Zoom unveils ‘back to work’ & hybrid work feature updates

By Shilpa Annie Joseph, Official Reporter
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US-based Video-conferencing platform Zoom is introducing new features to help users transition back to office work or hybrid work.

According to the company’s blog post, businesses can use the new features to inspire staff, streamline collaboration between in-office and remote employees, and make the transition back to the office as smooth as possible.

According to reports, a virtual receptionist will now greet users from a Zoom Rooms for Touch device with Zoom Rooms Kiosk Mode, and Neat Sense will allow users to track and manage the air quality and humidity in the room. Other features include being able to check how many people are in a room, being able to pair your smartphone with a zoom room, and sharing a Zoom Chat whiteboard.

Latest Zoom features

As per Zoom, the virtual receptionist functionality released on Zoom Rooms Kiosk Mode is now “generally available.”

Zoom Receptionist
Zoom’s virtual receptionist will greet you from a Zoom Room

Another feature will allow users to see how many individuals are in a room in real-time, using the Zoom Dashboard and Scheduling Display. This will assist users to ensure that procedures for social distancing are followed and meeting rooms are not overcrowded.

Neat Sense allows users to track and handle air quality, humidity, carbon dioxide levels, and more as well as the number of people in the room. The data and statistics for this will be widely available on the Zoom Dashboard from February 11.

Zoom Rooms for Touch allows users to monitor the desktop of a person from their computer who is currently sharing their laptop screen. Further, Zoom Room has the option to choose Gallery View when sharing content. Users can also direct-share files through ultrasound on Zoom for Home devices.

Zoom Display
Zoom App will show upcoming meetings and schedule new meetings.

Users can pair their Android or iOS devices to join meetings in a Zoom Room. During the meeting, the mobile client will be put in companion mode automatically. The user will get access to all room controls when the Zoom Room Controller software is downloaded on the device, including the ability to start or enter a meeting and participant controls, which will remove the need for users to share the in-room controller.

Zoom for Home devices will be able to join and host OnZoom sessions that are scheduled on the user’s calendar. The latest in-meeting toolbar and controls on Zoom Rooms for Touch have been revamped for convenience of use.

Zoom Control
Zoom control allows user to set the room name, a calendar integration, location, room passcode and so on.

Windows, Mac, and Zoom Rooms Appliance devices can see real-time transcriptions and also receive and display meeting reactions on the screen. IT managers will have more controls to allow or prevent users from signing into Zoom on self-managed Zoom for Home devices. Administrators can also ask anyone using Zoom Rooms Appliances and Zoom for Home devices to set up a password for the screen.

Furthermore, it is possible to use the Logitech Swytch video-conferencing link to take over the Zoom Room A/V at a third-party meeting running from the user’s laptop. All these features will be available on the latest version of the video conferencing platform, Zoom said.

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