This year has forced us all to adapt, and in March we were forced to reprioritise our roadmaps, resources, and our budgets to better equip our people for remote work, essentially overnight. People adjusted, swiftly moving meetings online, but one of the most notable challenges we have been facing is the ability to maintain personal connections that come from the ad hoc and by chance conversations that come from working in the same space as other people.
In fact, research by the Harvard Business Review has shown that a person’s voice is the signal that builds personal connection and creates clarity. This research shows just how important actually speaking to your customers and your colleagues is. This year, the use of Microsoft Teams Calling soared, with over 650 million calls in October. On average, these calls take a quarter of the length of a typical meeting, meaning your people are one tool away from quick and efficient, valuable connections and collaborations.
In this article we explore new features being added to Teams Calling that will help you maintain and build personal connections in a remote world.
Streamlined calling experience:
Teams has become our hub for things like morning meetings, quick chats with a colleague, various applications, and now workflows. With the enhanced Calls app hosted in Teams it now also has the functionality to dial, view your call history, voicemail, contacts, and settings, making it easier to maintains connections whilst also maintaining your focus.
Spam identification:
Spam calls are frustrating, they interrupt the flow of your work, and can make you distrusting of unfamiliar phone numbers. By utilising the latest industry advances, Teams will identify potential spam calls, so you can feel more confident in answering incoming calls. It will also digitally attest outbound calls to prevent these from being rejected or identified as spam by external recipients.
Transfer calls between mobile and desktop:
The Microsoft Teams App can be installed across several devices and makes it easy to place and receive calls from your desktop, mobile device, tablets, and conferencing technologies. However sometimes you may need to move locations or change devices to finish up a call, and the flow of conversation can be majorly disrupted by a “let me give you call back”. Expected in early 2021, you will be able to shift your call between your mobile and desktop endpoints with a new easy-to-use interface on the Teams app.
Voice-enabled channels:
A new collaborative calling capability will enable teams to integrate call queues into a specific channel, enabling information sharing before during, and after the call. For example, IT helpdesks can now be managed from a single channel, meaning the first available team member can answer the call and easily review any previously logged tickets or share information with others. Expected in the first quarter of 2021, you will be able to create new channels that are voice-enabled.
Call transfer ring-back:
Call transfers play a vital role in connecting callers with the right people, making sure the call remains connected during the process, is critical for a positive customer experience. Teams users don’t have to worry about disconnections and lost opportunities if the caller on the other end doesn’t answer. If a call doesn’t transfer it returns to the person who originally answered providing the opportunity for you to reschedule a call, or find another appropriate contact.
These new features may seem small, but all of these tools will play a vital role in streamlining and improving the calling process, giving you more time to focus on great conversations and maintaining strong personal connections. If you are looking to learn more about deploying Microsoft Teams Voice Calling (previously Microsoft business voice) you can read our article here, or get in touch today to speak with one of our experts.