Short on Time Summary
Welcome back to your monthly roundup of the latest developments across the Microsoft 365 suite. Each month we strive to keep you updated with the most recent products and features, so you can continue getting the most from your Microsoft 365 investment.
This month we explore updates for Microsoft Viva, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint and more. We hope you find this information interesting.
SharePoint
New authoring capabilities
Microsoft have introduced two updates to enhance text-based editing in SharePoint. There are multiple language options to accurately proof text in pages and web parts.
Creators also have more control over the formatting. You can now change the spacing between lines without creating a new paragraph.
Microsoft Viva
Engage replaces Yammer
This month will see the start of a rebrand of all Yammer experiences. The Communities app in Outlook will become the Viva Engage app. Logos and app icons will be automatically updated to blend seamlessly with the rest of the Viva branding, delivering a cohesive employee experience.
There is no need to take any action. Current functionality is staying the same, so you can still benefit from the rich communication capabilities of Yammer to stay up to date with colleague updates and get involved with conversations.
Also expect an optimised Engage mobile experience for iOS and Android.
Viva Engage: Host AMA Events
In Viva Engage, employees can host an Ask Me Anything event about a topic of their choice. These are participant-led sessions curated to unite leaders and employees, facilitating connection across the organisation.
Leaders can contribute valuable knowledge and expertise, guided by employee questions. This ensures the session is tailored to include content people want to learn about.
AMAs are supported with moderation capabilities, anonymous questions, upvoting for high priority questions and the ability to pin the best answers. Utilise these rich features to keep sessions focused on what really matters to the audience.
Answers in Viva: Measure Time Saved and People Helped
Answers in Viva integrates the community knowledge-sharing of Viva Topics with Engage. New analytics help you measure the value and impact of Q&As.
The ‘Time Saved’ metric assigns a value of 15 minutes saved for each user viewing an answer for the first time. Admins can access a visual representation of the data, showing overall time saved across the organisation and highlighting the most effective questions.
‘People Helped’ data reveals how many unique users have benefitted from a Q&A pair. Knowledge contributors can find out how many people their answers helped. Leverage these metrics to improve visibility of common topics, identify knowledge gaps and implement relevant training.
OneDrive
Favourite and unfavourite files
Ensure you can quickly access your most important or frequently used files. Hover over a file and select the star icon to favourite or unfavourite. From OneDrive for Web or your Document Library, access the ‘Favourites’ tab in the left-hand side on the navigation menu.
Microsoft Teams
Co-organisers can manage Breakout Rooms
Meeting co-organisers now have the same abilities as organisers to create and manage Breakout Rooms. This will be particularly useful during large meetings, enabling co-organisers to free up time for the organiser to complete other meeting tasks.
Respond to missed calls in the ‘Activity’ feed
Action missed calls directly from the ‘Activity’ feed by selecting the ‘call’ button embedded in the notification. Return calls with one-click without leaving the flow of work.
Ultrasound Howling Detection
When joining a meeting in the same physical space as other participants, there is often a loud echo caused by a feedback loop from multiple microphones and speakers picking up sound simultaneously.
Teams will now detect this and take steps to reduce the echo. The joining participant will receive a notification, and Teams will automatically mute their microphone to prevent the feedback loop. You can manually unmute at any point when you are ready to speak.
This feature is available to all users with Public Preview enabled.
Suggestions for ‘Schedule Send’
When you compose a message to someone out with their predefined working hours, Teams will automatically identify the recipient’s next working day and start time. You will have the option to schedule the message to be delivered then.
Effectively collaborate with colleagues working across flexible schedules and time zones. Teams has harnessed Viva Insights to update the ‘schedule send’ feature, increasing its presence to encourage healthy work habits. Establish remote communication boundaries to avoid disrupting colleagues outside of their work hours.
Microsoft Stream
Create and Share Playlists
Create playlists in Stream to organise video and audio content into cohesive collections. They are built utilising the new ‘Playlist’ template in Microsoft Lists, so they can be accessed and updated from across Outlook, SharePoint and Lists.
Playlists are also shareable. People with access can choose how to navigate the playlist – watching or listening in order or moving between files as needed.
Microsoft Lists
Export Microsoft Lists as a Power BI dataset
There is a new addition to the ‘Export’ menu allowing users to export their lists to Power BI. Harness Power BI datasets to easily generate reports and produce powerful visual representations from data recorded in Lists.
We hope you found this month’s update helpful, and you can utilise some of the above features to improve useability and employee experience. We regularly share tips on making the most of your Microsoft 365 investment on LinkedIn or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.