Microsoft Teams Releases 5 New Features to Support Frontline Workers

Microsoft Teams is introducing five new features aimed at lowering stress among frontline workers. Walkie Talkie app, organizing virtual appointments, Microsoft Viva, Reflexis Shifts Connector, and audio notice for misplaced device are among the new features.

For the Walkie Talkie app in Microsoft Teams, Microsoft has collaborated with Zebra mobile devices, but it will also be accessible for other cellphones. According to Microsoft, the Viva learning app makes it “simple for a company’s complete workforce to stay up to speed on mandatory and recommended training.”

Microsoft said in a blog post that it is introducing five new capabilities to Microsoft Teams to help frontline workers reduce stress.

The American tech giant’s recent Work Trend Index found that 88 percent of frontline workers were “excited about job opportunities that technology creates.”

The Walkie Talkie app is the first of the five new technologies. Zebra’s new app will be available on a variety of mobile devices. The Zebra mobile device’s push-to-talk (PTT) button makes use of Microsoft Teams’ digital Walkie Talkie feature to allow clear, instant, and secure communication to frontline employees. The Walkie Talkie app, on the other hand, will be available on Android and iOS devices in addition to Zebra mobile devices.

The second feature offered by Microsoft is the ability to manage virtual appointments. Workers will be able to “manage and request approvals in their business using Power Apps component framework (PCF) controls” with this capability.

This tool will provide frontline workers with an in-depth view of virtual appointments as well as real-time reports on wait times, queueing, missed appointments, and staffing delays.

The third new feature is a refresh of the Microsoft Viva app, which allows employees to explore, access, share, and track learning content from Microsoft Teams. The Viva learning app has announced new agreements with EdCast and OpenSesame, which will provide workers with comprehensive content to upskill and train with.

The fourth new feature for Microsoft Teams, Reflexis Shift Connector, connects with Reflexis Workforce Scheduler (RWS) to create a “seamless, real-time sync for viewing, assigning, and managing shift requests.”

RWS is intended to help with worker autonomy, providing optimized scheduling, and give frontline workers access to their schedules in combination with Microsoft Teams.

Finally, Microsoft Teams will now send a notification when a device is misplaced. The IT department will be able to activate an audible notification, which will assist frontline staff in quickly locating the missing device. Frontline employees will also be able to sign out all compatible apps on Android devices with a simple tap, making the devices ready for the next worker.