Microsoft 365 and Teams were built with the intention to have a hub for teamwork where employees can collaborate online and increase their remote productivity. Over the last 5 years, Microsoft Teams has expanded as a collaboration tool for distance and hybrid working, serving the needs of over 270 million users worldwide. To this day, over 50% of all remote and hybrid working organizations rely on these tools to cooperate and have a seamless meeting experience with partners, team members, and customers.

The greatest thing about the collaboration suite is the fact that is always growing and evolving to meet the needs of the global professional community. Microsoft Team’s mission is to support the work of every employee and innovate according to the demands of organizations from all sectors. Hybrid work has become the new norm for many businesses in 2022, and Microsoft 365 is not lagging behind in its capabilities, including new features and solutions that address the expectations of the modern expectations.

How will Microsoft 365 and Teams address the needs of the hybrid workplace?

New office experience

Businesses leaders today have the responsible task of re-thinking the physical and remote working spaces based on the changing needs of the marketplace and their hybrid workforce. Accoring to a recent survey, 38% of all employees  claim that it is a challenge knowing when they should attend the office and work from home. Companies are tackling this challenge by making agreements with employees and providing them with solutions which fit into the new hybrid mode. With this in mind, Microsoft 365 is updating the Outlook tool so that employees and employers can coordinate their meeting plans, both virtual and in person.

Front row tool

Microsoft Teams is launching a brand new feature called front row later on this year. The idea behind the updated layout in the platform is to narrow the gap between physical and digital workspace so that all employees are equally engaged and involved in the conference meetings. This feature in your Teams tool will enhance the experience of all attendees by making virtual employees appear centered on screen and at the eye level of the employees on-site. The goal of this feature is to create a natural feel to the meeting that emulates a face-to-face interaction where everyone can be equally well seen and heard.

Yealink & Neat

Microsoft is currently in the process of certifying a brand new digital solution that will enable seempless collaboration, enabled by touch control. It will be available from Yealink and Neat via Teams in the second business quarter of this year, The purpose of this solution is to make deployment and collaboration work hand in hand with the use of these devices, by combing a touch display, video and audio in one single unit.

How Microsoft Teams helps businesses reap the value of every meeting?

Microsoft works tirelessly to understand and adapt to the changing needs of companies across the globe. There are new collaboration patterns that emerge each and tools like Microsoft Teams are bound to evolve in order to make meeting experiences more effective for everyone involved. Cameo is a good example of such tool, which was launched in 2021 and it’s continuing to gain popularity across hybrid and remote operating businesses globally. This feature enables users to integrate Teams with their PowerPoint application for better presentation experience that gives a live view of the person while they are presenting. Another recent release by Microsoft called Recording Studio allows user to record their presentations and produce a high quality ready-to-watch video, available for steaming by everyone who missed the meeting or wish to make the most of its content post watching. Luckily, it doesn’t end here! Microsoft have also came up with ingenious solution that removes the language barriers during meetings and enables speakers from different counties to have an effective exchange with the use of conversation interpretation in real time.

Microsoft 365 and Teams have a mission to evolve progressively according to the continuously changing workspace dynamics. Hybrid work is gradually but steadily becoming the new norm for many business, and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams have not missed a beat in accommodating these changes into their meetings platform.

Is your company also adopting a hybrid working space? If yes, do not hesitate to contact our team and inquire about more information regarding your Microsoft 365 suite and all the new features that can enhance everyone’s experience!