A brand new app for Microsoft Groups is seeking to assist customers higher handle their calls, conferences, and extra.

Based on an entry on the corporate’s roadmap (opens in new tab) for upcoming options, the brand new addition will, “present(s) a single location the place professionals and directors can create and handle scheduled and on-demand digital appointments in Microsoft Groups”. 

That is more likely to characteristic integration with Outlook’s Calendar, which syncs throughout all the Workplace 365 platform to assist customers handle their time and pinpoint availability for on-line conferences. Likelihood is, it’s additionally a transfer that may see Microsoft up its sport towards Google Workspace, which already has some slick UI between its Meet video conferencing platform and different communication instruments like Chat and Gmail.

Groups assembly scheduler

The roadmap entry continues to explain the brand new characteristic’s means to “view helpful appointment insights and analytics, get real-time standing updates in a queue view, and ship appointment reminders.”

In an effort to retain its devoted customers and entice new prospects, it appears that evidently Microsoft is making an attempt to create an setting the place customers don’t must flick between completely different apps to schedule their work lives, as an alternative providing up all of the related instruments in a single place.

Google has additionally simplified the way in which its Workspace customers circulate between communications apps, bringing Chat and Meet nearer within the new Gmail interface that grew to become the default – and solely – view in This autumn 2022.

For now, it appears that evidently the Groups replace is about to come back to desktop shopper and internet app variations of its platform, nonetheless cellular apps are likely to comply with swimsuit too.

Previews can be obtainable by the tip of the yr, says Microsoft, with normal availability set for February 2023. Microsoft has sometimes delivered on its timescales, nonetheless extra lately, some rollouts have been delayed as a result of, after all, these merchandise are in the end in improvement. Regardless, an Easter deadline appears affordable.

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