Registered investment advisors (RIAs) and financial services firms are no strangers to the importance of communication and collaboration. After all, they are entrusted with the financial futures of their clients. That’s why any firm that is serious about providing high-quality advice and service to its clients needs to invest in a robust and reliable communications solution that can enable business-critical conversations. That solution is Microsoft Teams.
For many years, Teams has been one of the top unified communications (UC) and meeting solutions on the market. It has been helping organizations of all sizes to connect and collaborate easily, securely, and effectively. And with the recent addition of powerful AI features, Teams has become an even more powerful business solution.
Let’s have a look at the most recent Teams innovations that helped Microsoft earn a spot as a visionary in Gartner’s Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and Meeting Solutions Magic Quadrants in 2021.
Staying connected with Microsoft Teams Phone
More and more users have become familiar with Teams in the era of remote and hybrid working, using the platform to boost productivity and collaboration. However, many are still unaware of the Microsoft Teams Phone add-on, which enables users to make and receive calls directly in the app and integrates Teams with more modern Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) functionality. This is a great way for RIAs without a desk phone to still use their Teams phone number to take and make voice messages and join traditional conference calls.
In the past year, Microsoft released the following Teams Phone capabilities to make calls richer and more collaborative.
- Seamlessly transfer calls between devices – users can transfer a call from a computer to a mobile device or vice versa without interrupting or dropping the call
- Spam call identification – Teams Phone can identify potential spam calls and prevent unnecessary interruptions
- “Better together” device experience – when signed into both the desktop client app and a desktop phone with the same user account, users can answer a call, mute or unmute, and end the call on either device
- Walkie-talkie for desk phones – a push-to-talk function available on desk phones allows users to connect instantly with other users in a Teams channel
- Apple CarPlay support – users can join calls and meetings using their vehicle’s built-in or hands-free control
Enabling flexible, hybrid work with Microsoft Teams meetings
Teams and Microsoft 365 as a whole support the diverse needs and work styles of employees, no matter where or when they work. The following recent innovations help ensure that hybrid meetings are as effective as in-person ones.
- PowerPoint Live in Microsoft Teams – presenters can lead meetings while having access to speaker notes, slides, meeting chat, and participants; attendees can view slides at their own pace and use the translate feature to see the slides in their preferred language
- Speaker coach – uses AI to privately provide presenters with guidance on their speech pace, notify them if anyone else speaks during the presentation (to avoid interruptions and missed comments), and remind them to check in with the audience
- New Whiteboard experiences – the new visual collaboration workspace comes with the ability to insert images and shapes and features like new customizable templates, reactions stickers, and collaboration cursors that show what other users are doing on the Whiteboard
These plus other communication and meeting capabilities are especially beneficial for RIAs and financial advisors that rely on Teams for their day-to-day operations. By empowering users to stay connected with colleagues and clients no matter where they are, Microsoft is making it easier than ever for your firm to operate efficiently and effectively.
Registered investment advisors like you have a lot on your plate — you need to stay on top of market trends, monitor portfolios, and provide valuable advice to your clients. In order to do all of this effectively, you need to implement the right technology. RIA WorkSpace can help with that and more. Contact us today for more information.