There’s now a whole new type of Microsoft Teams meeting for you to avoid
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Microsoft Teams is about to receive an update that will introduce a brand new use case for the collaboration and video conferencing platform.
As explained in the last addition (opens in new tab) According to the official roadmap, Microsoft Teams will soon support a new type of meeting called ‘virtual appointments’. The idea is to provide B2C companies with an easy way to schedule consultations with their customers.
“When using the meeting type, guests will be invited to a meeting with important event details to make it easy to join,” explains Microsoft. “They can join from any device – no need to install Teams – and experience a comfortable virtual waiting room for making an appointment until you’re ready to get started.”
Not just for business
Like many services in the collaboration and communications industry, Microsoft Teams has grown rapidly since the pandemic triggered a shift to remote and hybrid work. The last digits suggest that more than 270 million people now use the platform every month.
However, in an effort to expand the reach of the platform even further, Microsoft has put a lot of effort into developing use cases for consumers in recent months.
In addition to building Teams at the heart of Windows 11 (the Chat app is now a fixture in the taskbar), Microsoft also gave the desktop client a visual overhaul to make the platform more accessible to a non-business audience.
Separately, the company recently made it possible to combine consumer and business accounts, allowing business users to initiate chats and meetings with customers and partners who may be using their personal Teams login.
And although Microsoft is launching 3D avatars for Teams as a measure to improve engagement and immersion in meetings, it is also a feature that non-professionals will want to play with.
The move to create a new type of meeting specifically for B2C engagements is the latest step in this broader process, creating a new reason for both businesses and consumers to interact with the now-familiar platform. Whether people will accept the idea, however, is a separate question.
The virtual appointments feature is currently in development, but should make its way to all Teams users by the end of the year.