Microsoft has announced a host of new features, solutions and programmes at Inspire 2022 for Teams.
The leading technology company has used the Inspire conference to showcase how they will develop the Teams platform to improve hybrid working through various features.
Microsoft has focused on further bridging the in-person meeting experience for teams by developing how users of the platform collaborate and interact with each other.
Changes to Chat
Teams can now facilitate video clips which allows users to record and send a short video message in chats rather than having to type.
Microsoft has confirmed that a public preview of the feature will be available in August before it is generally available in September.
A chat with self feature is pinned to the top of Teams user's chat history and allows for an alternative way of staying organised and store notes in their own chat.
Expanded reactions have also been added for users to express feedback more creatively and should be generally available in August.
Microsoft has also revealed that LinkedIn integration is now available for Teams, meaning users will be able to quickly see their colleague's LinkedIn profiles.
Details such as their current role, past experiences and other insights will be available, with the aim of allowing teams to build deeper relationships with their colleagues through hybrid working.
Teams chat is now embedded with Dynamics 365, meaning that users no longer need to switch between apps.
Once enabled, any Dynamics 365 user with a Teams license can access their chats and channels within the Teams collaboration panel right from the app.
Improved Collaboration
Microsoft has announced Excel Live, which allows all Teams Meetings participants to edit the workbook in real-time, within the meeting itself.
With Excel Live supporting Sheets Views, everyone who is co-editing can filter it to their own requirements without interrupting other users.
According to Microsoft, the feature will be available for public preview in August.
Microsoft has also added Collaborative Annotations to let meeting participants draw, type or react on top of the content that is being shared in the meeting.
Collaborative Annotations is powered by Microsoft Whiteboard and can be used when the person sharing their desktop screen enables Annotation mode.
Microsoft has confirmed that the feature is now available for Teams users.
Improvements to Teams Rooms and Other Devices
Through Microsoft's partnerships with OEM partners such as Jabra, Huddly, Logitech, Neat, Poly, and Yealink, the company is delivering on the new category of AI-powered Intelligent Cameras.
The cameras harness OEM-designed AI capabilities such as Logitech's RightSight 2 Grid View, Neat Symmetry, Jabra's Dynamic Composition, or People Framing from Poly which run directly on the camera.
The experiences are optimised for remote participants to allow every person in the room to be seen more clearly.
