Microsoft Teams is the relatively new Microsoft application that was released to replace Skype for Business. However, it wasn’t just created to replace Skype for Business, it offers vast improvements and is changing the way people work in the process. Teams sits inside the Office 365 portfolio and with it, you get the security, compliance and compatibility across Office and Office 365 applications. Teams leverages office trends of mobility, geographical dispersion, inclusiveness and collaboration. With more millennials in the workplace who are more comfortable with persistent chat such as iMessage and Facebook chat. The lead to persistent chat was an obvious choice on Microsoft’s part. The notion of Teams is simple- do all of your collaboration and work in a persistent chat mode across devices. You can work on documents, presentations, spreadsheets in real-time, chat back and forth in-context, share files, create meetings, all in one chat console.

 

Some of the latest Microsoft Teams features:

Speak to Text

First of all, one really neat feature Microsoft is adding to Teams is cloud recording. Which Microsoft says will enable one-click meeting records, with automatic transcription and time coding. This will allow team members to search within the transcript, and playback any portion or all the meeting after the fact. Microsoft has also hinted that it will soon introduce facial recognition into the mix. So the transcripts would be able to differentiate who said what.

 

Translation Services

Microsoft is also introducing in-line message translation to streamline communication for individuals who speak different languages. Cortana voice interaction (so users can make calls, join meetings, etc. within Teams using spoken language), background blur for video calls, proximity detection for adding nearby Skype Room Systems to meetings, and the ability to share content in meetings via mobile devices. Microsoft is also a leader in translation software and if you’ve ever used the company’s real-time translation across multiple parties and languages, it is as efficient as it is impressive. These additional features not only make Teams fun to use, but more productive. Teams is designed so that new users can spend less time trying to figure out how to use the software. Therefore, spending more time completing their work.

 

Teams Store

The Microsoft Teams store has a range of apps and connectors that makes collaboration easier and fuels automation. You can connect to Microsoft applications such as Word, Excel, Flow etc. You can also connect to third party apps such as Google Analytics, MailChimp, Salesforce and more. Streamlining your work across devices and applications makes completing your work easier and faster.

 

Bottom line, Microsoft has really hit the jackpot when it comes to Teams.