Microsoft Teams Added 5 New Features to Support Frontline Workers

Walkie Talkie app will be available on Zebra devices, Android, and iOS

Microsoft Teams is ready to add five new features that focus on reducing stress for frontline workers in the current situation. These new features are Walkie Talkie app, managing virtual appointments, Microsoft Viva, Reflexis Shifts Connector, and audio notification for misplaced device.

Microsoft has also partnered with Zebra mobile devices for the Walkie Talkie app in Microsoft Teams but it will also be available for other smartphones. Microsoft Viva learning app is said to make it "easy for a company's entire workforce to stay up to date on required training."

Microsoft announced through a blog post that it is offering five new features with Microsoft Teams to help reduce the stress for frontline workers. The American tech giant's recent Work Trend Index found that 88 percent of frontline workers were "excited about job opportunities that technology is creating."

First of the five new technologies is the Walkie Talkie app. The new app will be available on a wide range of mobile devices from Zebra. The push-to-talk (PTT) button on Zebra mobile devices utilises Microsoft Teams' digital Walkie Talkie functionality to provide clear, instant, and secure communication to frontline workers.

Second feature that Microsoft announced is Managing Virtual Appoints. This feature will allow workers to "manage and request approvals in their business with Power Apps component framework (PCF) controls." This feature will allow frontline workers to have a comprehensive view of virtual appointments as well as real-time updates on wait times, queueing, missed appointments, and staff delays.

The third feature is an update to Microsoft Viva app that enables employees to discover, access, share, and track learning content from Microsoft Teams. The Viva learning app has announced new partnerships with EdCast and OpenSesame too that will enable workers to get access to extensive content for them to upskill and train with relevant content.

Reflexis Shift Connector is the fourth new feature for Microsoft Teams that integrates with Reflexis Workforce Scheduler (RWS) for creating a "seamless, real-time sync for viewing, assigning, and managing shift requests." In collaboration with Microsoft Teams, RWS is said to help with worker autonomy, deliver optimised scheduling, and provide frontline workers to access their schedules.

At last, Microsoft Teams will now provide a notification to locate misplaced devices. The IT department will be able to trigger an audio notification that can help frontline workers easily locate the lost devices. Adding more to it, with a single tap on Android devices, frontline workers will now be able to sign out all compatible apps to make the devices ready for the next worker in a row.