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As you dive deeper into Microsoft 365 (M365), you’ll hear the word “Champion” thrown around quite frequently. But what exactly is an M365 Champion and how can they help you drive adoption of M365/Teams? 

WHAT IS AN M365 CHAMPION?

To put it simply, an M365 Champion is a team member who has been chosen to help lead your company’s M365 adoption plan. 

Your M365 Champion Team will act as your company’s early adopters— they’ll receive additional training to build proficiency with Teams and other M365 apps while working together to establish M365 policies, procedures, and best practices. 

According to Microsoft, a Champion is passionate and curious by nature, believes in a more effective way to accomplish daily tasks and is recognized throughout the company as a go-to person.  They don’t have to be a part of your executive or management team, but they do have to have a desire to facilitate change, must lead by example and have an overall excitement for Teams and M365. 

Champions aren’t limited to those with a technical background— M365 adoption requires both a cultural change and process change. The real value of M365 is an increase in productivity, efficiency, and workflows.  That means that companies need to create a streamlined experience and empower their end users (not just IT).  

WHY DO YOU NEED M365 CHAMPIONS?

M365 is all about collaboration. As early adopters, your Champion Team helps test the new processes before they’re rolled out to the entire company. This team also creates a sense of community— they’re able to meet with one another to discuss what’s working (and what’s not), trade tips for training other team members and make suggestions to create a more efficient workflow. M365 Champions create an enthusiasm for Teams and all things M365. And, perhaps most importantly, they become a trusted and responsive end user support resource that lessens the workload on your IT department.

HOW DO YOU DETERMINE YOUR COMPANY’S CHAMPIONS (AND HOW MANY CHAMPIONS YOU NEED)?

Your company’s M365 Champion Team depends on who you trust to facilitate positive change. Take a look at the people on your team: are they excited about M365? Do they understand your company’s current processes and procedures?  Are they good communicators that enjoy helping people?

It’s crucial to designate team members who know the business, understand the systems and can train others in a “top-down” system.  Ideally, you would have a Champion from each department (or each functional area).  Another good rule of thumb is one Champion for every ten people in your company.

A Champion must also: 

• Happily accept the extra responsibility 

• Have a desire and be driven to establish new processes and implement best practices 

• Want to identify a more productive way to work 

• Be an effective communicator  

• Possess a willingness to train others 

• Have an interest in their own professional development 

HOW DO YOU BECOME an M365 CHAMPION?

M365 Champions need a high-level understanding of the entire M365 environment and an in-depth mastery of certain applications such as Teams, One Drive and SharePoint Online. Centriq Training has developed M365 curriculum designed specifically to train Champions. Here’s a look at the courses that enable you to create your M365 Champions:

M365-ABC Microsoft 365 App Discovery Workshop (Champions 101 Workshop)

M365-MT1 Microsoft Teams – Workday Essentials

M365-MT2 Microsoft Teams – Workday Advanced

SPO-BC Microsoft SharePoint Online Immersion Workshop

If you need help identifying or training your M365 Champions, let us know! We’re happy to help.