Walkie talkie comes to Teams

If you like looking at all the new features in your Microsoft Teams application, you might have noticed the walkie talkie feature in preview.

Maybe you’ve even tried it out on an Android device?

It seemed like a fun gimmick. Now Microsoft has rolled it out to iOS devices as well, meaning it can be used by every member of your team.

And we believe it has the potential to become a powerful communication tool. Let’s look at what it is before we explore how you’d use it.  If you were alive back in the 1980s, you’ll remember real walkie talkies.  They were the coolest way to talk to your friends on the move – long before we had mobiles, of course.

If you’re too young to remember the 80s, then go watch a few episodes of Stranger Things and you’ll get the idea.  With a walkie talkie you press a button to talk, and everyone who has a device on the same frequency as yours can hear you speak.

They can only reply when you let go of the button. And only one person can speak at a time.  What that gives you is ordered real time voice conversation between a group of people.

New Walkie Talkie Teams Feature

This new Teams feature works in exactly the same way.

There’s no need to call anyone. Like a real walkie talkie you just push a button on your phone to speak, and everyone in your team channel can hear you.  It works on both Android and iOS devices, so long as they’re connected to the internet. It even works if your phone is locked.

Walkie talkie was originally created with front-line workers in mind.

The idea is that when you’re away from your workplace you can quickly and securely communicate without additional devices or being slowed down by the hassle of a phone call (which can mean going through a voice-automated system, or waiting for a mobile to be answered).

We can see this being useful for remote workers too. Doesn’t matter whether your team are in the office or working from home – they can have a voice conversation in real time, instantly.

Just like the old days when everyone worked in the same space.

Can you see how that would help your business?

Before you can use walkie talkie in Teams, you’ll need to make sure it’s enabled. Your administrator will need to do this in the Teams admin centre – it’s really easy.

If you’d like us to help you set up walkie talkie for your business, just give us a call.

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