New features in Microsoft Teams – Ignite 2023

Welcome to the November 2023 special edition of “What’s New in Teams”! This edition covers announcements from the Microsoft Ignite conference, in addition to typical new features in Teams.

The Changing Work Environment

The way of working has fundamentally changed. With more than half of the global workforce back in the office, the future of work is flexible. However, these changes bring new challenges, such as team cohesion and social connections.

Major Novelties

Copilot in Microsoft Teams

• Meetings Without Transcript Retention: Copilot can now be used during meetings without retaining a transcript afterwards.
• Compose in Chat and Channels: Improve the expression of ideas and messages with Copilot in the composition window.
• New Prompts in Chat and Channels: Stay on top of important information in busy chats and channels.
• Post-Call Experience in the Calls App: Use Copilot in Teams Phone to capture key points and next steps after calls.

Creativity and Personalization

• Custom Channel Announcement Backgrounds: Create personalized backgrounds to make messages stand out in channels.
• Intelligent Summary with Copilot: Integrate intelligent summaries into Copilot to quickly catch up on missed meetings.
• Collaborative Notes with Copilot: Take real-time notes during meetings that are shared with all participants.

Innovative Collaboration

• Combining Copilot in Meetings and Whiteboard: Visualize discussion points and organize them in Whiteboard with Copilot.
• Voice Isolation: Teams recognizes your voice and suppresses other sounds for clearer communication in calls and meetings.
• Decorate Your Background: Use AI-driven background effects to visually enhance your workspace.

Teams Rooms and Devices

• Extension of Speaker Recognition: Use microphones in existing hardware to assign contributions to individual participants in transcripts.
• BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Features: Enhanced features for using personal devices in shared workspaces, including QR code reservations and intelligent speakers.

Microsoft Mesh and Immersive Spaces

• Immersive Spaces in Teams: Transform 2D meetings into 3D experiences with Mesh, including avatars, 3D environments and spatial audio.
• Customizable Immersive Spaces in Microsoft Mesh: Create customized 3D experiences for specific business needs.

Support for Frontline Workers

• Microsoft 365 Copilot for Frontline Workers: Included in Microsoft 365 F3 licenses for intelligent search and customer support assistance.
• Microsoft 365 Copilot Shifts Plugin: Tool for frontline managers to reduce repetitive tasks.

Other Updates

• New Teams Desktop App: Now generally available for Windows, Mac and web browsers such as Edge and Chrome.
• Loop Components in Channels: Improve content collaboration and synchronization.
• Simplified Notifications: Manage notifications more efficiently.

New Features for Developers

• Improvements to Code Blocks: Easier sending code in Teams.

Productivity and User Experience

• New Shortcut Keys in Teams: More efficient navigation and message composition.
• Customizable Default Responses: Personalize emoji responses in chat.
• Forwarding Chat Messages: Easily share messages with others.
• Profile photo for Group chats: Add a personal touch to group chats.
• Managing Teams and Channels: Simpler management of channels and teams.

Privacy and Security

• Disable Copying or Forwarding Meeting Chats: Reduce the risk of data leakage in meeting chats.
• Support for Watermarks in Meeting Recordings: Add watermarks to meeting recordings for added security.

Teams Telephony Updates

• Shared Calling: Make and receive PSTN calls with a shared phone number.
• Protected Voicemail: Don’t miss important voicemails with protected communications.

Conclusion

These updates to Microsoft Teams demonstrate Microsoft’s continued commitment to improving collaboration and communication in the hybrid work era, with a focus on AI-driven productivity improvements and advanced collaboration capabilities.