Teams usage grow as Indians adopt video in 22% of meetings: Microsoft

Microsoft on Saturday revealed that people in India are using video in 22 per cent of meetings and there has been a considerable increase in Microsoft Teams usage on mobile devices in the country as organisations redefine productivity in the pandemic times. The video meet usages can grow even further in India as there is still less access to devices and stable internet in parts of the country, said Samik Roy, Country Head, Modern Workplace, Microsoft India.

"The number of people turning on video in Microsoft Teams meetings had doubled from before working from home became mainstream. In fact, total video calls in Teams grew by over 1,000 percent in March 2020," Roy said in a statement on the occasion of World Productivity Day.

In India, productivity at work has often been equated to one element time and many organisations across the country are seeing the benefits of adopting Microsoft Teams.

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Dr Ashutosh Raghuvanshi, MD and CEO, Fortis Healthcare said that they had this tool even before the current situation, but the usage was very low.

"What we are realizing is that we`re able to function more than the normal level because none of us are spending time in commuting or waiting for people to join meetings physically. We are also using Teams for our internal meetings, for teleconsultations with the patients, and for our learning and development needs," informed Raghuvanshi.

In sectors like manufacturing, there was initial apprehension around remote work.

"Work from home will not be a taboo anymore, even for manufacturing companies like Mahindra and Mahindra. Having more digital connect, virtual meetings, people not travelling will become a very comfortable thing," said Dr Pawan Kumar Goenka, CEO and Managing Director, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd.

Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India, said last mont that this one solution has taught people to actually work together and create together.

The nationwide lockdown has made CEOs and CXOs, who were earlier against video calling, comfortable with Microsoft Teams in not just conferencing with customers but also doing actual collaborations and integrating business processes within the solution, Maheshwari stressed.

In the month of March, the average time between a person`s first and last use of Microsoft Teams each day increased by over one hour.

"This data does not necessarily mean people were working more hours per day, rather that they are breaking up the day in a way that works for their personal productivity or makes space for obligations outside of work," said Roy.

"Employees need to be empowered by technology ? from cloud-enabled solutions and mobile apps to integrative collaboration hubs such as Microsoft Teams ? allowing them to communicate and collaborate in a secured environment and in the way that works best for them," he emphasized.