Microsoft Teams Gets Personal

Microsoft Teams is one of the most popular platforms for professional communication, but now Microsoft is making it personal.

As more individuals are working from home, the lines between personal and work lives are increasingly blurred. While Teams has gained popularity as an app for work communication, Microsoft sees an opportunity to expand it to be a central communication tool for every aspect of life.

In a blog post, Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President, said: “At work, every day more than 44 million people use Microsoft Teams. People love Teams because it’s the only hub for teamwork that lets you chat, do video conferencing, make calls, and collaborate all in one place. And while Teams is great for work, we’re all struggling to manage responsibilities across work and life. We use multiple apps and disconnected tools such as calendars, email, messaging, and documents to manage it all.

“To provide one app to help manage work and life and deepen your connection with those who matter most, today we previewed new features coming to Microsoft Teams for your personal life.

“With these new features coming to Teams, you can connect, stay organized, and collaborate with family and friends. Create groups to plan trips with friends; organize a neighborhood gathering or your next book club meeting. You’ll be able to connect in a group chat, make video calls, collaborate over shared to-do lists and assign tasks to specific people, coordinate schedules, share photos and videos, all in one place. Teams gives to you the tools to seamlessly manage daily life; share grocery lists, organize across family calendars, store important information like Wi-Fi passwords and account info, and even see location updates when loved ones arrive home or at other locations like work or school.”

Microsoft’s announcement should come as no surprise. With Teams’ increasing popularity, Microsoft was bound to expand the app’s reach sooner rather than later.