It's pretty crazy to think that we'd write a post about Walkie Talkies being a new feature in a modern collaboration system. Yet, here we are. Microsoft Teams has rolled out its Walkie Talkie feature.
We've been testing out the Walkie Talkie feature for over a week now and it really brings out opportunities for collaboration amongst the team, especially with people working further apart. It provides a fun alternative to a group chat or meeting for an informal "Hey!".
If you have ever used the Sprint/Nextel feature from years ago, or really, an actual Walkie Talkie, you'll be familiar with how it works:
People join a Walkie Talkie Channel
One at a time, people can talk by pressing the talk button
Anyone on the channel can hear who is talking
All you need is a mobile device running Microsoft Teams and the feature enabled by your IT Department. It's simple, seemingly archaic, yet, a blast!
The feature is not going to be for every office or department. That said, here are a couple of use case examples:
A quick communication channel for warehouse workers
Method for a smaller group of teammates to stay in touch throughout the day
Field Worker Communications for out of the office workers
Communication Channels for each store or office
Used for events and coordination
A simpler method for low-tech environments or technology resistant staff to communicate on Teams
Just a fun way for your staff to communicate internally
There are even dedicated devices available that support the feature:
The Samsung Galaxy X-Cover Pro has a dedicated Teams Walkie Talkie button
There are headsets like the Jabra Blue Parrott which are wireless via bluetooth
The Klein PTT Earpieces can add a dedicated wired Walkie Talkie button to any device.
You can click here to learn more about using the Walkie Talkie feature in Microsoft Teams. Don't forget to contact your IT resource to enable the feature if you want to test it out!
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