What is Yammer and How Can It Benefit Your Organization?

What is Yammer and How Can It Benefit Your Organization?

The world of business in Canada has become more competitive than ever, and businesses and organizations are discovering they have to work harder, faster, and smarter if they want to stay relevant and competitive. Technology has also transformed the way people, and society as a whole, interact. To counter this, among other problems, there has been a transformation in workplaces that are looking to utilize technology to improve the following:

• Communication
• Collaboration
• Efficiency
• Their bottom line

This is part of the reason why Yammer is being used in Microsoft 365. Yammer is a collaboration tool that enables users to openly and securely share ideas and information. Yammer is sometimes described as Facebook for businesses and organizations, a social network platform that is less formal and more social/modern. Yammer can be used to allow workplace teams and groups to communicate faster and get to the source with ease.

The Early Stages of Yammer

Yammer made its debut appearance in 2008, and it was developed by a former PayPal executive. After a few years, Yammer underwent various redesigns and a variety of new features were introduced to the platform. In 2010, over four million users were a part of the Yammer platform, and Yammer continued to see a growth in its clientele. After a few years of seeing the potential of Yammer, Microsoft purchased Yammer in 2012 for $1.2 billion.

Today, Yammer has secured over 7 million users, including a clientele of more than 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies. Yammer continues to operate as a closed platform, and this means only employees within the corporate domain have the ability to access the platform.

What Can Users Do in Yammer?

As mentioned previously, Yammer has been referred to as the ”Facebook for businesses”. However, they are not exactly the same thing. Yammer has created a name for itself as being a social intranet for companies. Users can use Yammer to post messages to colleagues or to others outside the organization who have been invited to use the platform. Users are not only able to send messages that are directed to groups or the entire company, but users can also send private messages. One of the key differences between Yammer and a social media platform like Facebook is that the public is not able to view messages that are posted on Yammer.

Communicate With Yammer Groups

One of Yammer’s priorities has always been to make communication simple, yet effective. To make this happen, it is important for users to be comfortable with the variety of tools they have access to. Users who are already using Microsoft 365 can download Yammer to get started. The groups created in Yammer will allow users to share information about projects, share ideas, ask questions, gain support, and communicate freely with each team or department. Users can join groups or create groups; once groups are created, announcements and updates can be posted, files can be uploaded, and polls and surveys can be conducted.

Build Stronger Connections

Enhancing workplace culture and building stronger connections are key to the success of any business or organization. Yammer acts as a channel for messaging and updates that can enhance your business’s workplace culture. Enhancing workplace culture, improving employee engagement, and giving employees the freedom to communicate on a platform will all have a positive impact on your business’s culture.

Reduce E-mail Content

Yammer is a tool that allows businesses to reduce the number of emails that are sent and received on a daily basis. No one wants to have an overcrowded email inbox. Instead of distracting your employees with constant emails and including multiple email addresses in the CC or BCC field, employees can simply use Yammer to post the message. Everyone will be able to see the message and respond accordingly. If documents or any other attachments need to be added, users can do this with ease.

Obtain Instant Feedback

If employees ever want to garner the opinion of employees or team members in a particular group, this can be easily achieved through Yammer. You no longer have to worry about creating a survey and emailing them to employees. With Yammer, information can easily be shared within the company, and employees can respond to the poll or survey.

Access Yammer on the Go

With today’s ever-growing technological advances and the increasing number of remote workers, it has become vital that employees are able to communicate with others within the workplace even beyond the physical office. One of the best things about Yammer is its mobile app accessibility, and this allows users to stay connected with their groups wherever they are. Users do not have to be in the same location to communicate and collaborate effectively. Users can simply download the mobile application and access the same communication tools they use on their workplace computers.

For many businesses and organizations, it has become evident that Yammer provides benefits that may not be available using other platforms. For businesses and organizations that already have Microsoft 365, it is included at no additional cost. Technology innovations have created more opportunities for businesses to excel in any industry.

Take some time to think about the current communication and collaboration tools you are using today. How many tools are you using? It can quickly become confusing and frustrating to juggle a variety of tools. Yammer is Microsoft’s way of helping businesses and organizations enhance collaboration, and this can be completed in a comprehensive solution.

Many people are under the impression that Yammer is no longer relevant because of collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams, but Yammer is not the same as Microsoft Team. While millions of users are also using Microsoft Teams and may view Yammer as irrelevant, Yammer is still relevant, and this tool is not going away anytime soon.

We are one of the top Microsoft consulting companies in Calgary, and we work with organizations across Calgary and Southern Alberta who want to make the move to Microsoft 365 and the “Modern Workplace”. Is your organization using Microsoft 365 or are you looking to deploy Microsoft 365 because you are interested in Yammer? Do you need an effective strategy and leadership engagement to get the most value from Yammer?

Contact CTECH today at (403) 457-1478 to schedule your free consultation.

Written by Carl Fransen

posted on July 12, 2021

Carl Fransen

My passion is to make my mark on the world in a positive and lasting way. I want to set an example for my son that his father can compete with integrity in today’s world, be very successful, and leave the world a better place for him.

Combining my technical/business-based education with a long career steadily progressing up the corporate ladder, I decided to build a company that held true to my values. So, I founded and designed the next generation of IT support firm: CTECH Consulting Group Inc. We are a completely automated, cloud-based IT company designed to compete against any other IT firm without the overhead. We promote a lifestyle to all our staff where they can work anywhere, at any time, access any information on any device that is relevant to their job, and collaborate with anyone they want to.