#MSIgnite 2019 CliffNotes: The New Features Coming to Yammer!
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Read the rest of our Microsoft Ignite 2019 coverage:
- Satya’s Tech Intensity Keynote Highlights
- Bill Bliss on Microsoft Teams Architecture
- Jeff Teper on the Latest Workplace Innovations
- Bill Bliss on Boosting Trust in Microsoft Teams Apps
- Dux Raymond Sy on Generational Diversity in the Modern Workplace
- Loryan Strant on Avoiding Office 365 Icebergs
- An Introduction to Yammer’s New Native Mode
- Office 365 Groups and Yammer Collaboration Tips
- The Structure of Private Channels in Microsoft Teams
- Tony Redmond on Microsoft Teams vs. Outlook
- 3 Ways Microsoft Teams Facilitates Inclusivity
Looking back at what Microsoft had promised to release in 2019, the list was massive. From Microsoft Search to Live Event capabilities, Microsoft is dedicated to the longevity of Yammer. This session, presented by Steve Nguyen, Murali Sitaram, and Jason Mayans, covered the latest innovations coming down the pipeline.
The New and Improved Yammer
Microsoft focused on four key areas when it planed the roadmap for Yammer. They are leadership engagement, company-wide communication, knowledge sharing, and employee experience. Yammer’s biggest appeal to organizations is building leadership engagement with the entire company. Leadership utilizes Yammer day-to-day to deliver its strategies, build company culture, and increase overall company engagement. With these in mind, making sure the right features are available is of the utmost importance.
Enterprise-Grade Security, Privacy, and Compliance
Microsoft isn’t just looking to bring new features to Yammer; they’re looking to improve the security and compliance features of the app as well. Announcements will be coming out later this week on how Microsoft is planning to do this, so be sure you’re on the lookout!
Bringing Yammer to Mobile Devices
This means joining the Microsoft 365 suite of products that already offer mobile capability including Outlook, SharePoint, and Microsoft Teams. This will enable users to have open, inclusive, and discoverable conversations whether they’re on the go or in the office. It boosts productivity and collaboration with the entire company, whether you’re traveling to customer meetings or an executive on the move.
New Features Announced
After they provided a high-level view of what’s coming to Yammer, the speakers provided a live demo showcasing some of these new features in action! Check them out below:
A robust Search bar at the top of the Office 365 header will now be available for employees using Yammer. This feature will make it easier for employees to find the company-wide announcements and information they need. To that end, It expands across all end-users’ different Yammer groups.
Yammer Groups will now be called Yammer Communities. The big reason for this change is to re-frame how companies and employees look at Yammer. By changing the naming convention to “Community” it gives users a refreshing perspective on what Yammer is designed for; building organization-wide communities! Users can also now organize and manage the order in which their Yammer Communities are displayed to prioritize what they need!
The Yammer feed has also been refreshed to be more simplified. The feed used to be split into three different types: All, Discovery, and Following. It has now been consolidated into a single feed that’s focused on Discovery and Following using the latest in AI and machine learning. It analyzes information across all of Office 365 to make sure end-users are seeing the information most relevant to them.
Along with making the feed more robust, you can now see @mentions, if you’ve been @mentioned, and who specifically is being @mentioned in threads. It will become much easier for employees to consume organization-wide announcements and see the relevant tagged people this way.
Within Communities, Yammer admins can pin conversations to the top of the feed so any and all relevant announcements will always be easily accessible. Employees will no longer have to scroll through countless conversations to find relevant discussions or announcements in Communities.
Yammer is getting refreshed from an interface perspective as well, and is being built with web and mobile together! The Microsoft mobile team has made it easier than ever to access and use Yammer on a mobile or web app. You’ll never have to miss any announcements again no matter which interface you use!
From making content easier to find to having a refreshed interface for the mobile workforce, Microsoft is making sure that Yammer will continue to be a powerful collaboration application for organizations. With all these new features releasing through 2020, Yammer will make it easier than ever to have org-wide collaboration and inclusion! If you want to get all the details on what’s coming, watch the live recording!
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Spenser Bullock is a former AvePoint Channel Solutions Engineer, focused on enabling partners and their customers to utilize and maximize their Microsoft 365 technology adoption and usage.
