What Productivity Tools for Microsoft Teams in 2026

Team productivity tools play a bigger role as work inside Microsoft Teams becomes more structured and process-driven. Beyond chat and meetings, teams now rely on added apps to manage requests, tasks, approvals, and customer-related work in one place.

These apps will help manage structured work without switching platforms and are often used as productivity tools for everyday collaboration inside Microsoft Teams.

How Productivity Tools Actually Help Teams Get Work Done

Productivity tools help teams get work done by organizing tasks and requests that are difficult to manage through chat alone. In Microsoft Teams, these tools are added through the Apps area and make it easier to track progress, assign ownership, and manage work as volume grows.

7 Best Productivity Tools for Microsoft Teams

There are variety of productivity tools such as task management, calendar integration, file sharing, and video conferencing that can be added to Microsoft Teams. It also integrates with other Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as third-party apps. Here are the lists of top productivity tools for Microsoft Teams:

1. Ticketing As A Service by TeamsWork

Service requests shared through chat or email are often difficult to track and easy to overlook. This frequently leads to delays and unresolved issues. Ticketing As A Service allows teams to submit, track, and resolve requests directly inside Microsoft Teams. Each ticket keeps conversations, files, and updates connected until the request is completed.

Benefits of Using Ticketing As A Service

A centralized ticketing system improves visibility and accountability by keeping all requests in one place. Teams can prioritize work more effectively and reduce the risk of missed requests. Automation and notifications help teams respond faster and maintain consistent service levels across departments.

How Each Department Can Use Ticketing

• HR team: submitting claims and inquiries related to insurance benefits and leave balances becomes easier to manage with a structured HR ticketing workflow.

• Marketing team: presenting proposals for new marketing tool development and design.

• Legal team: presenting requests for things like contract writing and review.

• IT Help Desk: reporting requests, issues, and occurrences such as software bugs, printer problems, and the purchase of new computers.

• Customer Service: managing customer issues with SLA tracking through a customer service ticketing flow.

Key Features of Ticketing As A Service

• Raise a ticket and manage it until resolved

• Attach images, files, and links

• Send comments and collaborate within tickets

• Maintain a full audit trail

• Control ticket confidentiality

• Support multiple languages

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2. Checklist As A Service by TeamsWork

Recurring workflows require consistency and structure. Without clear steps, teams risk skipping tasks or missing deadlines. Checklist As A Service helps teams manage recurring processes inside Microsoft Teams by providing structured checklists with clear task ownership and real-time progress tracking. 

Benefits of Using Checklist As A Service

Checklists ensure that every step in a process is completed in the correct order. Teams follow standardized workflows, which reduces errors and improves reliability. Automation simplifies recurring work by creating checklists on schedule and sending timely alerts. Managers can monitor progress without constant follow-ups. 

How Each Department Can Use Checklist

• HR team: Payroll process, employee onboarding checklist, and offboarding procedures, etc.

• Accounting & Tax: Month-end closure procedure, tax, and regulatory reporting, etc.

• Operations: Inventory checks and quality control routines.

• Facility management: Safety inspections and compliance checklists.

Key Features of Checklist As A Service

• Create checklists with detailed task breakdowns 

• Manage tasks until resolved 

• Attach images and files and send comments 

• Use templates for recurring checklists 

• Automatic checklist creation through scheduling 

• Automatic alerts for upcoming due dates 

• Dashboard and export options port

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3. CRM As A Service by TeamsWork

Customer information often lives across emails, spreadsheets, and disconnected tools. This fragmentation slows collaboration and decision-making. CRM As A Service brings customer relationship management directly into Microsoft Teams. Teams can manage leads, contacts, opportunities, and cases inside their daily workspace. 

Benefits of Using CRM As A Service

This service lets you manage customer information directly inside Microsoft Teams and connects with Outlook for email, calendar, and contacts. You can then work in one place instead of switching between tools.

The app can be adjusted to fit existing workflows and store important data for leads, opportunities, organizations, contacts, and cases. The interface follows familiar Microsoft 365 patterns, so users can get started quickly, while real-time notifications keep teams updated without manual follow-ups.

How Each Department Can Use CRM 

• Sales: seamless sales management for tracking leads, pipelines, and deal progress 

• Marketing: managing and segmenting leads for campaigns 

• Customer service: reviewing contact details and interaction history 

• Management: monitoring performance, forecasts, and team productivity 

Key Features of CRM As A Service 

• Lead management 

• Sales opportunity management 

• Case management 

• Contacts and organizations 

• Custom forms and sales pipelines 

• Interaction and audit trail tracking 

• Real-time notifications 

• Synchronization with Microsoft 365 

• Multi-language support 

• API access 

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4. Microsoft Teams Approval

Approval workflows often get stuck in email threads and scattered conversations. Centralizing approvals inside a shared workspace helps teams move faster and stay aligned. This feature allows users to submit approval requests, route them to the right approvers, and track outcomes directly inside Microsoft Teams.

Benefits of Using Microsoft Teams Approval 

Approval requests are easier to track because their status is visible in real time. Users no longer need to follow up manually for updates. Decision-making becomes faster and more transparent since approvers can respond within the same workspace. 

