Slowly but surely, employees are beginning to return to the workplace, as businesses aim to restore normality, following a sustained period of remote working.
Despite this, it is clear that services like Microsoft Teams are here to stay, especially as many organisations are keen to implement a long-term culture of flexible working, so employees can enjoy a better work-life balance.
Therefore, the regular Microsoft Teams update cycles are still as relevant as they were in the height of lockdown, so it is important that businesses keep up to date with the latest improvements and familarise themselves with new and exciting features.
In recent weeks, Teams has benefited from a range of updates, including enhancements to meetings and webinars and significant improvements to the existing calling service.
We’ve taken a closer look at some of the most impressive features, analysing what impact they will have on new and existing users.
Meetings and webinars
If a long-term culture of flexible working is to succeed, then employees must have the tools needed to host and attend meetings, despite being in different locations. That is why Microsoft is always looking for new ways to enhance the meetings experience, so that users can collaborate as though they are physically in the workplace.
In some meetings, there may come a time when one individual is doing most of the talking and needs to present a document to the rest of the group. In response to this, Microsoft has introduced presenter mode, which enables users to customise how their video feed and content appears, so that participants can focus better on the information shared. The first layout to be released is ‘Standout’, with two more expected to follow soon.
Content sharing has been a key theme of the most recent update cycle, as Microsoft has consolidated important meeting windows into a single bucket, providing hosts with a concise view that enables them to find the relevant content without having to rummage around for the correct document.
Another key feature that has recently been added is custom attendee registration, which gives meeting hosts the opportunity to manage event attendance. By including questions and images on the page, hosts can get a better understanding of the people attending, whilst also promoting the brand.
Calling
Like meetings, the calling facilities on Teams are some of the most used across the entire service. In a fast-paced and flexible working environment, it is important that employees have the tools needed to communicate and collaborate efficiently.
In the past month, Microsoft has introduced a range of significant updates designed to enhance the calling experience, including a simplified and streamlined view that shows contacts, voicemail and calling history together in one interface. Before, these windows were located in different areas, which made it more difficult to navigate.
Meanwhile, a call merge feature has been introduced, giving end users the capability to merge their active 1:1 call into another 1:1 or group call. This can be especially useful if you need to redirect a client or colleague to the relevant department.
Another noteworthy update is the Microsoft calling plan expansion, which gives businesses a fast and effective way to deploy calling in Microsoft Teams with no on-premises equipment. As part of this update, Microsoft has expanded its coverage to ten new markets across the world, including New Zealand and Singapore.
Chat and collaboration
Like meetings and calls, the chat and collaboration features in Teams are a key reason why organisations are using the service on a daily basis and employees feel comfortable they can complete tasks whilst working from home.
Understanding this, Microsoft has now introduced a group chat feature that allows 250 participants across multiple organisations to communicate within a single chat. This makes it easy to start a conversation with external partners, as if it was your internal team.
New Microsoft Viva Insights personal wellbeing experiences have also been added, allowing employees to mindfully organise their workday and build better habits using the app.
Finally, Adobe Sign Integration is another feature designed to enhance collaboration, as it gives employees a streamlined way to seek approval and receive sign off on completed projects.
A long-term investment…
Although its overwhelming popularity was sparked by the lockdown, Microsoft Teams has now become a staple within most businesses, as employers recognise the significant long-term benefits it can deliver as attitudes towards flexible working change.
Providing an all-in-one hub for communication and collaboration, Teams integrates the services and facilities that employees need to complete daily tasks and ensure high-quality work is consistently produced.
Understanding that businesses are implementing Teams as a long-term solution, Microsoft is constantly looking for ways to enhance the user experience, ensuring issues are addressed promptly and the service moves with the times.
If your organisation is yet to experience Teams and would like help finding a solution that meets its unique requirements, then contact our in-house team of experts for advice.