This week Microsoft announced a series of discounts on meeting and calling experiences in Microsoft Teams. “To help our customers who have communications needs that span a spectrum – from basic 1:1 meetings and calls to large virtual events and conferences – Microsoft Teams’ new promotion supports their varying calling and meeting needs,” Microsoft told UC Today in a written statement. So, what can Microsoft Teams users soon take advantage of? For starters, there’s free audio conferencing, and on October 1, 2020, it will become available for Microsoft Enterprise Agreement customers, as well as for those who buy from partners and the web.
“We understand that there may not be reliable Internet access everywhere you go, and in those instances, you need to join a meeting via dial-in number”
Microsoft Teams users will also get 35 percent off the team collaboration software. This will be made available for Enterprise Agreement customers before the end of the calendar year if they buy the offering from a Microsoft partner or from the web. “These capabilities enable large-scale events, and extend structural as well as admin control to organizations so they can realize professional, seamless, and compliant meeting experiences,” a spokesperson for the company told me. For those who still leverage Skype for Business, Microsoft said it will soon offer ‘fast track’ support to assist users in migrating over to Microsoft Teams in a ‘cost-effective way.’
Recently, Microsoft announced advanced communications capabilities to support up to 20,000 Teams meeting participants, signifying the company’s pushing hard to ensure enterprises can establish long-term resiliency and the ability to scale as needed. The feature comes at a time where the number of digital tech conferences is on the rise due to the novel Coronavirus. Microsoft Teams General Manager, Nicole Herskowitz, wrote in a blog post announcing the company’s free and reduced-priced offerings:
“Over the past six months, organizations around the world have adjusted to remote and hybrid work environments, pioneering new methods of collaboration, and transforming communication systems to stay connected and productive”
Microsoft recently added a new conversation button to its popular Teams platform. The button replaced the collaboration giant’s previous ‘Start a new conversation’ button and could improve upon the user-friendliness of the ever-evolving platform. Microsoft Teams users can expect a gradual roll-out over the next few weeks, with the feature reaching all Microsoft Teams users eventually.
Over the past few months, Microsoft’s added a variety of useful features designed to improve the team collaboration and communications process. COVID-19’s promoted many companies to tap their more innovative side, as this is the time where competition seems most fierce. Slack and Microsoft have long been in competition, but it seems the virus has heated things up.
During this time, Slack accused Microsoft of inflating its numbers because it paired Microsoft Teams with the Microsoft 365 suite, in an official antitrust filing which we got a preview of following Slack’s recent Q2 earnings call. The last time Microsoft reported Teams usage figures was back in May 2020 when the collaboration giant said it had 75 million daily active users. One can only reasonably assume that because of the pandemic, that number’s risen. Slack reports having 12 million daily active users, but that was months ago, so one could reasonably deduct – that number stands at a higher figure today as well.
