The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed some changes to the appearance of Microsoft Teams recently. For a little while you will have had the option to switch to ‘new Teams’. Some of you may have done this or, as the cut off point for using ‘old Teams’ is approaching, have already been automatically switched across.
So what is ‘new Teams’?
Despite the similar appearance, Microsoft have in fact completely rewritten the Teams app. It has changed a huge amount in the last few years with lots of new features and has become quite ‘bloated’. The result was that it had become slow and often had a big impact on the performance of your computer, especially when making video calls.
The new Teams is up to twice as fast with half the impact on your PC – a massive difference which you will certainly notice. However, there are some additional enhancements too:
Improved user experience – the Teams user interface has been decluttered and made simple to use – particularly meetings and meeting controls
Built in intelligence – the new Teams incorporates Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant (subject to separate license) to give automated meeting recaps and action points and an AI chatbot that can make suggestions by analysing your business data and emails.
Easy to work with other organisations – if you are connected to Teams users in other companies the previous experience was slow and cumbersome. This is now much improved and can be switched instantaneously.
In addition, there are many new features rolling out to improve your meeting experience which we will cover in a how to video on our YouTube channel shortly.
If you are not already using new Teams you will be automatically moved across in the next two months – there is nothing to do from your side.
Read this infographic to find out more about new Teams.
Teams Premium now available with advanced features
As well as updating the Teams app, Microsoft have launched a host of advanced new features to extend the functionality of Teams, in a package called ‘Teams Premium’. Teams Premium is a must for organisations who are heavy users of online meetings and can greatly enhance productivity.
Teams Premium features include:
AI tools to enhance and review meetings such as:
- AI generated meeting recaps including a summary of the meeting transcription along with action points.
- Intelligent meeting recordings with timeline markers for when you name is mentioned, and others are speaking to help you review it much quicker.
- Real time translation of meeting captions
Templates to set up different types of meeting such as:
- Advanced, high-quality webinars with automated registration and improved presentation tools
- Virtual Appointments with text message reminders to participants and instant joining via a web browser from a mobile phone.
- Town Halls with automated communications and post event follow up
Other enhancements to the experience of meeting participants such as:
- Improved company branding of meetings, from the meeting invitation to the join page and throughout the meeting with organisation specific backgrounds
- You can use Microsoft Mesh to create a virtual 3D world to create a totally different type of engagement for attendees of larger company events.
Keep an eye on our events page for webinars showcasing the latest Teams capabilities. If you would like to know how to get access to Teams Premium features, contact your Account Manager on 0330 124 3599.
