Microsoft Teams usage report breakdown

If you’re looking to make the most of your Microsoft Teams and are searching for powerful features and hidden gems that’ll elevate your collaboration game to the next level, you’re at the right place. We’ll show you how to do just that with the help of the Microsoft Teams usage report.

We’ll review topics such as how to use Microsoft Teams usage reports, identify inactive teams, recover deleted messages, and more.

How to view the Microsoft Teams usage report

Viewing reports on Microsoft Teams requires having the role of a global admin, global reader, or Teams service admin.

1. Sign in to Microsoft 365 Admin Center: Use your admin credentials to log in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center after navigating to it.
2. From the dashboard homepage: Click on the Microsoft Teams activity’s View More button.
3. In the “Reports” section: go for the “Usage” option located in the sub-menu of “Reports”.
4. Delve into Usage Reports: Available within the “Usage” tab, Microsoft Teams houses an array of reports that pertain to usage. These reports offer perspectives on user behavior, communication patterns, and much more.
5. Date range: From the Date Range drop-down menu, choose either the Last 7 days or the Last 28 days to filter the data.
6. Generate report: can be done by clicking the Run report button.

Microsoft Teams usage reports key metrics

Microsoft Teams Usage reports offer metrics that can give you a comprehensive overview of your team’s engagement with Microsoft Teams:

• Active users: Get a count of users actively engaging with Microsoft Teams during a specific timeframe. This metric helps gauge overall adoption.
• Chat activity: Measure the volume of chat messages sent and received. This metric indicates the intensity of communication and collaboration within teams.
• File sharing: Track the number of files shared within teams. This metric reveals the frequency of information exchange and collaboration on documents.
• Meetings: Gain insights into the number of meetings held and attended. This metric reflects the emphasis on virtual meetings for discussions and presentations.
• App usage: Explore which apps and integrations are frequently used within Microsoft Teams. This metric sheds light on the tools that enhance productivity.

How to interpret a Microsoft Teams usage report

Interpreting these metrics involves identifying trends and patterns that can inform decision-making: 

• Identify peak usage: Look for spikes in activity during certain days or hours. This could indicate times when teams are most active and collaborative.
• Spot communication gaps: If certain teams have low chat activity or file sharing, it might indicate a need for improved communication strategies or training.
• Measure adoption: Active user counts help measure adoption progress over time, indicating the success of your implementation efforts.

Ways to find inactive teams

In the pursuit of mastering Microsoft Teams, it’s crucial to optimize its usage by ensuring that teams remain active and engaged. We at Syskit understand this perfectly. If you’re looking for more information on this topic, please take a look at our blog that goes into more detail about the ways of finding inactive teams.

Method 1: With a PowerShell script

PowerShell scripts offer a robust way to gather insights about your Team’s activity. Here’s how:

1. Access PowerShell: Open PowerShell on your computer.
2. Connect to Microsoft Teams: Run the necessary commands to connect to Microsoft Teams services using the Connect-MicrosoftTeams cmdlet.
3. Run script: Execute a PowerShell script to retrieve information about team activity and last usage.

Here’s our PowerShell script that will help you find inactive teams.

Method 2: Utilize the Microsoft 365 Admin Center 

The Microsoft 365 Admin Center provides an intuitive way to monitor team activity: 

1. Log in to Admin Center: Sign in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center using your admin credentials.
2. Access Teams dashboard: Navigate to the “Teams” section and access the Teams dashboard.
3. Review team activity: Explore the activity of each team, focusing on metrics like chat, meetings, and document sharing.

Method 3: Use a third-party tool such as Syskit Point

Third-party tools can simplify the process of identifying inactive teams.

1. The inactive content report in Syskit Point displays all your inactive teams in one place.
2. Inactivity within Microsoft Teams can be calculated by considering three factors: messaging activity in a specific chat team, the activity related to files in a SharePoint site, and conversations in Outlook.
3. You can customize time frames after which the team becomes inactive. This way, you can stay flexible while adhering to your longer retention policy.

How to troubleshoot and deal with notifications in Microsoft Teams mobile apps

Here’s the deal: we’re going to exploit those notification glitches to the fullest. Maximizing productivity by optimizing notifications is key, so we’ll address these pesky problems and what they mean.

Customized notifications

Personalized settings can often affect the behavior of notifications in Microsoft Teams, resulting in varied notification patterns. If you’re observing a lack of consistency in receiving notifications, you should check if specific notification categories may have been turned off.

To rectify this, follow these steps: 

1. Click on your profile picture in the application’s top left corner.
2. Navigate to the “Notifications” section.
3. Select “General activity” and activate the toggle next to the notifications you wish to receive.

Getting no notifications

Notification absence on your mobile device can be entirely resolved by modifying your system and Teams settings. Follow these steps to troubleshoot the issue.

1. Launch Teams and access your profile picture at the top left.
2. Enter the “Notifications” section and if notifications are off, click “Open settings.” 

Furthermore, from your mobile device’s “Settings” app: 

1. Locate and tap on “Notifications.” 
2. Toggle the “Allow Notifications” option to the ‘On’ position.
3. While here, you also possess the ability to tailor notification preferences, such as enabling sound alerts.

Getting too many notifications

Your mobile device may be filled with many notifications due to your concurrent activity on the Teams web or desktop app. These notifications could cause distractions and drain your battery. Teams deliver mobile notifications even when you’re active on other platforms by default. To fix this issue, try implementing the following measures: 

Access your profile picture within Teams.

1. Proceed to “Notifications.” 
2. Under “Block notifications,” select “When active on desktop,” and deactivate the toggle to cease notifications while active on the desktop app.
3. Additionally, you can enable or disable notifications during meetings by toggling the “When in meetings” option.

If you continue to encounter notification issues on your mobile device, you’re encouraged to provide feedback through the Teams app. Simply tap your profile picture, proceed to “Settings,” and navigate to “Help and feedback” for the option to “Send feedback.” 

How to enable seamless recording for Teams meetings and calls

The record of Teams meetings or calls offers a valuable asset for future reference, as it covers audio, video, and screen-sharing activities. This recording can be securely distributed throughout your organization for enhanced collaboration and knowledge dissemination.

To initiate a recording, follow these steps: 

1. Start or join the meeting: Commence by either starting or joining the intended meeting.
2. Access meeting controls and begin recording: Navigate to the meeting controls and click on “More actions” > “Start recording.” 

After activating recording, live transcriptions (if permitted by your IT admin) are also initiated, enhancing accessibility and comprehension.

To conclude a recording, adhere to the following steps: 

1. Access meeting controls and cease recording: Within the meeting controls, select “More actions.” 
2. Choose the appropriate action: Opt for one of the following options: 
   
   • “Stop recording”: Terminates both the recording and live transcription.
   • “Stop transcription”: Discontinues live transcription while the recording persists until “Stop recording” is selected.

How to locate Microsoft Teams recorded content

The placement of recorded content depends on the meeting type: 

• For channel meetings: The recording is processed and stored within SharePoint.
• For other meeting types: The recording is processed and saved within OneDrive.

Additionally, the meeting recording is accessible within the meeting chat or channel conversation if the meeting was conducted within a channel.

Recording permissions and criteria

Recording can be initiated or halted by individuals meeting these criteria: 

• Possess one of the specified licenses: Office 365 Enterprise E1, E3, E5, F3, A1, A3, A5, M365 Business, Business Premium, or Business Essentials.
• Enabled for recording by an IT administrator.
• Not categorized as a guest or affiliated with an external organization.

How to configure the recording permissions

1. Access the Calendar: Within the Teams application, access the Calendar from the left-hand side and select “New meeting” in the upper-right corner.
2. Invite Participants: Invite participants to the meeting.
3. Meeting Options: Within the meeting invitation, choose “Meeting options.” 
4. Participant Designation: Designate meeting participants as presenters and co-organizers as required.
5. Recording Permissions: Adjacent to “Who can record,” select an option from the dropdown menu.
6. Save and Share: Complete the process by selecting “Save” and then dispatching the meeting invitation.

How to recover deleted messages from Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is like a central place for important work talks. Sometimes messages can get deleted by mistake, and that might worry us about losing the data. This guide will show you how to recover deleted messages in Microsoft Teams easily.

Understanding the Destination of Deleted Messages: When messages are deleted in Microsoft Teams, they do not find their way to the Recycle Bin. Instead, they follow a specific recovery path. The fate of deleted messages—whether they are concealed, permanently deleted, or rest in a specific folder—raises questions about data retention and retrieval.

Step-by-step guide to recovering deleted messages in Microsoft Teams

1. Message recovery in private chats: Deleted messages within private chats cannot be directly recovered by end-users, as they bypass the Recycle Bin. However, administrators possess the capability to recover them through the Compliance Center utilizing eDiscovery search.
2. Accessing Microsoft’s Compliance Center: Begin by visiting Microsoft’s Compliance Center and selecting “Content Search.” Note that enabling Compliance is a prerequisite for this process.
3. Configuring filter criteria: Utilize filter criteria such as date, type, sender, recipient, and location to narrow down your search. Key in the sender’s email ID, recipient, and message location.
4. Selecting instant messages: Since messages are stored as Instant Messages in Exchange, opt for the “Instant Messages” option to pinpoint the desired content.
5. Exporting results: After obtaining search results and pinpointing the relevant message’s location, proceed to export the results.
6. Customizing export options: Tailor the export options to align with your requirements, ensuring that the exported messages suit your intended use.
7. Generating an export key: As you initiate the export, you will be prompted to copy an Export Key, a vital step for proceeding with the recovery process.
8. Utilizing the export tool: The next stage involves installing the Microsoft Office 365 eDiscovery Export Tool. This tool will be used to retrieve the desired content.
9. Entering the export key: Upon installation, input the Export Key copied earlier to establish the connection.
10. Accessing the recovered content: After completing the export process, the retrieved data will be available in a PST file. Import this file into your Outlook to access the recovered messages.
11. Finalizing the recovery: Upon successful import, navigate to “Conversation History” and locate the restored content under “Team Chat.” 

Unlock Teams’ full potential

Nurturing creativity and maximizing collaboration is essential to the effective use of Microsoft Teams. Empowering your teams to connect and innovate across distances cultivates an environment where every voice is heard, and every idea counts. This tool can transform your work culture, resulting in seamless collaboration and a more innovative workplace.

By tapping into its features, you can unlock Teams’ full potential to foster creativity and bring new ideas to the forefront. We hope this breakdown of the Microsoft Teams usage report gets you one step closer to better collaboration.