Top 5 Latest Updates for Microsoft Teams
With Microsoft periodically adding new features and expanding the capabilities of Microsoft Teams, MW Practice Manager Conall O'Kane discusses some of the top MS Teams additions from the last 6 months.
From productivity to accessibility, Microsoft Teams is continuously evolving into a more efficient platform, facilitating remote communications and boosting collaboration among organisations. Here are our top 5 updates that have recently been introduced to Microsoft Teams.
Excel Live
Using the Excel Live feature anyone can collaborate on an excel sheet in real-time, even if Excel is not installed or running on your device. Once a workbook is shared with the team, content can be viewed and edited within the Teams meeting. Participants can even set their own pace, navigating through the workbook freely on their own, and then syncing with the presenter later.
Improved Webinar Management
Microsoft has introduced a number of updates for the webinar functionality in Teams that should improve the registration process, overall setup and reporting of events.
You can now customise specific settings and registration details for each webinar event once the webinar template is selected.
Registration capacity limits can be set for up to 1,000 attendees. Additionally, attendee details can now be viewed, such as who has registered or cancelled their registration to the event.
Supplementary custom questions can be added to the registration page to gather any relevant information about the prospective audience, as well as the ability to upload terms and conditions and gather consent from attendees.
In regard to webinar setup, you can align the theme of the event with the company branding using a colour scheme, logo and a banner that will be seen by attendees on the registration page and during webinar communications. You can also appoint event co-organisers to aid in the orchestration and delivery of the webinar.
As for reporting, you can gain a deeper understanding of attendee participation by easily retrieving data analytics and reporting in one central location.
Live Streaming
Integrate the Workplace Live app to your Teams to live stream webinars or Teams meetings straight to Meta Workplace Live. Once there, attendees can watch webinars or Teams meetings live from within their Workplace groups or otherwise watch a recording of the event later.
Federated Group Calls
Avoid PSTN usage charges simply by starting a group Teams call from a chat with colleagues outside your organisation. You can even screen share and use video in these calls.
Sign Language View
Once the sign language view is enabled, you can allow two videos to be visible and displayed in the highest quality when viewing shared content, enabling users to view both the main presenter and a sign language interpreter at the same time.
Building on the live captions feature, this update makes Teams much more accessible to users who have hearing issues and those who interpret for them, delivering a new, more inclusive user experience.
So, what’s next for Microsoft Teams?
Just this month Microsoft announced more new features which we should expect to see integrated into Teams by the end of 2023. Some of the revelations include a Team’s app that will operate twice as fast as the current version while using less battery life and 50% less memory.
If you would like to learn more about the new and upcoming features of Microsoft Teams, get in touch to speak with one of our specialists.