Microsoft Teams has been a powerful collaboration tool for teams of all sizes since its initial launch in 2017, and it’s used by over 280 million people each month, revolutionising how we collaborate both internally and externally. Microsoft's recent announcement of exciting new features further underscores its commitment to innovation, paving the way for a new era of collaboration that is pushing the boundaries of what an enterprise communication platform can do.
Some of these features include:
- New faster Teams Client in Public Preview
- Ultrasound Howling Detection
- Avatars Preview
- Virtual Front Desk
- Hotline Phones- Pickup and Auto-dial
- Flexible- Multiple accounts
- Teams Shared Device license on Android
- Click to call from browser to Teams
- User Managed call queue and Auto Attendant greetings
In this blog, we’ll dive into the capabilities of each of these and show how Teams can bring your business into its newest phase.
New faster Teams client in public preview
Microsoft have announced access to a public preview of Teams on Windows, which will be much faster whilst using significantly less memory. Key statistics include:
- Install app up to 3X faster
- Launch app up to 2X faster
- Join meetings up to 2X faster
- Switch chats/channels up to 1.7X faster
- Consume up to 50% less memory
- Consume up to 70% less disk space
“We have been listening to your feedback which has culminated in a reimagining of Teams from the ground up. The new app is built on a foundation of speed, performance, flexibility, and intelligence — delivering up to 2x faster performance while using 50% less memory so you can save time and collaborate more efficiently.” Microsoft
Ultrasound howling detection
Currently when multiple users join a Teams meeting from the same location, a feedback loop is created which causes an echo, disrupting the audio experience. With the update, if multiple users join from same location, Teams will automatically notify the user that another Teams device has been detected nearby which is included with audio in the current meeting and mute the joining user’s microphone and speakers.
Avatars for Microsoft Teams
Although Teams is a key enabler of hybrid working and fosters remote collaboration, a day of video meetings can be tiring, and it’s reported that only ~30% of participants meet with their video on. Avatars for Microsoft Teams gives users a much-needed camera break, whilst still enabling collaboration. With customisable avatars and reactions, engagement can be maximised with more people in the conversation- generally this is very helpful during video fatigues, for users who are more comfortable with their videos off, or for colleagues joining a Teams call from different time zones.
Virtual front desk
This new offering from Teams enables devices to act as a virtual receptionist. Virtual front desk helps end users to interact with and provide personal assistance to customers and colleagues who are on-site through a video call on Microsoft Team displays. IT admins can enable virtual front desk on Teams displays and configure the contact information of whom video calls will be rerouted to and the call to action on the device.
Hotline phones
Teams certified phones are programmed to directly dial a pre-configured phone number or contact, saving you time and streamlining your processes. For example, this could be set up to directly dial emergency services in a manufacturing plant, a help desk for support in a large organisation, or as a front office phone to reach a facilities team. Hotline configuration is configured through the device settings or the Teams Admin Centre.
Flexible – multiple accounts
In today’s environment, users need to be able to collaborate with colleagues , partners, or suppliers across different organisations, which has been a challenge through Teams in the past. Microsoft has responded to this need by investing heavily in this area and has now made it much easier and more effective for users to engage with others across organisational boundaries. With the latest enhancements, users can seamlessly log in with multiple organisation accounts within a single Teams application, eliminating the need for constant logging in and out of different tenants and accounts.
Teams shared device license on Android devices
To support mobile and flexible work styles, Microsoft teams Shared Device license will be available on Android devices, allowing them to be setup as shared devices. Walkie Talkie, call queues, auto attendants, cloud voicemail, call park and all other features currently supported for common area phones will be available through the Teams Android app on Android mobile device enabled as shared devices.
Click to call from browser to Teams
Customer expectations are higher than ever, making quick answers and seamless interactions key requirements for businesses to stay ahead of the competition. Click-to-call makes it easy for customers to reach sales and support teams directly from a webpage or app. Developers can add, customise, and programme the widget to connect customers to a specific Teams user, call queue, or auto attendant.
User managed call queue and auto attendant greetings
Authorised users identified in Teams Tenant admins can change greetings and announcements for their respective queues and auto attendants without leaving Teams.
Next steps
Microsoft Teams revolutionised enterprise team collaboration and communication, continually evolving to meet modern demands. The software introduces cutting-edge features like augmented reality and enhanced automation. This tool has revolutionised our collective approach to online collaboration and communication, not just internally within organisations, but externally too. It paves the way for a new era of collaboration that allows us to push the boundaries of what a communication platform can achieve.
At Advanced, we believe the capabilities of Microsoft Teams could be a vital part of your organisation’s strategy, allowing you to accelerate your unique business goals and foster better connections with both your employees and customers. With our upcoming webinar, you can delve deeper into the potential of Microsoft Teams and gain insights on optimising its features for enhanced collaboration and productivity. Join us to unlock the full potential of this powerful tool for your business success. We look forward to discussing its features with you further soon, register here.
