Microsoft Modern Workplace is one of those things that sounds impressive on paper.
Collaboration tools. Security. Data storage.
All important. But what does it actually look like in practice?
The easiest way to explain that is to show you how it worked for us.
We recently completed the acquisition of another company. I’ll go into more detail on that in future posts, but from the very beginning, Microsoft Modern Workplace played a big part.
In all honesty, I’m not sure how we would have done it without it.
Like most things, it started with a conversation. What followed was a significant amount of information to process. Documents, financials, discussions, decisions — the kind of volume that can very quickly become difficult to manage.
This is where Microsoft Teams came in.
Paul and I created a Team with dedicated channels, which gave us a structured space to organise everything from the start.
We were able to work on documents at the same time, access the same information instantly, and move through early calculations and decisions far more efficiently than we would have otherwise.
Looking back, some of those early decisions simply wouldn’t have been possible without that level of visibility.
As the process moved forward, more people became involved, both inside and outside the organisation.
Using Teams, we were able to bring everyone together quickly. Video calls, screen sharing, real-time discussions.
Things that would previously have taken days of back-and-forth emails were resolved in minutes.
It’s strange to think that email once felt like the fastest way to work.
Once the deal was complete, the focus shifted to integration.
Bringing together systems, processes, and people is often where things become complicated. In this case, Microsoft 365 made it far more straightforward.
From domain names and email through to documents and accounts, everything was brought into one environment. Once the correct setup was in place within the Microsoft tenant, collaboration could begin immediately.
Even though we were merging two organisations, we were able to operate as one team almost straight away. That made a big difference, not just technically, but culturally as well.
Since then, we’ve been working with the growing team to deliver the same level of service our existing clients are used to (our net promoter score is currently 96, which we’re very proud of).
Much of that work now takes place within Microsoft’s Modern Workplace, supporting collaboration, communication, and day-to-day operations.
So in simple terms, that’s how Microsoft Modern Workplace helped us.
From file sharing and collaborative working, to video calls and easy access to data, it made the entire process smoother, more efficient, and probably a little less stressful too.
If you’re considering growth through acquisition, I’d absolutely recommend it.
Just make sure you’ve got the right strategy in place — and the right technology and support to make it work.
Steve