Link Microsoft Teams Chat with LinkedIn: A Step-by-Step Guide

by HubSite 365 about Tony Redmond [MVP]

Principal at Redmond & Associates

Pro UserTeams

Expand your professional network with seamless Microsoft Teams Chat and LinkedIn integration.

Integrating Microsoft Teams and LinkedIn:

The blog post authored by Tony Redmond [MVP] discusses the connection that Microsoft established with LinkedIn in late 2018 via Office 365 and Microsoft Teams. Implemented through Azure AD admin center's User settings section, this connection can be customized, turned on or off, entirely per user account basis.

Microsoft initially designed the connector to function solely with Outlook. However, today, it constitutes Teams’ LinkedIn connection basis as well. For more information, click here.

The LinkedIn account connection utilizes an enterprise app registered in Azure AD to match LinkedIn user profiles against email addresses. Microsoft 365 apps like Outlook can initiate on-demand lookups when a user chooses the LinkedIn icon from a message recipient’s address card.

Microsoft stepped up its game by integrating LinkedIn profiles in Teams chats. It comes as an addition to the previous availability in the Outlook desktop, OWA, and mobile clients. The connection to Teams rolled out in response to Teams’ growing usage for internal communications.

User experiences may differ in Teams than Outlook since their LinkedIn tab displays the 'About information' and recent activity. However, the LinkedIn tab access is currently limited for federated chats with accounts from other home tenants.

LinkedIn data becomes available in Microsoft's apps only after users approve the connection between their LinkedIn account and Azure AD. The approval process initiates a one-day waiting period before the user can view LinkedIn info in Teams or Outlook.

Client Support and Usefulness:

LinkedIn integration is currently supported on the Teams desktop client for Windows and Mac, as well as the browser client. The Teams mobile app hasn't yet gained this feature, but given its availability in Outlook mobile, it might soon.

Compared to email, Teams is a more tightly controlled environment requiring users to be tenant members or guests for their details to appear in the LinkedIn tab. While this might limit the feature's usefulness, it can help improve colleague familiarity in large organizations.

In summary, although the LinkedIn integration is perhaps less useful for organizations than its email counterpart currently, it's anticipated to evolve and expand, potentially enabling federation of chat and shared channels' external members.

These integrations and their various applications demonstrate Microsoft's continued efforts to provide more cohesive experiences for users, harnessing the benefits of multiple platforms within a single interface. By integrating these services and streamlining such processes, they're simplifying the user experience and potentially improving productivity within Teams and other Microsoft 365 apps.

Read the full article Connect Microsoft Teams Chat to LinkedIn

Learn about Connect Microsoft Teams Chat to LinkedIn

In late 2018, Microsoft forged a link enabling LinkedIn to connect with Office 365, including Microsoft Teams chat. The connection is managed through the user settings section of the Azure AD administration center and can be customized according to individual account requirements.

Originally, the connection worked only with Outlook but is now applicable to Teams as well. The connection allows for integrating LinkedIn information directly into Office 365 profiles, providing more streamlined communication and an enhanced networking avenue right within Teams.

The LinkedIn connection employs an enterprise app registered in Azure AD to match LinkedIn users' profiles with their email addresses. Applications like Outlook, with LinkedIn enabled, can perform direct lookups when a user interacts with a message recipient or sends a direct message to a co-worker in Teams.

If the user is signed into their LinkedIn account, intricate details of the individual's LinkedIn profile can be fetched directly.
LinkedIn users get to decide what they want to share publicly through their account visibility settings. The LinkedIn connection is limited to displaying whatever is publicly available for a profile.
LinkedIn profiles can also be searched by first and last names, providing potential matches.

Until recently, the LinkedIn connection was only available in the Outlook desktop, OWA, and Outlook mobile clients. However, given the widespread usage of Teams for internal communications, it was logical for Teams to be the next port of call.

Teams now supports LinkedIn lookups in one-to-one chat conversations with other users from the same tenant, including guest accounts. The version of the LinkedIn profile presented by Teams differs from Outlook because Teams includes more comprehensive information like About and recent activity.

The LinkedIn tab isn't available in a federated chat to connect to a user's account in their home tenant. This limitation arises due to the less functional nature of federated chat compared to chats within the same organization.
Connecting a Microsoft 365 account to LinkedIn comes with several perks, such as connecting to people through LinkedIn from Microsoft 365 platforms.

Once the process has been completed, the user can interact and share information via LinkedIn directly from Outlook or Teams. If you decide to backpedal on your decision to connect LinkedIn to your Microsoft 365 account, Microsoft offers some easy steps to reverse the process.

As of now, the Teams desktop client on Windows and Mac, as well as the Teams browser client, supports the LinkedIn connection. While Microsoft has not indicated when LinkedIn lookups will be available in the Teams mobile client, given Outlook mobile's support for this feature, it may be just around the corner.

Unlike email, Teams offers a more exclusive environment where details are available only to members of a tenant or to guests. Although this makes the LinkedIn integration less useful than being able to look up the LinkedIn profile for anyone who sends you an email, it enhances privacy and adds a unique personalization touch to collaboration in Teams.

Stay up-to-date with developments like the LinkedIn connection to Teams by engaging with resources such as the Office 365 for IT Pros eBook. The continuous updates will ensure that you are in the know about the most significant changes happening across Office 365.

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