Zoom's answer to Slack is getting a new name and some new tools

Date:
Tue, 13 Sep 2022 04:00:34 +0000

Description:
Now known as Zoom Team Chat, the messaging platform's upcoming features paint a more collaborative future.

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In an effort to better compete against rivals like Slack and Microsoft Teams, Zoom is taking its first steps in renovating its messaging app by revealing a name change and several new features.

Instead of being called Zoom Chat, the messaging platform will now be known
as Zoom Team Chat . A relatively small change, but one thats supposed to reflect the companys revamped design philosophy for the app moving forward. Instead of just being known for its video call app, Zoom wants to play a more important role in hybrid work environments with Team Chat leading the charge as its collaborative hub.

As such, the upcoming suite of features will focus on fostering collaboration between colleagues in a channel. And all of the features are slated to launch by the end of September, according to Zoom. New features

So far, six new features have been revealed with the first being an
in-meeting text chat for video calls. Hosts can turn on this option and allow people to share meeting notes, important information, or hyperlinks
throughout a call. Users will also be able to schedule a Zoom Meeting
straight from either a channel or private chat. Currently, you have to open the Zoom desktop or mobile app to schedule a meeting. This streamlines that process.

For those particularly busy days, two new tools will be available to help organize your workflow. The Reminders feature will allow you to flag a
message for Team Chat to notify you of its existence at a more convenient time, ensuring that you dont miss anything. And if you get a spontaneous meeting invite, you can send a quick rejection message telling the other person youre too busy at the moment and youll call later.

Team Chat will support further integration with third-party apps, although
the full suite is unknown. According to a Zoom representative, ServiceNow
will be one of the third-party apps. It'll come in the form of a virtual assistant that will help you troubleshoot any problems you may encounter on Team Chat or contact a service agent, instead.

And the final update is Progressive Web App support (PWA). Basically, this means youll be able to access Zoom Team Chat from a web browser instead of
the standalone app. This is particularly useful if you need to access your work teams channel but you dont have access to your computer or space is limited on your mobile device.

Zoom also confirms more is on the way. In the announcement, the company revealed its holding a Zoomtopia 2022 event from November 8th to the 9th
where an additional round of features will be shown off among other product updates. Registration is currently open for the event and its free to join. Fierce competition

Competition is heating up among the work messaging platforms as they strive
to be king of the hill. Slack, for example, is working on implementing new automation features to help people do more with less . Workflows on the platform will be more shareable as users can send hyperlinks that will appear as interactive windows. And Slack will have a new branching tool to optimize requests for days off.

Microsoft, on the other hand, seems to be throwing everything but the kitchen sink at its Teams app. Almost every day, theres news about some upcoming
Teams features like the ability to share GIFs or adding holding music to
phone calls , which has drawn criticism. But there are more welcomed changes like new notifications that let you know if youve been added to a group chat
.

Although these are the big three, there are alternatives for video calls that you can try out. We recommend checking out TechRadars best Zoom alternatives list for 2022 , which has been updated.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/zooms-answer-to-slack-is-getting-a-new-name-and -some-new-tools/


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