Loop is designed to be flexible and intuitive, so you can customise it to suit your needs and preferences.
A significant advantage of Loop is that it reduces the need for context switching. You can collaborate with your colleagues directly within existing Microsoft tools!
Loop is a unique tool due to its capability to embed within a range of Microsoft apps. This sets it apart from other tools with similar functions.
Other tools with some of the same capabilities include OneNote, Notion, Asana, and Confluence. OneNote is part of the existing Microsoft suite but limited to collaboration within workbooks. Notion has a similar look and feel to Loop, making it easy to transition if you’ve used it before. The key advantage of Loop is its ability to integrate with other applications, avoiding the need for everyone to switch to a new tool.
Loop’s flexibility makes it the perfect tool for various situations. We’ll cover specific use cases with examples below, but in general, Loop is the go-to choice for collaborative planning, brainstorming, or creative work that involves different content types.
Loop has three key areas: Think of a Browser Window, tabs within the window, and content within the tabs.
Loop Spaces (Browser Window)
Loop Spaces are shared areas that allow you and your team to see and group everything important to your project, such as Loop pages, components, links, tasks, and data. You can set up Spaces individually or for a group of people.
Loop Pages (Tabs within the Window)
Loop Pages are flexible canvases where you create and share content. Pages can contain components, links, task lists, connections to Microsoft 365 documents, and various other types of data. Pages are associated with a Space, and you can add a Page that has been shared with you into a Space of your own.
Loop Components (Content in a Tab)
Loop Components are portable pieces of content that stay in sync across all the places they are shared. For example, a checklist that one person looks at in their emails, one looks at within Teams, and one goes directly to the Loop app. Any changes made to the checklist by anyone will immediately show up in the other views, as they all reference the same source component. This means you can collaborate within your existing workflow while always working with the latest information.
A Loop component can be a small section of content from a Loop Page, or you can turn an entire Loop Page into a component, which is quite impressive! Whether you want to share a small table of tasks from a Page or the whole page context, Loop allows you to do that. You can also embed the same Loop component in multiple spaces, making it efficient for managing data across teams.
Loop itself is available as both a web and mobile app. You can visit loop.microsoft.com or download the app on your mobile or desktop. From here, you can access and create your personal or team spaces, pages, or components that have been shared with you.
You might already be interacting with Loop without realising it! Loop components are integrated with Teams, Outlook, Word Online, Whiteboard, Planner, and more. You can identify Loop components by the Loop icon at the top right corner and a dotted border around the content. For Jira or Trello users, these can be embedded within Loop pages for instant sync between the apps.
You may enjoy our March 2024 webinar Looped In: Enhancing Collaboration with Microsoft Loop.
Should you wish to delve deeper or need assistance with deploying Microsoft Loop, please don’t hesitate to contact us.