Explore the Microsoft Teams innovations in this article!
Microsoft has recently unveiled the latest version of its collaborative communication application, Teams, which is now available. This update brings several significant changes, both in terms of the interface and features.
The launch of the new version of Teams highlights notable adjustments in the user experience. The interface has been redesigned, performance has been optimized, and new features have been integrated. Explore the Microsoft Teams innovations in our article!
Enhanced Performance
One major improvement relates to the performance of Teams. By replacing the Electron framework with Edge WebView2, the application significantly reduces memory and disk space usage, resulting in faster loading times for the application, meetings, and transitions between chats and channels.
Security on Mac devices has also been strengthened, introducing a native mode, simplified app updates via Microsoft AutoUpdate, and web security enhancements, such as content security policies.
🚀 To delve deeper, discover what Microsoft Teams is all about.
A Better User Experience
In terms of user experience, the new version aims to provide a more adaptable interface to better cater to user needs. Users can customize their theme by choosing between light or dark mode and configure the color palette according to their preferences. Accessibility has also been improved with full keyboard shortcut adaptation and a better experience for screen readers.
💫 Have you checked out our article on how to create and host a Microsoft Teams meeting?
Improved Communication Between Business Entities
For businesses, the update offers features that facilitate communication between different entities. Access to resources from other services is streamlined, and an efficient search tool makes it easy to locate collaborators. Users can stay connected to multiple accounts simultaneously and receive real-time notifications.
A new feature, cross-cloud authenticated meeting, allows participation in a meeting hosted on a Microsoft cloud without disconnecting from the main account.
A New Experience with Teams Channels/Teams
According to the recent Microsoft Word Trend Index report, it has been observed that 68% of individuals feel they do not have enough uninterrupted time to focus during the day. Additionally, 62% of respondents have reported difficulties related to excessive information searching.
The latest functionality of channels, now universally accessible in both Classic and the new Teams version, simplifies focus on key topics, collaboration with relevant stakeholders, and the search for specific information, enabling your team to achieve more together.
The redesign of channels was undertaken as Microsoft's teams realized that customers weren't utilizing channels to their full potential. Therefore, Microsoft decided to incorporate customer feedback, user research contributions, and observed trends across various communication platforms to transform channels and enhance the productivity of workgroups.
💡 For a deeper dive, explore 5 must-know use cases for Microsoft Teams.
A More Attractive, Expressive, and Adaptable Workspace for Teams
The new layout of conversations within channels provides team members the ability to identify the focus topic, one discussion at a time. Users can quickly skim through the conversation, easily revisit it at any time to find content, and respond directly to a thread in a synchronized discussion format. By highlighting a post, you have the option to follow the discussion while simultaneously working on other topics. Pinning a post signifies its importance to channel members and allows for quick retrieval when needed in the future.
Whether you prefer recent posts and the composition area at the bottom or top of a channel, you now have the freedom to choose the order that suits you best. This option enables you to efficiently catch up on the latest discussions, engage in conversation, or quickly start a new one.
Channels will be configured by default with the most recent posts and the composition area at the bottom, but you can easily reverse this order by activating the "See new posts at the top" option in the channel settings.
😯 For an in-depth guide, discover our guide on optimizing project management in Microsoft Teams.
The New Composition Experience
The new composition area enhances usability, making collaboration more efficient with your team. Effectively work together to create a post, discuss specific topics within a project, or share an announcement highlighting team accomplishments. Microsoft has streamlined the information pane to concisely present important channel details, such as its description, member list, and pinned conversations.
Teams users can now benefit from an improved search experience within the channel, currently in public preview, with the integration of a new "Find in channel" search button in the channel information pane. You can search within a specific channel and view the results in the right-hand pane of the screen. At a glance, you can quickly review your search results along with the channel interface, without disrupting your workflow. After selecting a search result, you will be directed to that specific message in the channel's post.
Teams with Copilot
The update also includes the integration of the AI assistant Copilot, set to be integrated into the 365 suite starting from November 1st. Copilot can generate summaries of conversations and meetings, formatting this information according to user preferences. It can also gather information from various documents within Teams through Microsoft Graph.
For those already using Teams, the update can be done with a single click by activating the "Try the new Teams" option. All existing information will be preserved. It's worth noting that, following requests from Brussels, Microsoft has chosen to separate Teams from the 365 suite for new customers in the European Union, offering Teams at a rate of €5 per month or €60 per year.
In conclusion, the recent developments in Teams represent a significant step forward in improving efficiency and collaboration within teams. To take it a step further and boost your productivity, you can also download the MODA application, allowing you to create customized dashboards directly on Microsoft Teams for a better overview of your tasks, emails, upcoming events, meetings, and more.
👉 To boost your productivity, discover our MODA application, available in the Microsoft Teams Store!
