It also adds meetings automatically to Microsoft Office 365 calendars.
6. Slack
Slack and Microsoft Teams have been integrated for over a year and their Microsoft Team Calls app can now launch Team Calls directly from the workspace, allowing Teams and Slack users to message each other across both platforms. The integration supports both channels and direct messages (DMs), while external parties can also join in the conversation using guest access. Microsoft has also launched several other integrations for Slack, such as Microsoft Teams apps for connecting Outlook, Calendar, OneDrive, Flow, and Azure, among others.
7. Polly
Polly is a survey integration app that helps managers create polls and send multiple-choice questionnaires to employees. Integrated with Teams, Polly gathers valuable feedback without interrupting a team’s workflow. The app supports different question types and anonymity levels and allows managers to analyse and visualise trends.
8. ScrumGenius
ScrumGenius runs automated check-ins and standup meetings. Its integration with Microsoft Teams allows users to pull in information from different boards, access multiple reports, and run asynchronous standup meetings directly through chat. For example, the ScrumGenius Teams bot can ask people what they accomplished the previous day, what they plan to do today, and whether there are any blockers – providing a valuable picture of the work everyone is doing.
9. Zoom
One of the favourite conferencing brands on the market, Zoom offers Microsoft Teams integration by allowing users to start or join video meetings using easy bots commands or a tab. Users can schedule meetings with anyone in their team who also has Zoom. Participants get automatic notifications that show in their Microsoft Exchange Calendar. Teams also supports integrations for Zoom Chat and Zoom Phone.
10. Lucidchart
Lucidcharts are particularly useful for aesthetic-driven teams that work with organisational charts, wireframes, and designs. With this integration, any user in a channel can comment or edit Lucidchart documents without leaving Teams. The app allows teams to work in real-time and from any location using notes, mentions, links, and drag-and-drop visual editing. It is also possible to work using slideshows in presentation mode.
11. Trivia
Trivia is a set of exciting quizzes and remote games that can run in Teams and an ideal activity for short breaks (as they last about 5 minutes each). The app offers word puzzles, “unpopular opinions” polls, instant quizzes from several categories, and custom quizzes created by users. Running Trivia is as simple as typing its name as a Microsoft Teams command.
12. Hive
Hive is a tool used for managing workflows and improving productivity. The app supports different process tools such as Gantt charts, Kanban boards, calendars, and tables so people can monitor and report on projects in real-time. Hive can integrate with Microsoft Teams and thousands of other apps to adjust workflows, access summaries, and share files and documents instantly.
13. Wrike
Wrike is an online project management software popular with companies that favour working in agile environments. Microsoft Teams can integrate with Wrike to create and manage tasks, post them into conversations, send notifications, and see schedules on a shared Gannt chart. Wrike and Teams users only require a single sign-on.
14. Bonusly
Bonusly is a reward platform used to provide engaging recognition and rewards to employees. Its integration with Microsoft Teams is simple: users can send rewards, provide feedback, and review their bonuses all within Teams channels. This integration helps Bonusly fit seamlessly with existing workflows and boost team engagement.
15. Sociabble
Sociabble is a SaaS solution that aggregates content from various channels to help you find and engage potential advocates for your brand. When integrated with Microsoft Teams, Sociabble allows staff members to upload posts to their social media without switching to a different app. Users are also able to earn badges and rewards.
16. MindMeister
MindMeister is a mind mapping application that allows users to capture and share ideas using a visual platform. The app is excellent for hosting brainstorming sessions and showing connections between concepts and suggestions. Its integration with Teams also allows users to make notes, visualise timelines, and outline strategies without leaving channels.
17. Zoho Desk
Zoho Desk is a context-aware app designed to support customer service. Zoho Desk aims to provide clients with more valuable interactions, while managers can access its metrics through Microsoft Teams. The integration also supports contextual intelligence from the CRM, automatic suggestions to frequently asked questions, and easy assignment of tasks to specific agents. All Zoho tickets are available within the Teams workspace, where teammates can assign, edit, and comment on them.
18. Jibble
Jibble is a bot that integrates with Microsoft Teams to help business leaders track employees’ time and attendance. Jibble can be used to analyse workplace productivity, manage timesheets, and track client billing and payroll. The bot, fully integrated into Teams, uses simple commands such as “in”, “out”, or “times” to record and view timesheets.
19. Freehand
Freehand is a Microsoft Teams integration app that is ideal for bringing imagery into conversations. Created by InVision, Freehand can help graphic design companies collaborate on workflows – but it also provides any user with a whiteboard where people can sketch, draw, and edit content simultaneously. These “co-drawing” collaborations can be saved in the cloud and accessed at any time.
20. Soapbox
Soapbox is an excellent addition for people that want to avoid discussions going on a tangent or awkward silences taking over a meeting. The app can add items to the agenda and check them off as the meeting progresses when integrated with Teams. It also provides catch-up capabilities, alerts and notifications to keep track of the agreed targets, all within the Microsoft Teams experience.
21. SignEasy
SignEasy is a digital signature app that allows users to sign, send and manage documents within Microsoft Teams. The app integrates with Teams, allowing users to easily sign and send documents such as contracts, invoices and forms without having to leave the Teams interface.
By using SignEasy, teams can streamline their document signing and management process, making it more efficient and secure.
22. Zapier
Zapier is an automation tool that allows you to connect Microsoft Teams with other apps and services, so you can automate repetitive tasks and workflows. With Zapier, you can create “zaps” that automate actions between different apps and services, such as creating a new task in a to-do list app when a new message is posted in a Teams channel, or posting a message in a Teams channel when a new form is submitted in a web app.
23. UserVoice
UserVoice is a customer feedback and support platform that allows companies to collect, manage and respond to customer feedback. You can easily collect, manage and respond to customer feedback within the Teams interface.
Through the UserVoice app for Microsoft Teams, you can collect customer feedback in Teams by creating feedback forms or polls that can be posted in channels or sent as private messages.
24. Zenduty
The Zenduty app brings incident management functionality directly into Teams, enabling your team members to easily manage incidents and respond to alerts. You can automate incident management workflows, so that incidents are handled quickly and well.
With Zenduty, teams can streamline incident management and incident response processes, making them more efficient and effective, and reducing response time.
25. Range
Range is a team management and employee engagement platform that helps managers and teams to stay aligned and productive. One of its key features is the ability to create “check-ins”, which are regular meetings between team members and their managers.
With the Range app, managers can create check-ins for team members in Microsoft Teams, where the team member can provide updates on their progress, discuss any challenges they’re facing, and set goals for the upcoming period.
26. Workday
Workday is one of the best Microsoft Teams apps to improve the efficiency of HR-related tasks. It is a cloud-based human capital management and financial management software that provides organisations with tools for managing their HR, payroll and financial operations. With Workday, you can access and manage HR, payroll and financial data within the Teams interface.
27. Mural
If you are looking for a specific tool to support creative collaboration and visual thinking on Microsoft Teams, Mural might be a good fit. It allows you and your team to organise ideas, map out processes and workflows, and design solutions in an intuitive, visual way.
Microsoft Teams apps with Experteq
There is more to Microsoft Teams than messaging and video conferencing. Microsoft Teams apps can empower your organisation into the future by further enhancing the value of Teams to end-users.
We leverage Teams every day at work and wholly believe in its benefits and capabilities. Please visit our Microsoft Teams solutions page to learn how Experteq can help you get the most from Microsoft Teams.
