Azure Communication Services August 2024 Feature Updates

The Azure Communication Services team is excited to share several new product and feature updates released in July 2024. (You can view previous blog articles.)

July updates:

• Closed Captions (Native UI Library)
• Rooms Roles and Capabilities (Native UI Library)
• File sharing in Teams meetings
• Support for Teams Breakout rooms
• End of call survey (Native)
• Transfer to voicemail

Closed Captions

Closed Captions are now generally available in the Native UI Library for Android and iOS. This feature applies to a range of scenarios in which closed captions are essential, enhancing the experience for users with hearing impairments and ensuring inclusivity.

Closed Captions in the Native UI library streamline the integration between Azure Communication Services and Microsoft Teams, making it easier for users to connect and collaborate seamlessly. It simplifies the process and enhances the user experience.

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

For more information, see:

• Enable Closed captions using the UI Library - An Azure Communication Services concept document | Microsoft Learn
• Azure Communication Services Closed Captions overview - An Azure Communication Services concept document | Microsoft Learn 

Rooms Roles and Capabilities

The Native UI Library for Android and iOS now includes Rooms Integration in general availability, offering enhanced roles and capabilities for call participants. This integration offers customers greater flexibility and control over their calls, keeping the management on the customer side.

Consider a corporation hosting a virtual town hall meeting with employees worldwide. With Rooms Integration, the company can assign roles such as presenter, attendees and, consumer, ensuring a structured and organized meeting environment. This setup is crucial for keeping order in large meetings, allowing for efficient information dissemination and productive Q&A sessions, enhancing organizational communication and engagement.

To understand how to configure a standard Rooms architecture for validating role assignments and creation, see the following diagram.

The Rooms API enables developers to create rooms, manage users, and adjust the lifetime of rooms. Note that the Rooms API is a back-end service separate from the UI Library.

For more information, see:

• UI Library use cases - An Azure Communication Services concept document | Microsoft Learn
• Azure Communication Services Rooms overview - An Azure Communication Services concept document | Microsoft Learn

File sharing in Teams Meetings

Now in general availability, share files during a Microsoft Teams meeting with Azure Communication Services Chat service. File sharing enables participants to share documents required for daily business needs such as product information, brochures, or follow-up care instructions.

Use this function to enhance the experience in Teams meetings. File sharing makes it easier for users to collaborate over documents and ask clarifying questions as needed to finish business processes. Business processes can include opening an account, going over results, providing prescriptions or follow up care instructions, and many other scenarios.

For more information:

• Enable file sharing during a Teams meeting
• Call with Chat composite - UI library
• Chat Use Cases

Support for Teams Breakout rooms

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 participate in Teams meetings breakout rooms. Support for Teams Breakout rooms brings more flexibility and collaboration opportunities to your virtual meetings.

What Are Breakout Rooms

Teams Breakout rooms enable meeting facilitators to create separate, smaller sessions within a larger Teams meeting. This feature is particularly useful for various scenarios, such as:

• Healthcare: During a group virtual visit with healthcare providers, the meeting organizer can assign patients to breakout rooms to discuss specific topics before reconvening in the larger group session. Healthcare providers can visit each breakout room to check in with patients individually.
  
  
• Legal: In a virtual courtroom hearing, a defendant and their attorney can join a breakout room for a private side-bar conversation.
  
  
• Conferences: During a virtual industry conference, the meeting organizer can place attendees into separate discussion groups with focused topics, before coming back to the larger meeting to share insights with the broader audience.
  
  

How Does It Work

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

Why Is This Important

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

Get Started Today

To start using this feature, ensure that you have the latest version of the Calling SDK. For more  information about implementing and using Teams Breakout rooms, see Tutorial - Integrate Microsoft Teams breakout rooms - An Azure Communication Services tutorial | Microsoft Learn.

End of Call Survey

The End of Call Survey enables developers to customize questions to collect feedback at the end of a call. This feature is in general availability. By gathering valuable insights directly from users, developers can make informed decisions to enhance their services effectively. This feature is now generally available for Android, iOS, and Windows platforms.

Imagine a healthcare provider using this feature to gather feedback after telemedicine consultations. By customizing questions to inquire about the clarity of communication, ease of access, and satisfaction with medical advice, the provider can quickly identify areas needing improvement. This immediate, specific feedback helps the provider enhance patient care quality, streamline operations, and increase patient satisfaction.

For more information, see:

• End of Call Survey- conceptual documentation | Microsoft Learn.
• Azure Communication Services End of Call Survey - An Azure Communication Services tutorial document | Microsoft Learn

Transfer to Voicemail

Now in general availability, Microsoft Teams organizers can configure call participants to transferred directly into a Teams user’s voicemail, bypassing ringing the Teams user. This is useful when the transferor knows the transferee is unavailable to take the call.

For more information, see Transfer calls.

You can learn more about these updates and Azure Communication Services Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS) in the overview.