Each month we like to keep you updated with the latest updates and developments within the Microsoft 365 suite. This month we explore updates for Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, Microsoft Forms, Office, Excel and more.
We hope you find these interesting.
Microsoft Teams
Video Clip
Microsoft Inspire you can now create a video clip to send via chat rather than just a text update. It has been in preview mode but now it becoming publically available this month. You can record your message then edit the length before sending it in the chat. This could be useful if you want to introduce yourself or show something visually such as new merchandise.
New integration capabilities for teams
Microsoft have announced increased interoperability of Azure Communication Services with Teams and with the general availability of Azure Communication Services support. This means that businesses are now able to develop new apps which connect people to Teams.
It also allows for the creation of new workflows for apps which require custom management of incoming and outgoing Teams phone calls.
Additionally the updates now bring Teams calling capabilities into devices that were previously not supported with the standard Teams client.
OneDrive
A Redesigned Homepage Experience
The redesigned OneDrive Home experience means users can view your most recent files along with any updates on opening, so you can jump back into your work and quickly prioritize where to begin your day. This update also means you can filter by file type (.docx, .pptx, .xlsx, and .pdf) using the buttons at the top of the Recent file list.
Pin Entire Document Libraries to your Navigation
The update empowers users to easily access the places they continually work. As it allows them to pin document libraries to the Quick access section of the lefthand navigation bar of OneDrive Home.
Microsoft Forms
Convert Word Docs or PDF’s to Forms
If you have loads of quizzes or surveys like new starter surveys, onboarding surveys and more sitting in older word document or PDF document, you can now import and convert them into Microsoft Forms. By simply using the “Quick convert” functionality, you can have editable, actionable, and interactive forms in a couple of clicks.
Jump-start poll creation in Teams meetings with AI suggestions and previously used polls
To assist meeting organisers in creating/launching polls before and during meetings, Microsoft have released new poll functionalities which simplify the poll creation to launch process. Users can either get inspirations a variety of pre-defined polls or re-use the polls from the past Teams meetings. This function will roll out automatically.
Microsoft Office
People Pinning
Microsoft 365 Web users, can use People Pinning underneath the My content section to create a more personalized experience. This feature allows you to pin your top collaborators so that you can easily get back to the content from your most important contacts.
Microsoft Excel
Improvements to the connected Power BI experience
In both Excel for web and the Windows app, you can create a PivotTable that connects directly to a Power BI dataset. This allows you to analyse data between platforms seamlessly.
We hope this new update was useful and you can utilise some of the above features to improve useability and employee experience. We regularly share tips on how to make the most out of your Microsoft 365 investment on LinkedIn and Twitter, you can follow us here or you can subscribe to our monthly newsletter to get these tips directly in your inbox.