How Each Department Can Use Microsoft Teams Approval 

• HR: employee requests such as time off, expenses, and benefits 

• Accounting: invoice and financial approvals to reduce errors and fraud 

• Operations: purchase orders and logistics approvals 

• Faculty: student registration, grades, and research proposals 

Key Features of Microsoft Teams Approval 

• Request submission through the Teams interface 

• Real-time approval tracking 

• Designated approvers with permission controls 

• Notifications for approval outcomes 

• Audit logs for accountability

5. Microsoft Teams Shift

Microsoft Teams Shift is a feature that allows users to schedule and manage shifts for their team members within the Teams platform. It helps team managers to schedule shifts, assign tasks, and manage time off requests. The Shift feature enables managers to assign different roles and responsibilities to each team member, and also to track the attendance of the team members.

Benefits of Using Microsoft Teams Shift

Scheduling becomes more reliable because managers and team members share the same view of assigned shifts. This reduces misunderstandings and last-minute changes. Time-off requests are easier to manage, which helps teams maintain proper coverage and avoid disruptions.

• HR: scheduling and shift management, assign and track employee schedules.

• Accounting: accurate record of employee schedules, payroll and budgeting.

• Operations: teams, leading to increased productivity and better decision making.

• Facility: facilities and equipment, leading to more efficient use of resources and cost savings.

How Each Department Can Use Microsoft Teams Shift 

• HR: scheduling and shift management 

• Accounting: accurate records for payroll and budgeting 

• Operations: coordinating shift-based teams 

• Facility: staffing for facilities and equipment usage 

Key Features of Microsoft Teams Shift 

• Shift scheduling to create and adjust shift patterns 

• Task assignment to define roles and responsibilities 

• Time-off management for vacation, sick leave, and personal days 

• Attendance tracking 

• Full integration with Microsoft Teams 

6. Microsoft Teams Planner 

Microsoft Teams Planner is a feature that allows users to create and manage tasks and projects within the Teams platform. It helps users to organize, prioritize, and assign tasks to team members, as well as to track the progress of those tasks. The Planner feature provides a centralized location for users to view and manage tasks, which helps to improve collaboration and communication within teams.

Benefits of Using Planner 

Task ownership and deadlines are visible to everyone, which reduces the need for manual status updates. Teams can coordinate work more effectively. 

Planner works well for small projects and short-term planning. 

How Each Department Can Use Planner 

• HR: task coordination and employee-related projects 

• Accounting: tracking reporting and budgeting tasks 

• Operations: coordinating tasks across teams 

• Facility: managing facilities-related activities 

Key Features of Planner 

• Task creation and management with due dates and priorities 

• Collaboration through notes, attachments, and comments 

• Task assignment to team members 

• Progress tracking 

• Native access within Microsoft Teams 

7. Microsoft Teams Power Automate 

Manual, repetitive work slows teams down and increases the risk of errors. Automating workflows helps teams operate more efficiently. This feature allows users to create workflows that automate tasks such as data entry, approvals, and notifications across Microsoft Teams and other services. 

Benefits of Using Power Automate 

Automation reduces manual effort and improves consistency across processes. Teams can connect services, so work moves forward without constant handoffs. Workflow performance can also be monitored to identify improvement areas. 

How Each Department Can Use Power Automate 

• HR: automating data entry and scheduling workflows 

• Accounting: invoicing and expense tracking for budgeting and forecasting 

• Operations: integrating apps and services to reduce manual handoffs 

• Facility: automating reservations and maintenance workflows 

Key Features of Power Automate 

• Task automation for repetitive workflows 

• Customizable workflows using flows 

• Event-based triggers based on defined conditions 

• Integration with services such as SharePoint, OneDrive, and Dynamics 365 

• Reports and analytics to evaluate automation performance 

Once added through the Apps section, productivity tools become part of everyday collaboration. They appear as tabs, personal apps, or automated workflows that teams use alongside chat and meetings. 

How to Choose the Right Productivity App? 

The right productivity app should solve a clear problem your team faces inside Microsoft Teams. Whether it is missed requests, unclear task ownership, or scattered customer data, the app should make that work easier to manage in one place. 

If your team already works in Microsoft Teams, choose apps that run natively inside the platform and are easy to use without extra training. For example, teams that often lose requests in chat will get more value from a ticketing app like Ticketing As A Service than from a general task list. 

Conclusion

Microsoft Teams offers a variety of productivity tools that can help teams to streamline their workflows, increase efficiency, and improve communication and collaboration. These tools include Approval, Shift, Planner, and Power Automate. All these tools are integrated with the Teams platform, which makes it easy for teams to access and manage them from a single location.

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TeamsWork is a Microsoft Partner Network member, and their expertise lies in developing Productivity Apps that harness the power of the Microsoft Teams platform and its dynamic ecosystem. Their SaaS products, including CRM As A Service, Ticketing As A Service and Checklist As A Service, are highly acclaimed by users. Users love the user-friendly interface, seamless integration with Microsoft Teams, and affordable pricing plans. They take pride in developing innovative software solutions that enhance company productivity while being affordable for any budget.