Viva Sales has unveiled a groundbreaking feature called Collaboration Spaces, designed to revolutionize collaboration among sales teams. You may already be familiar with the powerful integration of Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Teams, which empowers sellers to create Microsoft Teams and channels connected to Dynamics 365 records. Now, with the introduction of Collaboration Spaces, this integration takes a significant leap forward.
Collaboration Spaces empowers sellers to swiftly create Teams and channels using predefined templates. These templates come equipped with pre-configured channels and apps that are automatically replicated when a new collaboration space (Team + Channel(s)) is generated. This streamlines the process of creating Teams and Team channels while seamlessly linking them to relevant Dynamics 365 records.
Centralizing Information for Efficient Collaboration
By utilizing Teams and collaboration spaces, sellers can consolidate and centralize information in one unified platform. This centralized repository ensures that team members have easy access to all pertinent materials, fostering efficiency, minimizing redundant efforts, and enabling better decision-making and coordination within the team.
Sales Templates for Targeted Collaboration
Viva Sales offers two distinct sales templates for sellers to choose from. The first one is the ‘Account Team Template,’ designed around Dynamics 365 customers/accounts. This template is applied at the ‘team’ level and facilitates seamless collaboration on account-related activities. When selected, it automatically creates two channels within the team: the ‘general’ channel for internal seller collaboration and the ‘shared’ channel for collaboration with customers or prospects. Shared channels are easily identifiable, as their names begin with ‘customer,’ and they display the related Dynamics 365 account in the general channel.
The second sales template is the ‘Deal Room Template,’ focusing specifically on opportunity-related activities. Unlike the account template, this template is applied at the channel level. If an account team already exists for the related account, it is recommended to create the opportunity channel under that account team. If there is no account team yet, one can be created. Since this template is applied at the channel level, only one channel is created, specifically intended for collaboration among sellers. An additional channel can be created to collaborate with individuals external to the organization.
Creating Collaboration Spaces in Viva Sales
Sellers can effortlessly generate collaboration spaces directly from Viva Sales. When users open an email in Outlook and click the ‘Viva Sales’ button, they will find the ‘Collaborate in Teams’ button on the Viva Sales side pane. Hovering over an Account or Opportunity record presents buttons to ‘Set up account team’ or ‘Set up Deal room’ accordingly.
For account teams, the setup involves selecting an existing team or creating a new one. After making decisions on team name and privacy settings, members can be added either immediately or at a later time via the Teams app. Upon successful setup, sellers will receive a notification in the Viva Sales side pane with an option to open the newly created Team in Microsoft Teams.
For Deal Rooms, it is recommended to link them to an existing Account Team if one already exists. By choosing the appropriate options, the Deal Room channel is quickly created, and sellers can begin collaborating on opportunity-specific tasks.
Licensing Requirements
To take advantage of Collaboration Spaces, users must have a Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 license and access to Dynamics 365 or Salesforce. Additionally, the Viva Sales add-in needs to be installed for seamless integration.
In conclusion, Collaboration Spaces in Viva Sales revolutionize sales team collaboration, providing an efficient, centralized platform for information sharing and coordination. Embrace this powerful tool to elevate your sales team’s effectiveness and drive productivity. Stay tuned for more insightful articles and subscribe to never miss an update!
