With a record number of people now using Microsoft Teams, there is more demand for new and exciting features that will enhance the user experience.
Over the years, Microsoft has built a reputation for delivering regular update cycles, making improvements that are in direct response to customer feedback.
This process of listening to users and implementing features that address their most pressing issues, has helped the company build a loyal userbase of businesses that trust Microsoft’s services and the experts improving them behind the scenes.
Despite the ongoing crisis that has caused worldwide disruption, May’s Microsoft Teams update cycle is as strong as previous months, with updates to the pre-meeting experience and new functionality added to Team templates.
New meeting options
It’s no secret that one of the biggest appeals of Microsoft Teams is the meetings and calls features that allow colleagues to communicate, despite working from home.
For this reason, Microsoft have improved the meeting options for hosts, giving them more control over who has the authority to remove and mute people, which is ideal for teachers holding online lessons.
These settings can be utilised for non-scheduled meetings, giving presenters more control over their calls, even if they are last minute, one-to-one sessions. The meeting options window can also be popped out, resized, and placed outside of the Teams app, which can be useful for hosts with multiple monitors.
Meanwhile, the pre-join experience has been improved, so that you can configure camera, audio and background settings to meet your unique requirements. Now, every time you join a new meeting these settings will be used.
Teams templates
Another significant update this month are the new capabilities that have been added to Teams templates, allowing users to create channel templates that are specific to their organisation.
To make it easier to build new teams, users will be presented with various built-in template options and pre-created templates that have previously been used within their business.
All the channels and apps are pre-configured within the templates, and users can tailor the title and description for that team, before selecting whether they want it to be public or private.
To manage templates from the Teams Admin Centre, users can go through the Team Templates section to create a new version or modify an existing one.
Here, users can add additional apps and channels to an old version, making any additional adjustments they need before saving as a separate copy.
Microsoft Lists
Another important Teams improvement is the addition of Microsoft Lists, which can be used to track and organise work, through a smart, simple and flexible service.
Using customisable views, businesses can track issues, assets, inventory and contacts, whilst keeping an eye on the information and data that is most relevant to them. Smart rules and alerts can then be set up to keep employees in sync.
Built with ready-made templates, you can quickly start lists online, on the mobile app or through Microsoft Teams, with enterprise-ready security and compliance assured as part of the Microsoft 365 offering.
Microsoft Lists can be used for a variety of purposes, including tracking the progress of job applicants, with tools allowing specific feedback to be easily searched.
Remote working made efficient…
With social distancing measures making it more difficult for employees to meet in person, businesses must do what they can to ensure operations continue running smoothly.
Microsoft Teams has become the ‘go to’ app for many organisations, facilitating collaboration and communication, despite workers being in different locations.
With meetings and calls features allowing staff to keep in contact throughout the lockdown, the Microsoft Teams userbase has grown significantly, with a record number of people now relying on the service.
With this in mind, Microsoft are working hard to deliver experience-enhancing insights that allow employees to become more efficient and encourage them to keep using Teams once the crisis has passed.
If you would like to know more about any of these features or improve your Teams governance by implementing an approval process for Teams Templates, get in touch with us to book a discovery meeting.