Microsoft Teams is about to receive an update that will establish a whole new use case for the video conferencing and collaboration platform.
As explained in the latest addition - opens in a new tab - to the official roadmap, Microsoft Teams will soon support a new type of meeting called "virtual meetings." The idea is to give B2C companies an easy way to schedule consultations with their customers.
"Using the meeting type, attendees will receive a meeting invitation that includes important details about the appointment to make joining easier," Microsoft explained. “They can join from any device, without having to install Teams, and enjoy a convenient pre-meeting virtual waiting room until you're ready to go.”
Not just for business
Like many other services in the collaboration and communication industry, Microsoft Teams has seen a meteoric rise since the pandemic sparked a shift toward remote and hybrid working. The latest figures suggest that more than 270 million people now use the platform every month.
However, in an effort to further expand the reach of the platform, Microsoft has invested considerable energy in recent months in developing use cases for consumers as well.
In addition to integrating Teams into the core of Windows 11 (the Chat app is now a permanent fixture on the taskbar), Microsoft has also done a visual overhaul of the desktop client to make the platform more accessible to a non-professional audience.
Separately, the company recently made it possible to merge consumer and business accounts, allowing business users to initiate chats and meetings with customers and partners who may be using their personal Teams login.
And while Microsoft marked the release of 3D avatars for Teams as a measure to improve engagement and immersion in meetings, it's also a feature non-professionals will want to play around with.
The decision to create a new meeting type specifically for B2C dating is the latest step in this broader process, creating a new reason for businesses and consumers to engage with the now-familiar platform. However, whether or not people accept the idea is a separate matter.
The virtual dating feature is still in development, but should roll out to all Teams users by the end of the year.