Microsoft aims to solve the issue of coordinating with colleagues regarding office attendance schedules, which arose due to the increase in remote and flexible work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to reduced presence and productivity of employees in the office.
Applications like Places powered by artificial intelligence are currently in the public preview phase.
Companies interested in trying it out can subscribe to the trial version, and once it is fully available, it will become part of the “Teams Premium” subscription.
Microsoft’s new application helps companies using email and Teams applications to better organize time within the office.
Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s Vice President of Artificial Intelligence at Work, said: “By using Places, you can easily coordinate with colleagues in the office.”
Places includes a dedicated section for location scheduling, where you can specify the days you use the office and see the days your colleagues suggest for usage.
Managers can prioritize office plans, ensuring everyone is aware of important events or collaborative work days that require special attention.
This location data integrates with Outlook calendars to keep track of office events and appointment times you need to attend.
Later this year, Microsoft is planning to fully integrate this experience into Copilot.
You can consult the AI assistant about the days you should be present in the office, and it will provide you with a list of suggestions based on personal meetings, the times your colleagues intend to be present, and any team-specific days or events.
Spataro says: “You can ask Copilot to adjust your schedule based on this information and change your workplace location to the office on recommended days, rescheduling personal meetings.”
Places also features a search function that facilitates booking meeting rooms or shared offices, all accessible through the Outlook application.
You also receive calendar reminders if you forget to book a meeting room or office during your office presence.
Later this year, comprehensive reservation experience will also be available in Copilot, where the smart assistant automatically searches for meeting places and makes reservations.
Location information from “Places” is sent to other Microsoft 365 applications.
If you work in Teams, you can tag your colleagues as “Nearby” if they are in the same office, and you can write nearby@ to notify people in the office of a quick conversation.
Microsoft also allows facilities and property managers access to the space analytics feature in Places later this year.
This feature indicates the extent of building usage and its popularity among employees.
IT administrators can better manage and customize spaces, improve meeting rooms, and shared messaging, focusing on building and room analytics rather than providing another means for managers to monitor individual employee performance.
