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Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, Slack’s Frontiers conference is going virtual this year. On its first day, we’ve learned that Slack is experimenting with a new set of features that they plan to introduce by the end of 2020.
Some of the most intriguing features they revealed were the upcoming video stories and the push-to-talk audio feed to a channel.
However, unlike Instagram and Snapchat stories, Slack’s video stories are all about sharing a team message, quick update, a project status update, or anything related to business. The update helps to organize a full-blown video conferencing session.
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Then, there is “Anytime Audio,” the always ready push-to-talk audio feed. Users can switch this feature on or off and any of the channels. If enabled, anyone on the channel can start an audio conversation. Plus, the user can choose whether someone else can join the conversation.
Slack stated that this feature would allow anyone to start an “ad hoc” type of conversation. It helps when more people need to be aware of an issue, when a group opinion matters, when you need a speedy answer to some question, and so on.
These are types of unscheduled conversations that are not that important for scheduling a video conference call, yet need to be addressed as soon as possible. In a way, this should be as informal as reaching out to a colleague across the desk, going to their office for advice or brief consultations regarding some work-related matter.
The idea with both tools is to increase the productivity of remote teams while improving their communication channels.
A recent survey from J.P. Morgan revealed that 79% of the surveyed CIOs agree that the coronavirus pandemic will speed up their plans to transform their organizations digitally.
Stewart Butterfield, the CEO of Slack, believes that leveraging the power of digital technology is essential for every company that wants to provide the best possible support for its distributed workforce. More importantly, he believes that Slack has perfectly occupied a place to support digital transformation by connecting the right people at the right time, using the right tools.
What do you think? Could you see yourself or your team using either of these features on Slack? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.
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