Connections Team Orientation, Part 2: Tools

(There are 3 pages to this orientation. Follow the link at the bottom of the page for Part 3.)

Technology lets us come together as a global team to care for people all around the world. Let's take a look at the tools we use to communicate with one another, and to respond to those who reach out to us.

 
WHAT DOES OUR TEAM USE FOR COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OTHER?  🗣
We use Microsoft Teams to talk to one another. When you finish this orientation, we'll send you an email to invite you our Microsoft Teams workspace. IMPORTANT: DO NOT do anything with MS Teams until then.

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO TUTORIAL ON HOW TO USE MICROSOFT TEAMS: (3 minutes)
 
 
Bite-sized Bullet Points:
  • To message a person directly, select the Chat icon (desktop: on the left, mobile: at the bottom). Then click the paper and pen icon at the top. Type the person's name at the top, then click their name to open your private message window with them. Begin typing at the bottom of the screen.
  • This also works when you want to communicate with your team. Just type the team name at the top of the chat. (Example: Conns - Thursday Red Team)
  • Use the Community of Hope chat as a space to interact with the entire team.
  • PRO TIP: Pin your team's chat and the Community of Hope chat. (Learn how to start or pin chats here.)
 
WHAT DO WE USE TO RESPOND TO PRAYER REQUESTS?  💻
 
Our team uses Front, an inbox management platform that allows us to work together to address all messages coming to us. Front is required for this position and it is free to use. 
  • You will receive an email inviting you to join our Front workspace. IMPORTANT: DO NOT do create an account in Front until then. Otherwise, it will complicate your onboarding process.
  • If you experience technical issues with Front, please refer to the Help Center here.
  • (You can also download the FRONT APP to use on your desktop and mobile devices.)
  • You may receive emails directly from Front about training opportunities. You can disregard them.
Helpful note about Front: you can use the internal comments function below each email to talk to your leader about the contents. Be sure that when you use this function, you are not accidentally responding to the email when you mean to be commenting on it.
 
WATCH THIS VIDEO TO SHOW YOU HOW WE USE FRONT:  ⌨️ (4 minutes)
Watch this video from one of our team members walking you through how to use Front.

Bullet Point Summary:

Accessing Prayer Requests:
To see prayer requests, click the "Prayer Requests" inbox in the middle section. All of the emails from this inbox will appear on the right side. Click on any email to read the prayer request.
  • At the top of the list of prayer requests, you will see a dropdown menu to sort the inbox view. Select "Newest" because you should work on the newest requests first.
  • Click the "Assign" button in the top right corner of the application to assign a request to yourself. Find and select your name from the dropdown list. The prayer request will move from the "Prayer Requests" inbox to your personal inbox.
  • NOTE: You will also have access to the Urgent inbox. These are requests that, due to their nature, are more time sensitive. If you see any messages in that inbox, please respond to them BEFORE those in the Prayer Requests folder.
Writing Your Response:
  • When you open a prayer request that you have assigned to yourself, you may see two emails as part of the request. The first is the original request, and the second is an automatic reply to that person. (The automatic reply lets the person know we have received their request, but we always reach out again to pray for them personally.)
  • After you have read the prayer request, scroll to the bottom of the automatic reply. Click the blue "Reply" button. This opens a text editor where you can type your response. (If the reply email field says no-reply@life.church, copy and paste the requestor's email into that field.)
  • When you have finished your response, click the blue "Send and Archive" button at the bottom of the text editor. It is important to archive prayer requests, as this prevents other volunteers from responding to a request that has already been answered.
Using Message Templates:
  • These can help you get started in writing responses on specific kinds of prayer requests.
  • Access these by clicking the lightning symbol toward the bottom of the email reply. Search the list for a relevant template.
  • Remember to edit the responses to fit the specific person and situation.
Commenting:
  • Sometimes you may need to ask another team member or your leader a question about a prayer request. The most efficient way to do this is by tagging them in a comment.
  • The comment field can be found at the bottom of every prayer request.
    • To tag another person in a comment, type the "@" symbol followed by their name in the comment field. You can then enter the comment and press enter,
    • Note: Be sure you are not using the Comment feature to reply to the request.

WHAT'S NEXT?
 
We've got some tips for you as you get started. Click here to learn our best practices for serving with excellence on our team.