TapTechNews May 13th news, in the post-epidemic era, hybrid and flexible working modes are becoming increasingly popular, with employees spending less time in the office and coordinating face-to-face meetings becoming more difficult. To address this challenge, Microsoft has launched a new AI application called Places (currently in preview) to help organizations that rely on Outlook and Microsoft Teams for collaboration better coordinate employees' time in the office.
Jared Spataro, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Workplace AI, said in a blog post, When employees come to the office, they don't want to see rows of empty desks. They want to interact face-to-face with managers and colleagues they collaborate with frequently. Places can help employees coordinate office space usage more easily.
Places app includes a dedicated location planning section where employees can set and share the days they plan to work in the office, and view when their colleagues plan to come into the office. Managers can also set priority days for coming into the office, such as important events or team days, to keep everyone informed in advance. This location data will be interoperable with Outlook calendars, allowing employees to see what events are scheduled in the office and when they choose to work in the office.
Later this year, Microsoft also plans to integrate the entire experience into the Microsoft intelligent assistant Copilot. Users can ask Copilot, Which days should I go to the office this week? The intelligent assistant will suggest a schedule based on factors such as face-to-face meetings, colleagues' office plans, and team activities. Spataro said, Users can also request Copilot to adjust the schedule based on this information, such as changing the work location to the office on recommended days and rescheduling face-to-face meetings.
TapTechNews noted that Places will also offer a search feature for employees to book meeting rooms or shared desks, which will also be available in Outlook. If employees forget to book a meeting room or desk, they will receive calendar reminders. Later this year, Copilot will support an end-to-end booking experience, where the intelligent assistant can automatically find and book the space needed for meetings.
Places' location data will also integrate with other Microsoft 365 apps. When working in Teams, if colleagues are also in the office, they will be flagged as nearby, and users can notify office colleagues for impromptu discussions or lunch by typing @nearby.
Later this year, Microsoft will allow real estate and facility managers to use Places' space analytics to view building usage and which days are most popular with employees. IT administrators can also better manage and adjust spaces, improving meeting rooms and shared discussion spaces. The dashboard focuses on building and room analytics, rather than providing another means for managers to track individual employees.
Places will eventually become part of the Microsoft Teams Advanced version, which is currently in the promotional price stage, with an additional cost of $7 per user per month (usually $10). The Teams Advanced version also includes features such as intelligent summaries and watermark leak prevention, among others.