Microsoft Teams App for the first time now has 13 million daily active users and 19 million weekly active users, Microsoft reported today. This is the first time that Microsoft has come forward to publish these usage metrics.
Competing the Slack app which had more than 10 million daily users in the three months that ended on Jan. 31. Microsoft Executive VP Rajesh Jha, who oversees Office (including Teams), says the app has started helping Microsoft use email for what it’s best for, instead of as a default.
Microsoft will further continue to add additional features to the Teams app in order to appeal to differing user profiles:
- Priority notifications: Intended for hospital or newsroom settings where urgency is important; alerts recipients to time-sensitive messages, and repeats notification every two minutes for up to 20 minutes on their mobile devices or desktops until a response is received
- Read receipts :displays an icon when a recipient has read a message; rolling out in July
- Staff scheduling:designed to support scheduling and communication between shift-based firstline workers (others call these frontline workers), of which Microsoft says there are two billion
- Time clock : a new addition to the Teams Shifts module that allows workers to clock in and out of their work shifts and breaks using the Teams mobile app
- Announcements:you can now post an “Announcement” complete with a headline and background image to a channel to help important messages stand out
- Larger group chats: group chats can now accommodate up to 100 users
- Teams for Education Enhancements : several other new features designed to streamline the teacher and student experience in an educational setting
- Proximity-based meeting join :the Teams app on your desktop or mobile phone will find a Teams-enabled room for you to use that is nearby and available
- Busy on busy: when a call comes into a user who is already engaged in a call or meeting, this setting alerts the calling party that the user is on another call by playing a busy signal
- Meeting started notifications : receive “meeting started” notifications on your phone when someone joins a Teams meeting on your calendar
- “Call me” meeting joins :you need to provide a phone number where you can receive a phone call. If the call is accepted, your meeting audio will switch to the cellular connection. Great for times when Wi-Fi is subpar
Microsoft is aiming to take Teams to new levels by adding the new features and deepening its integration within Microsoft 365.