What's new in Microsoft Teams - September 2021

Microsoft continues innovating and updating Microsoft Teams, which is why at Excel and Flourish, we like to take a moment each month to go over some highlights that might benefit your company or team. Let’s take a look at what’s new in Microsoft this month.

New Features for Microsoft Teams

Spotty audio connection, incomprehensible accents, visual learning, sound-sensible environments, unidentifiable jargons. Although many have been living in a digital workplace for some time, it’s still difficult to provide perfect experiences that are out of our control. There could be  spotless internet connections, clear images, and technology working seamlessly, but there could till be audio barriers. Let’s take a look at some new features for Microsoft Teams inspired by old issues.

Live Transcriptions

One of the new features for Microsoft teams is the ability to view live transcriptions in a Teams meeting! The text appears alongside the meeting video or audio in real time, including the speaker's name (unless they chose to hide it) and a time stamp for your reference. During a scheduled meeting, go to the meeting controls and select More actions icon (those three dots), and select the option to Start transcription. All participants will receive a notification that the meeting is being transcribed. When the meeting is over, the transcript is immediately available in the meeting event on the calendar. To take a closer look at this new feature in Microsoft Teams, follow this article from Microsoft. 

Why use subtitles? 

Apart from providing solutions to the issues stated in the beginning, reading subtitles is also more motivating to read. Even social media experts are recognizing the need for subtitles in videos! An estimated 85% of short videos viewed on Facebook are being watched without sound. Subtitles and captions can also help establish a systematic link between the written word and the spoken word, increasing memory retention and recall. So, even if one person decides to use this new feature in Teams because the dialogue is happening very quickly, with accents, mumbling, or background noise, it’s still beneficial to the other Teams meeting participants by encouraging engagement and comprehension. As we’ve said before, creating a community of extended education causes a ripple effect among peers.

Record A Meeting

If you also want to record and transcribe the meeting, select More options again and choose Start recording. Aside from the ability to view and download live transcriptions, another new feature in Microsoft Teams is- you’ve guessed it- recording meetings. Any Teams meeting or call can be recorded to capture audio, video, and screen sharing activity. The recording happens in the cloud and is saved so you can share it securely across your organization. To get the latest scoop and details about recording your next meeting, look here.

Every Keystroke Counts

As I like to remind people, every keystroke costs money. But how do you know which new features in Microsoft will really help you and your team down the road? When you’re paired with the right Certified Microsoft Trainer for your team, they stay on top of that for you. Connect with us today so we can help you find the right trainer for your team, and start saving your company time and money.