Are Microsoft Teams Channels Overrated?

Microsoft Teams channels often get a bad rap. Some say they’re clunky, hard to navigate, or simply not worth the effort. And to be fair, most users gravitate toward chat instead. It’s fast, familiar, and feels natural—like texting at work. But here’s the problem: that convenience is killing collaboration.

I was recently watching a side conversation within one of the many online Microsoft MVP chat rooms, with many fellow MVPs arguing that channels were more of a burden than a benefit. Someone commented, “Channels are overrated,” and received a number of likes and heart emojis. But I disagree. For those who think so, I’d venture that you’re just using them wrong.

Channels aren’t overrated. They’re underutilized, and more often than not, misunderstood.

If your Teams environment is a mess of endless chat threads, missing files, and “Where was that again?” moments, channels aren’t the issue. The way your organization uses—or ignores—them is.

Chats Are the New Information Silos

Let’s call it what it is. Relying on chats for everything is lazy collaboration.

Sure, starting a quick chat feels efficient. But once that conversation holds key decisions, shared documents, or critical context, it’s no longer just a casual ping. It becomes information that should be discoverable, organized, and accessible to others who may need it later. Chats bury all that in a scrollable abyss.

In effect, chat is creating a new kind of silo—one that’s even worse than email. At least emails can be forwarded, categorized, and audited. Good luck tracking a decision made across three chat threads and a shared file link from three weeks ago.

Channels Require Discipline—But They Pay Off

Yes, channels take more discipline. You have to think before you post. Choose the right space. Maybe tag the right people. But this friction is intentional. Channels are built for structured collaboration. When used correctly, they serve as a shared knowledge base—divided by project, team, or topic—that anyone can access without having to ask for a link or dig through chats.

This is where most organizations fall short. It’s not that channels are broken. It’s that no one’s taking the time to train people how to use them properly. Or hold them accountable when they don’t.

It’s an Education and Governance Problem

Blaming Teams channels for being underused is like blaming filing cabinets for being messy. The tool isn’t the problem—it’s how people use it.

What most organizations need is a cultural reset around collaboration. That means:

• Education: People need real, scenario-based training that goes beyond “Click here to post.” They need to see what good looks like. Teach teams how to structure channels, name them logically, use tabs, pin key resources, and post with purpose.
• Community Guidance and Enforcement: Slack has had community norms since day one—like “don’t DM unless necessary” or “threads keep channels clean.” Teams needs the same. Organizations must create and enforce norms: “All project updates go in the project channel,” or “Use @mention responsibly.” It’s not about being strict—it’s about being consistent.
• Oversight and Support: There should be owners for each team or channel who help keep things clean and on track. Governance shouldn’t feel like surveillance—it should feel like stewardship. It’s the difference between a messy group chat and a well-run workspace.

Doing It Right Takes Work, But It’s Worth It

This all echoes a bigger truth in IT and knowledge management: the right way often takes more effort upfront. But it saves exponentially more time and pain later.

We already accept this in other areas. Think about information governance. We know that tagging documents, following naming conventions, and respecting retention policies takes discipline. But we also know the alternative is chaos—unsearchable content, security risks, and compliance headaches.

The same logic applies to Teams channels. A bit more effort today means fewer fire drills tomorrow. Better collaboration. Easier onboarding. Clearer communication. And most importantly, less duplicated work.

Stop Letting Chat Be the Default

It’s time to stop giving people the easy way out. If your Teams culture is “everything happens in chat,” then you’re not using the platform right—and you’re leaving serious value on the table.

Leaders, IT admins, and power users need to push back. Rethink how you introduce Teams to new employees. Build channel usage into your onboarding. Model good behavior. And when someone drops a project update in chat, nudge them: “Can you post that in the channel so others can follow along?”

It seems small, but these moments shape habits.

Microsoft Teams is not a magic solution. It’s a powerful tool, but like any tool, it requires skill and intention. Channels are one of its strongest features—but they’re only effective if your team puts in the effort to use them properly.

So no, channels aren’t overrated. We’ve just been lazy.

It’s time to fix that.