Feature
The way we communicate in the workplace has always had its challenges (editor's note: including technology outages), but as the number and variety of apps have proliferated in recent years, communicating has become even more challenging.
Microsoft announced an update to Teams in late October to try to address some of these challenges head-on. The updates, which rolled out in public preview on Nov. 12, are a significant change to the Teams experience to date.
Teams Fall 2024 Update
Here are six noteworthy changes — and what they mean for you as a Teams user.
1. Unified Communication Hub
The new Chat tab serves as a centralized command center, consolidating chats, teams and channels into a single space. This integration aims to reduce context switching and streamline workflows, in theory allowing users to navigate their digital communications more efficiently.
2. Customizable User Experience
A key feature of the update is its flexibility. Upon rollout, users will be guided through a self-service onboarding process, enabling you to tailor the interface to your specific needs. For those who prefer the traditional separated view of chats and channels, the option to maintain this distinction remains available, either during initial setup or at any later point, without requiring IT intervention.
3. Enhanced Notification Management
The new @mentions view is a standout feature, aggregating all direct mentions in one place. This centralization minimizes the risk of overlooking critical messages and simplifies the process of staying on top of important conversations.
4. Advanced Filtering Capabilities
To further optimize daily triage, the update introduces new filtering options. Users can now focus on high-priority items such as unread chats and active channels, while filtering out less urgent content like muted conversations and meeting-related discussions.
5. Asynchronous Collaboration Support
For team members unable to attend meetings, the Copilot meeting recap feature facilitates asynchronous catch-up. This tool allows users to review meeting chats and discussions at their convenience, so no one falls behind due to scheduling conflicts.
6. Personalized Workspace Organization
The update comes with a redesign that introduces custom sections, where you can organize conversations by project or topic. This feature, combined with the new Favorites section that consolidates pinned chats and channels, gives people more control over their own digital workspace.
Related Article: Channels vs. Chat? 'Real Teams' Know the Answer
Expect More Teams Updates Ahead
While these updates are already a significant change to the thinking and use behind Teams, there's more on the way. A blog about the updates by Microsoft’s Jeff Teper said the changes will be brought to all devices and to expect expansion of testing for the new functionality in the coming months.
"We are just getting started, and we are committed to making Teams more streamlined and simpler with enhancements like threaded conversations," he wrote. "We’re beginning to test threaded conversations with customers this quarter and will expand testing in early 2025, with broad availability expected in mid-2025."
The release generated the usual grumbling that follows any significant changes to a widely used workplace tool, but it is too early to say how effective the changes will be or how they will impact work. What seems clear is that they will change the Teams experience significantly.
The redesign is a major milestone in the evolution of Microsoft Teams, but it is not a one-time event. At last week's Ignite conference, the company announced further updates, including the integration of Viva Engage's Storyline and the addition of Loop Workspace. In short, users and organizations should anticipate a continuous stream of updates aimed at further improving the user experience.
Better User Experience?
"I believe Microsoft unified chats, teams and channels to simplify and flatten the user experience, making it more intuitive and less confusing," Ari Harrison, director of IT at SGC subsidiary Bamko, told Reworked. "The previous structure, with nested channels on different tabs, often left users perplexed. This unification is a strategic move to enhance usability and streamline communication within the platform."
The changes represent a major overhaul of the Teams user interface since its inception, but Harrison believes that by flattening the messaging experience, Microsoft is encouraging users to engage more in channels rather than relying solely on direct messages.
Channels, he added, offer granular membership controls and customizable alerting permissions, which can be tailored to suit different communication needs. This shift could fundamentally change how users interact within Teams.
This, he said, will reduce confusion and lower the barrier to entry for using teams and channels as they were intended. By simplifying the interface, users can navigate more easily and are more likely to use channels effectively. This streamlined experience should foster better collaboration and enhance productivity by making communication more accessible and intuitive.
For large organizations, the redesign also underscores the importance of establishing governance around channels and naming conventions. Controlling who can post in company-wide channels and managing alerts and tags is crucial to prevent information overload.
Related Article: Why Future Workplace Tools Can't Ignore UX
Streamlined Communications, Improved Knowledge Sharing
The redesign of Teams offers a significant opportunity to streamline communication, enhance collaboration and improve overall operational efficiency, said Dee Anthony, a director with global technology research and advisory firm ISG.
The unified interface simplifies the management of team interactions across departments and geographies, reducing silos and promoting knowledge sharing. However, to fully leverage the platform's potential, large organizations should carefully evaluate the various add-ons and licensing options available. Teams Premium, for example, provides advanced features such as webinar hosting, intelligent meeting recap and enhanced security controls. These capabilities can be particularly valuable for large organizations with complex communication needs and a dispersed workforce.
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Anthony also recommends large organizations consider the storage implications of widespread Teams adoption. While Microsoft provides generous OneDrive storage for individual users, the shared storage pool for Teams can become a constraint for enterprises. Proactive planning and potentially investing in additional storage capacity may be necessary to avoid unexpected costs and ensure seamless collaboration.
Taking all that into account, Anthony still believes that the new design enhances productivity by minimizing context switching and consolidating information. Features like customizable sections, enhanced search and a unified view of chats and channels allow users to focus on their work rather than navigating a complex interface.
“This streamlined approach fosters a more efficient collaborative environment, enabling teams to connect, share information and make decisions more effectively. At ISG, we see this as a key driver for improving business agility and responsiveness,” he said.
Related Article: The Cost of the Rise and Rise of Chat
Interacting in the Virtual Workplace
The update also represents an important evolution of how people interact in the virtual workspace, particularly for organizations heavily leveraging collaboration technology, Lucas Botzen, founder of HR firm Rivermate, said. The Teams update responds to the very clear need for simplicity and organization in hybrid and remote work environments by putting chats, teams and channels into a single unified view under the Chat tab.
“This update," he said, "cuts down the amount of time users spend finding relevant conversations or toggling between various tabs, which in turn improves productivity. The new streamlined layout cuts down distractions since users can now group their conversations by projects or topics for better continuity."
That is a huge change for large organizations with hundreds of channels and teams. By making this interface more intuitive and personalized, it allows users to tailor their workspace to different ways of working and drive focus on what matters most. Varied work styles are supported, where each user can arrange their chat and channel views according to role or preference. For Botzen, that is what diverse work environments require.