What to Expect from Microsoft Teams in 2021

Keeping up with the demands of the changing workplace landscape this year, Microsoft continues to adapt to a post-COVID world by growing with offerings of flexible workplace solutions as we enter the new year. The latest features expected to roll out this year will strengthen the Teams experience for users everywhere.

Enhanced Call Features

Calling tools like call history, dial pad, contacts, speed dial, and voicemail are merging into one single tab in Teams. Potential spam calls are flagged with the caller’s name displayed before you pick up, helping users minimize interruptions to their day. This feature will store the name of the caller in your activity feed and voicemail, providing the option to take the call now or at a time that is more convenient.

For additional flexibility, users can transfer calls between their mobile and desktop while on the go. And depending on where your office is for the day, you can cap the amount of data being used on video calls and create settings based on network availability. Teams admins save call recordings straight into OneDrive or SharePoint and share transcripts with attendees who weren’t able to be on a call.

User Profile Menu Changes

The profile menu will be reorganized and will separate application settings from account management. The zoom controls, keyboard shortcuts, and the about and check for updates tools will be moved over to the title bar. The profile menu will feature the ability to switch between multiple accounts and tenants.

History Menu Added

The History menu is another new feature that will aid in boosting productivity. By listing recently visited spots within Teams, such as tabs or documents, users can lessen the time they spend searching for an important document when collaborating with colleagues.

Outlook Integration

Microsoft will be integrating with Outlook in a whole new fashion in 2021. Users will no longer have to remember to select the Teams Meeting option when scheduling a meeting in Outlook because this step will be set by default next year. But, if you need to start a Teams meeting instantly, you can do so straight from the Calendar tab in Outlook. Missed Teams chats will go to your Outlook, and you can reply directly to those missed chats from there. Users also can create new channels in Teams from attachments or messages in Outlook.

Personal Well-Being and Productivity Insights

Create and share a calendar for members of a team to view events and to add new ones with new posts appearing in the activity feed. MyAnalytics will be pushing out personal productivity insights to Microsoft Teams which will send reminders to follow up with people, catch up on to-do’s, and block off time to focus on work uninterrupted. Because of a new partnership with Headspace, users will be able to block off personal time for moments of mindfulness.

Enhanced Meeting and Presentation Features

Users will be able to deliver presentations while simultaneously viewing their slide notes. With a new live reaction feature, attendees can react to presentations with emojis and receive a recap with the meeting recording, transcript, chat, and shared files.

Microsoft Teams is a great place to start if you haven’t set your workplace New Year resolutions yet. Exciting new features are rolling out in 2021, with more yet to be announced. Our certified technicians can transition your business today.