24Chapters
6Sections
2Authors
2025First posted

Why this guide exists

Chat-first office platforms arrive in companies the same way everywhere: one launch webinar, one densely packed handout, and then a job that never repeats the lesson. The questions keep arriving at minute forty-six — where this file should live, who can read that thread, why the alert never arrived, what becomes of the project room when the project ends.

Vendor help pages answer feature questions precisely and workflow questions almost never. This guide runs the other way: every chapter starts from a situation a real person meets — a crowded channel list, a client call going wrong, an audit request — and only then walks to the settings that resolve it.

Independence

The publication has no commercial relationship with any software vendor. No sponsored chapters, no affiliate links, no paid placements of any kind. Where a chapter recommends a configuration, both the reasoning and the trade-offs are ours — including the ones a vendor would rather leave unstated.

Independence notice. ConnectTeams is a self-directed educational publication. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any software vendor, and it is not an official support channel for any product.

The two authors

Dana Corliss, Collaboration Enablement Trainer

Dana Corliss

Collaboration Enablement Trainer

Dana has spent a decade running onboarding for collaboration hubs at mid-size companies — from first-login classes to the habits that keep channels alive. She writes the everyday chapters.

Reid Callahan, IT Operations & Security Consultant

Reid Callahan

IT Operations & Security Consultant

Reid spends most days in the admin console: policies, guest access, retention and the privacy questions employees actually ask. He writes the administration and security chapters.

Editorial principles

  • 1

    Situations before features

    Chapters open with a problem a reader recognises, not with a walkthrough of menus. Settings appear when the situation demands them and no sooner.

  • 2

    Costs stated plainly

    Every control trades something — comfort, speed, oversight. Naming the trade is how bad setups stop surviving for years unnoticed.

  • 3

    Plain words over vendor words

    The guide says “the file library”, “the lobby”, “the admin center” — phrasing that travels between products and survives interface redesigns.

  • 4

    Reviewed when platforms move

    Each chapter shows its dates. When a platform change invalidates a step, the chapter is revised and both dates move with it.

What the guide covers

  • Core Basics — orientation, chats, channel layout, notification and focus control
  • Meetings & Calls — planning, lobby and roles, voice calls, presenting and co-editing live
  • Files & Sharing — the channel library, share-link reviews, search and pinned tabs
  • Administration — the admin center, policy batches, creation rules and lifecycle endings
  • Security & Privacy — kickoff checklists, external work, retention, employee visibility
  • Habits & Rollout — launch waves, adoption numbers, etiquette, troubleshooting

Corrections and other notes

Found an outdated step, a chapter that should exist, or a recommendation you argue with? Corrections are published — with credit to the reader who made them. Write to hello@connectteams.it.com, call (406) 616-3636, or use the contact form.

The publisher’s registered office is at 1825 6th Ave N, Great Falls, MT 59401, United States.