Slack now has an app to integrate Microsoft Teams call features into its own chat app.
The new Microsoft Teams Calls beta app arrived mere days after Slack revealed it was working on the integration. However, the app only allows Slack users to launch Teams calls from Slack. It doesn’t allow Slack users to participate directly in a Teams call through the Slack app.
Regardless, the new integration will certainly be a welcome one, especially in workspaces where smaller, individual teams may use Slack while the organization as a whole uses Teams.
Slack users can set Microsoft Teams Calls as the default calling provider with the app. Further, they can see who’s already in a call and when the call started before they join it. On top of that, Event reminders from the Outlook Slack app will support the ability to join Microsoft Teams calls direct from Slack.
However, Teams isn’t the only new integration coming to Slack. The chat platform will launch VoIP phone integration with Zoom, WebEx, Jabber, RingCentral and DialPad. Slack users will be able to call phone numbers directly within the app using these VoIP providers.
The new integrations come as Slack says calling has grown 350 percent in its app. The increase happened over the last month, fueled by businesses transitioning to remote work in response to COVID-19. Further, Slack says it’s having a record-breaking surge in users.
All the new integrations will be available starting today. The Teams Calls app is already accessible from Slack’s website.
Further, the company is in the process of rolling out a major redesign of its platform, which is hitting new users first before making its way to existing users.
Source: The Verge
