Slack vs. Teams … The Battle Cannot Be Started

This blog post shouldn’t even exist.

The fact that is does is indicative of a challenge Microsoft is creating for themselves and for people that want to use, or at least try, Microsoft Teams.

There is a Killer Issue preventing the battle from starting.

What this is turning into is … a GREAT opportunity for Slack.

Not that Slack needs too many more opportunities. Microsoft may eat their lunch in a few places, but until it becomes as easy to deploy Microsoft Teams as it is to deploy Slack the Battle Cannot Be Started.

NB: I have used Microsoft Teams. I am a fan.
But, my enthusiasm was dampened because our IT Administrator for our non-profit has not turned on Teams yet.

I Want To Get Started

Here is what I see when I go to:

teams.microsoft.com

And, there it is …

The Killer Issue

This is the error message I get when I go to the Teams site. The 2 minute video is great, but it’s a bit of a tease for those that cannot get into Microsoft Teams yet.

Sure, it’s pretty. Sure, it’s kinda funny. But, and this is a big but …

I WANT TO USE MICROSOFT TEAMS! …

I’m excited to use Microsoft Teams. I want to share it with my team. Yet, I am thwarted by the IT department / the IT Administrator.

This is the cutesy error screen I get via this URL:
https://teams.microsoft.com/_#/licenseError?errorCode=TeamsDisabledForTenant 

Is this Microsoft’s Fault?

Well, yes and no. They get to choose how they go to market.

Microsoft is going to market through the Office 365 product sets. Which makes perfect sense on a lot of levels. However, it may cause slower adoption as people opt for Ease of Access with Slack.

In the end, as Microsoft often does, they will likely win this battle. But, the early skirmishes may allow Slack to continue to gain traction and grab a foothold that will be hard to break loose.

Re-Inspired

I started this post on Saturday.

I was re-inspired by Roland Oldengarm. He wrote a great post that Owen Allen amplified on LinkedIn.

Roland hits the KILLER ISSUE with Slack vs. Teams for adoption.

Ease of Access!

Case In Point:

I wanted to set up our non-profit board with Microsoft Teams ... as we are a very Microsoft oriented and inclined group. However, because the admin for our non-profit Office 365 deployment has not set it up yet ... we were stuck.

Reality Check:
I could have set us all up on Slack in about 10 minutes
(the only thing that takes time is cutting and pasting email aliases)
But, I waited! And, will wait a few (more) days.

Note at 10am - The admin still has not setup Teams. (I just checked).

Which makes me wonder:

• How much work have we lost?
• How much collaborative efforts have we forsaken?
• How much energy and excitement have we forgone?

I realize Teams has a different model than Slack, but Slack has a huge head start and the ease of access (and setting it up) is a KILLER ISSUE.

I was pretty fired up to show Microsoft Teams to our non-profit board. However, until the Office 365 admin turns it on ... we are all waiting here ... slack jawed.

The bottom line is …

Slack vs. Teams … The Battle Cannot Be Started

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Image Credits: Microsoft Corporation, Slack

Jeff is business advisor, mentor and community engagement expert. He has spent most of his career in the Enterprise Content Management industry. He brings over 20 years of Channel Sales, Partner Marketing and Alliance expertise to audiences around the world in speaking engagements and via his writing. He has worked for Microsoft, Kodak, and K2.

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