Microsoft Adds Five New Features To Teams; Big Help For Frontline Workers

Microsoft Teams is getting five new features aimed at helping frontline employees cope with stress. Walkie Talkie app, organizing virtual appointments, Microsoft Viva, Reflexis Shifts Connector, and audio notice for the misplaced device are among the new features.

Benefits For Frontline Workers

For the Walkie Talkie app in Microsoft Teams, Microsoft has collaborated with Zebra mobile devices, but it will also be accessible for other cellphones. It could be easy for the company's entire team to stay up to speed on necessary and recommended training as per the Microsoft Viva learning app.

Microsoft said in a blog post that Microsoft Teams will now include five new features to help frontline workers cope with stress. According to the latest Work Trend Index from the American IT giant, 88 percent of frontline workers are "excited about job chances created by technology."

Microsoft Team's Five New Features

The Walkie Talkie app is the most important of the five new technologies introduced. Zebra's new app will be available on a variety of mobile devices. The push-to-talk (PTT) button on Zebra mobile devices uses Microsoft Teams' digital Walkie Talkie capabilities to empower frontline employees with clear, quick, and secure communication. On the other hand, the Walkie Talkie app will be available on Android and iOS devices as well as on Zebra mobile devices.

The second feature offered by Microsoft is the ability to manage virtual appointments. Workers will be able to "manage and request approvals in their business using Power Apps component framework (PCF) controls" with this capability. Frontline workers will be able to see a holistic view of virtual appointments as well as real-time data on wait times, queueing, missed appointments, and staffing delays due to this functionality.

The third upgrade is to the Microsoft Viva app, which allows employees to find, access, share, and track learning content from Microsoft Teams. The Viva learning app has unveiled major collaborations with EdCast and OpenSesame, which will give employees access to a wealth of information to help them upskill and train.

The fourth new feature for Microsoft Teams is Reflexis Shift Connector, which connects to Reflexis Workforce Scheduler (RWS) to create a "seamless, real-time sync for viewing, allocating, and monitoring shift requests." RWS is stated to help with worker autonomy, optimize scheduling, and provide frontline workers with access to their schedules when used in conjunction with Microsoft Teams.

Furthermore, Microsoft Teams will now send out a notification when a device is misplaced. The IT department will be able to send out an audio alert that will assist frontline staff in quickly locating the missing device. Moreover, frontline employees will be able to sign out all relevant apps with a single tap on Android smartphones to make the devices ready for the next worker.