Microsoft Teams, the popular collaboration and communication platform, made headlines at the Microsoft Inspire conference in July 2023. With over 670 new features added in the past year, Teams continues to evolve, enabling businesses to foster flexible workplaces and seamless interactions. From incorporating advanced AI capabilities to enhancing video experiences, Teams is revolutionizing the way teams work together.

 

In this article, we’ll share the major announcements and revolutionary updates unveiled to Microsoft Inspire 2023, which will be released in the coming quarters.

1. AI-Powered Assistance with Microsoft 365 Copilot:

  • Microsoft introduced Microsoft 365 Copilot in Teams Phone and Teams Chat, leveraging advanced AI capabilities to assist with unscheduled calls and chats.
  • It automates tasks, captures essential points, and helps users stay focused and engaged.
  • While currently available in the Microsoft 365 Copilot Early Access Program, it’s worth exploring for its productivity-boosting features.

Source: techcommunity.microsoft.com

2. Real-Time Co-Creation with Collaborative Notes:

  • Enhancing online meetings, Collaborative Notes in Microsoft Teams Meetings allow attendees to co-create agendas, notes, and follow-up tasks in real-time.
  • This fosters seamless collaboration and productivity across various platforms.

Source: techcommunity.microsoft.com

3. Increased Channel Capacity and Shared Channels:

  • Teams now offer up to 1,000 channels per team, increasing workspace scalability.
  • The launch of shared channels for external collaboration facilitates seamless teamwork and cross-organization collaboration, ideal for working with partners or agencies.

4. Streamlining IT Management with Shared Calling:

  • Microsoft introduced Shared Calling for Teams Phone deployments, simplifying IT management.
  • Admins can allocate shared phone numbers and calling plans to groups of users, leading to significant cost savings and simplified management.

Source: techcommunity.microsoft.com

5. Enhanced User Experience with Embedded Chat and Improved Search:

  • Updates include an improved search experience and chat embedded in the Microsoft Edge browser.
  • These features enable faster content discovery and seamless conversation continuation, enhancing the user experience.

Source: techcommunity.microsoft.com

6. Teams Breakout Rooms participant shuffle:

  • As a meeting organizer, co-organizer, or breakout room manager, you can utilize the new Shuffle capabilities to randomly assign participants to rooms—either prior to the meeting or during the live meeting.
  • You can decide to either shuffle everyone or shuffle only unassigned participants to evenly re-distribute participants to existing rooms. 

    Learn more about this Teams Breakout Rooms Participant Shuffle in this insider deep dive article.

7. Video enhancements in Teams chat:

  • You have greater flexibility and control with enhanced video experiences in Teams.

  • When you receive a Microsoft Stream video in a Teams chat, like a recorded team meeting saved in OneDrive or SharePoint, you will be able to preview and play the video directly in chat.
  • When you record a video clip and prefer to be off camera, you will now be able to use audio only or screen record only. In times when you need to be on camera, you can use the new custom background settings, like blurring their background to allow for more privacy. This feature will be generally available in August.

  • Video clips shared in Teams now include captions in English and soon will support other languages. Captions are generated automatically when the video clip is uploaded. This feature is available now.

     

Source: techcommunity.microsoft.com

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