What’s the difference between Connect4 and Microsoft Teams?

Connect4 vs Teams

Connect4 is not a like-for-like alternative to Microsoft Teams. Both applications offer different functionality and are intended for different use-cases. 

MS Teams & Connect4 actually work very well alongside each other. You can host your Connect4 client meetings on Microsoft Teams.

The key differences between Teams and Connect4 centre around who they are designed for and what type of meeting is being held.

MS Teams… for teams

The clue is in the name; MS Teams is designed primarily to ease communication between distributed teams. It enables teammates to see who’s online and quickly jump on a video call with them. 

Sharing files between team members is simple — so long as you have a Microsoft and OneDrive account (included in Microsoft 365 Business subscriptions).

Connect4… for clients

Connect4 is focussed on helping organisations deliver first-class client meetings. Its unique pod configuration acts as both a meeting place and a one-stop portal where clients can access the ongoing service information they need. Connect4 is therefore an external facing platform whilst MS Teams is largely for internal use.

Unstructured calls vs structured meetings

Microsoft Teams and Connect4 differ in the level of structure that they provide.

MS Teams tends to be used as an informal meeting tool. It’s therefore good for ad-hoc team catch-ups that don’t require a great deal of structure. In this respect, Teams is primarily a video conference tool. Any additional structure — agendas, notes and actions — is up to you.

Meetings on Connect4 take a more structured approach and have a best-practice client meeting workflow built-in. Connect4 isn’t a video conferencing platform (although it does have a built-in video feature). It is an all-in-one platform for hosting and tracking smarter client meetings.

Client-facing meetings require greater levels of preparation with clear notes and actions recorded during the meeting. Connect4 therefore enables — or rather encourages — you to prepare, meet & act in one central place.

Connect4 pods are a user-friendly spaces to refer back to at any time. There’s no need to search through old email strings; every agenda, note, action and resource related to a meeting is stored in the same place.

Connect4 is also a more tailored platform when compared with Teams. It has been very carefully designed to meet the needs of small–medium sized client-facing accounting firms whilst Teams is designed to suffice for businesses of all types and size.

“You can set an agenda in Teams, but you have to start the meeting early… create the agenda and come back. During the meeting it’s hidden in a sidebar and you don’t know if people are looking at it. In Connect4, you can’t miss the agenda!” 

Joe David, Nephos & Myna Accountants

The best of both worlds?

Many clients and team members alike have grown used to using Microsoft Teams. But how do you persuade others to adopt a more structured approach to client meetings?

Easy!

Just use Connect4 alongside Microsoft Teams. Use Teams for video — that way everybody can use the background filters and other video features that they’ve grown accustomed to. And let Connect4 take care of everything else. Set an agenda, store your meeting notes and keep track of meeting actions.

How to use Connect4 alongside Microsoft Teams

Connect4 vs Microsoft Teams comparison table