Microsoft is diving deeper to enhance its tools for a hybrid workplace. The company is announcing some changes to Microsoft Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint, and even Surface hardware.
Microsoft is updating Outlook with a new RSVP feature that will appear in public preview in the web version. With this feature, the attendees to a meeting could choose 'virtual' or 'in-person' mode.
Vice-President of Microsoft Teams, Nicole Herskowitz said in an interview with the Verge, "This is just one piece that I think will help employees understand who will be in the office and how to optimize those meeting experiences."
A new front row layout feature introduced in Teams enables in-person participants to see remote colleagues face to face.
Microsoft is working on a Teams Rooms update to allow in-person attendees to join meetings with their own devices. They will be prompted to turn on their video for remote participants to see who is inside a meeting room.
The company is also introducing a new surface hub smart camera.
Microsoft will merge new cameo and recording studio features of PowerPoint to improve the meeting experience for remote colleagues. The cameo feature integrates a Microsoft Teams camera into the presentation slide deck.
Microsoft is adding more than fifty templates to Microsoft Whiteboard in Teams to list ideas and receive instant feedback.