Azure Communication Services August 2024 Feature Updates

The Azure Communication Services team is excited to share several new product and feature updates coming in July 2024 (Preview available)Vius Blog Articles.)

July Update:

• Closed Captions (Native UI Library)
• Room Roles and Features (Native UI Library)
• Share files in Teams meetings
• Teams Breakout Room Support
• Call End Survey (Native)
• Transfer to voicemail

Closed Captions

Closed captions are now generally available in native UI libraries for Android and iOS. This feature applies to a variety of scenarios where closed captions are essential, improving the experience for hearing-impaired users and ensuring inclusion.

Closed captions in the native UI library simplify integration between Azure Communication Services and Microsoft Teams, making it easier for users to connect and collaborate seamlessly. Streamline processes and improve user experiences.

For example, a multinational law firm with a diverse workforce can use closed captioning during video conferences to ensure that all employees can fully participate, regardless of language proficiency or hearing impairment. For example, in a meeting involving complex legal discussions, closed captioning can help non-native speakers follow along more easily. Additionally, the firm can use this feature in interoperability scenarios with Microsoft Teams to ensure seamless communication with clients and partners.

For more information, see:

Room Roles and Functions

The native UI library for Android and iOS now includes Rooms Integration in general availability, providing enhanced roles and functionality for call participants. This integration gives customers greater flexibility and control over their calls, keeping management on the customer side.

Consider a company that hosts virtual town hall meetings with employees around the world. With Rooms Integration, the company can assign roles such as presenter, attendee, and consumer to ensure a structured and organized meeting environment. This setup is essential for maintaining order in large meetings, allowing for efficient information delivery and productive Q&A sessions, and enhancing organizational communication and engagement.

See the following diagram to see how to configure a standard Rooms architecture to validate role assignment and creation.

The Rooms API allows developers to create rooms, manage users, and control the lifetime of rooms. Note that the Rooms API is a separate backend service from the UI library.

For more information, see:

Share files in Teams meetings

Now generally available, share files during Microsoft Teams meetings using the Azure Communication Services Chat service. File sharing allows participants to share documents needed for everyday business needs, such as product information, brochures, or follow-up management instructions.

Use this feature to enhance your Teams meeting experience. File sharing makes it easier for users to collaborate on documents and ask clear questions to complete business processes as needed. Business processes can include opening an account, reviewing results, providing prescriptions or follow-up care instructions, and many other scenarios.

For more information:

Teams Breakout Room Support

The JavaScript Calling SDK now supports Microsoft Teams Breakout Rooms in public preview. Azure Communication Services native participants and Microsoft 365 participants using the Calling SDK can join Teams meeting Breakout Rooms. Support for Teams Breakout Rooms brings more flexibility and collaboration opportunities to virtual meetings.

What is a Breakout Room?

Teams Breakout Rooms allows meeting facilitators to create separate breakout sessions within a larger Teams meeting. This feature is particularly useful for a variety of scenarios, including:

• Health Care: During a group virtual visit with a healthcare provider, the meeting host can assign patients to small group sessions to discuss specific topics and then reconvene for a larger group session. The healthcare provider can visit each small group session to check in with the patient individually.
• Legal: In a virtual court hearing, defendants and their attorneys can participate in separate rooms and have private sidebar conversations.
• Conference: During a virtual industry conference, conference hosts can break attendees into separate discussion groups on specific topics, then return to the larger conference to share insights with a broader audience.

How does it work?

Microsoft Teams users can create breakout rooms for scheduled meetings. Meeting hosts can assign Calling SDK participants to individual breakout rooms. Participants can join and move seamlessly between breakout rooms and the main meeting, just like any other Teams user.

Why this matters

The ability to include ACS users in Teams breakout rooms enhances the collaboration experience, making it more inclusive and versatile. Whether you’re conducting a training session, hosting a workshop, or conducting a brainstorming session, breakout rooms provide the structure you need to foster meaningful interactions and productive discussions.

Start today

To use this feature, make sure you have the latest version of the Calling SDK. For more information about implementing and using Teams Breakout Rooms, see: Tutorial – Microsoft Teams Breakout Room Integration – Azure Communication Services Tutorial | Mic….

Phone End Survey

End of Call Survey allows developers to customize questions to collect feedback at the end of a call. This feature is generally available. By gathering valuable insights directly from users, developers can make informed decisions to effectively improve their services. This feature is currently generally available on Android, iOS, and Windows platforms.

Imagine a healthcare provider using this feature to collect feedback after a telehealth consultation. By customizing the questions to ask about clarity of communication, accessibility, and satisfaction with the medical advice, the provider can quickly identify areas for improvement. This immediate and specific feedback helps the provider improve the quality of patient care, streamline operations, and increase patient satisfaction.

For more information, see:

Send to voicemail

Now generally available, Microsoft Teams hosts can configure call participants to be transferred directly to the Teams user’s voicemail, without having to call the Teams user. This is useful when the sender knows the recipient will not be able to answer the call.

For more information, see: Transfer call.

You can learn more about these updates and Azure Communication Services Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS) here: outline.