Who is it for?

If you are a volunteer in one of these areas, you should have received an email containing the details to your account. If not, please contact your Team Leader or email ccvolunteering@crisis.org.uk.

  • Advice

  • Call Centre

  • Befriending

  • Healthcare (Eyecare / Physiotherapy / Podiatry)

  • Accommodation Volunteers

  • Ops

  • Transport

How to get it

Microsft Teams is already installed on the Aimar provided machines and can be accessed through the shortcut on the desktop or via the start menu.


To access it on your personal computer, Download the Microsoft Teams app. It is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and as a web-based app on https://teams.microsoft.com .

You can also download the iOS and Android app to use it on your smartphone.

Quickstart

If you’re not already familiar with Teams, click on the image for a 10 minute overview you can watch; this includes how to send messages and share files.


There is also a text overview if you prefer text to video.

Team Setup

Teams are created for every location and function.

You may be assigned to multiple Teams, for example if you are an Advice volunteer based in Croydon Hotel, you will be able to see the Advice Team and Croydon Hotel Team. Everybody joins the Crisis at Christmas 2020 Team - Crisis staff and Aimar volunteers will use this space to broadcast announcements. You can also meet your fellow volunteers here and collaborate with them.

There are several channels in each Team (your Team Leader may create more depending on operational requirements):

  1. General - This is the general channel for all volunteer-related discussions. No off-topic discussion please!

  2. Announcements - This channel is reserved for Team Leaders for important announcements.

  3. Lounge - This channel is for you to socialise virtually with fellow volunteers in the same Team.

The Crisis at Christmas main Team has additional channels:

  1. IT Helpdesk - Got a quick question you want to ask regarding IT? Post it here. (Please don't use this for account enquiries; those must be submitted as a ticket [instructions pending])

  2. Inboxes - Need to talk to a specific function or hotel? You can do it here.

Shared Drive

This year our shared drive is located on Teams. You can access it by clicking on the "Files" tab in your Team. Microsoft have written more information on using files within Teams

Please follow your Team Leader's guidance on organising files.

Team Etiquette

As a lot of people will be using Teams, we need to set some ground rules on using Teams so that everybody can have a great experience during Crisis at Christmas:

  1. Be excellent to each other. Please treat everybody with respect, and consider your tone when sending messages.

  2. Post in the right place. Make sure to post in the correct channel, especially if handling personal information. Keep off-topic discussions in Lounge channels.

  3. Keep messages short and on-point. Avoid cramming multiple discussions into one message; instead create multiple conversations with one discussion item.

  4. Don't spam. While we enjoy seeing pictures of your cat napping on the table, nobody needs to see it 50 times.

  5. Respect other volunteer's schedules. Your fellow volunteer may not see your message straight away. Give them time to respond. If it is urgent, contact your Team Leader.

Next Steps

Here are some tips and tricks on how to effectively use Teams. We suggest you give them a read before your first shift:

If you are a team leader, please read our Teams for Team Leaders article on how to use Teams effectively for you and your fellow volunteers.

Explore all that the Teams has to offer: