Microsoft Teams has been one of the unsung heroes of this pandemic. The Microsoft 365 chat feature has seen a rise in popularity with everyone, from seasoned professionals to high-school students learning from home. Over the summer, they pushed out a lot of helpful features that have made connecting and collaborating remotely that much easier.
With assistance from the OTELCO IT team, we have dig into the newest Teams features from the last few months and take an exclusive look at the exciting new features to come.
Microsoft Teams’ pop out chat feature.
Pop-Out Windows
The newest feature from Microsoft Teams is the addition of pop-out windows. You can hold your meetings in a separate window and continue to navigate Teams as usual. You can do the same with individual chats or group conversations. This is something Microsoft is still rolling out and expect to have available to everyone sometime in September.
New Meeting Features
Custom Backgrounds
Customize your background during meetings as an extra personal touch or for added privacy.
Lobby Control
As the meeting host, you now have the option to make everyone wait in the lobby. This feature includes those within your organization.
Larger Groups
Microsoft Teams now supports up to 250 members in group chats and 300 participants in meetings, allowing you to meet with everyone you need to at once. Microsoft plans on continuing to grow this number, intending to increase meeting sizes into the thousands in the future.
Choices
Privacy for Phone Callers
Phone numbers of those dialing in from outside your organization are obscured to protect their privacy.
Clearer Options when Joining Through a Link
Users joining through a link will now have more explicit options on how to partake in the meeting. The default choice will be to continue with the app, but if the user does not have the app, they can choose to download it or continue through their browser.
More Channel Features
Channel Information
It is easier than ever to see who is in a Channel. Simply click the “i” icon at the top of your Channel, and the “About” section will appear, with a list of Channel members, and anyone who has recently contributed.
Microsoft Teams’ new instant meeting feature for Channels.
Search within a Chat or Channel
You can now search within a chat or Channel. This is great for searching for a past conversation or a shared file. To search, type into the search bar at the top of the chat or Channel.
Instant Meetings
You can now start meetings instantly with your group through a Channel! There is a new “Meet” button that allows you the option to start a meeting immediately or schedule one for later.
Upcoming Microsoft Teams Features
There are even more exciting features coming out for Microsoft Teams this fall. Just in time for the new school season!
Together Mode
Together Mode will place everyone in a meeting inside the same background to make it seem as if everyone is in a room together. An auditorium like background will be the first mode released, and more room options are expected to follow soon after.
Lists App and Task Integration
Microsoft Lists and Tasks will now be brought into Teams as apps. Team users can integrate the Lists and Task features into Channels, and share tasks across multiple Microsoft 365 platforms.
Call Merge
Much like with our cell phones, you will now be able to merge calls in Microsoft Teams. When you are on a call with someone, and an incoming call comes in, you will be able to bring them together into one group call.
Captions and Transcripts
Microsoft Teams will now generate captions during the meeting and send out call transcripts afterward. This will be the perfect tool for anyone who has a harder time staying focused during virtual meetings. Captions are currently available, but this new feature will be more advanced, identifying the speaker and creating more accurate results.
An OTELCO virtual lunch using Microsoft Teams smaller gallery mode feature.
Large Gallery View
The large Gallery View will include up to 49 participants. This new Microsoft Teams’ view will allow you to see everyone you are video chatting with at once. A smaller version of this feature is available already, but the enhanced version is set to release later this year.
Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams from OTELCO
OTELCO offers all the Teams features above, along with a suite of dynamic business tools through our Microsoft 365 service. It is one of our most popular managed services used by clients of all sizes and industries. If you think that your organization might benefit from Microsoft Teams, our IT experts would be happy to meet with you either virtually or in person. All consultations are complimentary and commitment-free.
