5 Exciting Ways Microsoft 365 Can Enable Hybrid Office

5 Exciting Ways Microsoft 365 Can Enable Hybrid Office

The word “hybrid office” is the new buzzword you will often hear in business discussions. The term refers to a work arrangement where employees have the flexibility to work at the office and home.

In a recent survey conducted on 60 million U.S full-time workforce, 42% are working on a hybrid schedule while 39% are working from home full-time.

The global pandemic has accelerated the popularity of hybrid office transition. It has forced companies to operate with teams that may no longer come to the office on a full-time basis.

Benefits of remote teams include:

1. Cost savings for workers as there is no longer a need to commute from home to the office
2. Cost savings for the employer as space requirements may be significantly smaller
3. Improved worker morale with the flexibility to stay home and manage the home/family.
4. Improved productivity as employees are more motivated with work-life balance during the pandemic.

Connectivity is a key area for a hybrid workforce. The right technology will enable teams to collaborate irrespective of location and distance.

One of the leaders in team collaboration is Microsoft. There are many tools available for companies to enable hybrid teams. Below are some features and tools by Microsoft to facilitate hybrid work.

1. Microsoft Teams & Expanded Features

Microsoft Teams is more than a team messaging app. The app combines features of virtual video meetings and messaging channels as a secure online work hub.

As the company continues to add more features to enable hybrid office, there are more feature updates including:

• Ability to do webinar registration
• Together mode for online meetings
• Whiteboard features
• Presenter video in a shared presentation
• Presenter mode for a professional virtual presence
• Increased security through smart links and smart attachments
• Business VoIP phone system add-on
• Addition of a metaverse component called Mesh for Teams

2. New Meeting Option for RSVP in Outlook

When everyone is not working in the same location, it will be difficult to know the working hours of everyone else. For effective coordination, Outlook allows users to RSVP to meetings so that your team members will know if they are attending virtually or in person.

3. Improved Framing for More Engaging Meetings

One of the key things that can deviate attention in a meeting is someone’s background at home. The camera’s positioning can also differ; thus, some may have their face taking 80% of their screen while some may have only 20% as they are sitting farther away from the camera.

A new Surface Hub 2S Smart Camera allows better face framing. Features include adjusting the room view so that people’s faces will be clearer and consistently sizing. The video display will also automatically adjust as people join or leave the meeting room.

4. Better Control of Your Video Using PowerPoint

It is common to share a screen during a video call to make a PowerPoint presentation. It is difficult to keep everyone engaged as people cannot clearly see your facial expression as you emphasise various things. You can now push your video feed in a tiny box when presenting virtually to improve engagement.

This feature is called Cameo where you can seamlessly integrate PowerPoint with Microsoft Teams. You can decide how you want your video feed to appear in relation to your presentation. Another new feature is Recording Studio in PowerPoint where you can record professional-looking on-demand videos within the app itself.

5. Get Help with Presentation Skills

Microsoft has included a lot of AI capabilities in Microsoft 365 in recent years. One that will help you deliver better presentations includes Speaker Coach.

This is a private and personalised coach that can help you hone your presentation skills. It can also help you switch from presenting in person to a virtual presentation.

Some feedback it can provide includes:

• Using repetitive language
• Use of filler words
• Speaking pace
• Pausing for input
• Intonation
• and more

Ask Us About Improving Your Hybrid Office with Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 has a lot of helpful features that you may have yet to discover. You may require an expert guide to help you navigate these capabilities. Contact us today to understand how Microsoft 365 can help your business to grow.