Teams Chat
Chat is for quick messages to one person or a small group. Tthe two-line question that does not need an email.
Start a chat
- Select the New Chat icon (top of the chat panel)
- In the To box, start typing a person's name. Add more than one name for a group chat.
- Type your message and press Enter.
You do not need to start a new chat each time. If you have messaged someone before, select their name in your chat list and carry on the existing conversation.
Group chats
Add several names in the To box to chat with a group. Give the group a name is it is recognisable later otherwise an unnamed group chat becomes a list of people's names and is impossible to find in a month.
Group chat works well for a small project team or a regular update. It is a better fit than an email chain for anything ongoing.
Reuse an existing group rather than creating a new one with the same people. Duplicate groups split the conversation and nobody knows which one is current.
What you can do in a chat
| Feature | What It does |
|---|---|
| Formatting | Bold, bullet points and highlighting, under the A icon |
| Attach files | Send documents, PDFs and images |
| Reactions | Hover over a message and choose a reaction |
| Edit and delete | Hover over your own message and select … |
| Emoji and GIFs | Available if the tone suits |
Chat is a Council record
Teams chats are retained and can be produced in response to a Right to Information request or legal process, the same as email.
That does not mean chat is inappropriate. It means write in chat the way you would write in an email. The informality of the interface does not change the status of what you type.
Do not use chat for sensitive information
Not because chat is insecure, but because it is the wrong container.
Anything about a resident, a personnel matter, an investigation or a complaint needs to be findable by the people who will need it later and a chat between two people is not. It cannot be handed over when you change roles, it is not in ECM, and nobody looking for the decision six months from now will think to search your chat history.
If a conversation turns substantive, move it. Put the outcome in an email or in ECM.
Good habits
- Keep messages clear and respectful
- React to a message to show you have seen it, rather than sending "thanks" as a new message
- Do not expect an instant reply. People are in meetings, on leave, or out on site