The Teams channels are receiving an interface lift. Microsoft is fundamentally overhauling both the old and new versions of its communications platform.

In a Microsoft survey, 68 percent of respondents said they cannot concentrate sufficiently during the day and 62 percent waste too much time searching for information. For this reason, the company is updating Teams channels. Both the old and new versions are being revised, with collaboration being a unifying factor.

Channel changed

A new layout should now make it easier to focus on a specific topic, communicate with stakeholders and find specific information. According to Microsoft, many users are not yet taking full advantage of Teams’ capabilities, hence the update.

With the new overview, team members can see which topic is being discussed in which channel per conversation. From the first message, you can open a conversation in a new window so you can easily return to it if necessary. You can also pin them to easily find the conversation later.

If you wish, you can adjust the order of the conversations using the familiar three dots at the top right. This way you can put the most recent posts at the top if that’s easier.

The function Write a post also looks a little different. Instead of just posting a message, you can now add a subject to it. This can function as a title, for example.

Another button that you will find at the top right is the one with the Channel details. In an overview you can see a description of the channel, which team members join you there and all pinned posts.

One function is currently still in public preview, namely the search function within a channel. It comes under Channel detailsas further rollout continues. This allows you to search for keywords within a specific channel rather than across your entire Teams environment.

With Teams, Microsoft is also thinking about creative minds and users who like to experiment visually. As a Teams Premium subscriber, you’ll soon be able to create your own backgrounds when you want to make an announcement in a channel. With Dall-E integration you can also add unique images. To create a set of three avatars in Teams, you don’t need to be a premium member, any user can do it.