Microsoft Places is now available in Teams, and you can use it to book meetings rooms without any anxiety

Microsoft recently introduced a set of AI-powered workplace solutions designed to improve the flexible work experience in the digital age. As part of the announcement, Microsoft unveiled two new services, Microsoft Places, and Microsoft Teams Rooms Pro Management, and new features in Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Microsoft Places, teased out earlier this year, is now generally available and is a service that helps employees find and book meeting rooms, desks, and other facilities while providing IT and facilities administrators with tools to track occupancy and utilization trends. Places integrates with existing calendaring apps and is accessible through interfaces like Microsoft Outlook and Teams.

In Teams, employees can now set their work preferences (e.g., office location and days in the office) and see their colleagues’ work preferences. The new workplace presence features allow employees to book desks and rooms using Teams apps.

Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft’s AI service for managing and organizing meetings, is gaining the ability to book rooms on employees’ behalf based on their preferences and availability. Copilot can also identify the best days for employees to come into the office and help manage room bookings for an entire day.

The new features in Copilot and Teams are complemented by the launch of Microsoft Teams Rooms Pro Management, which provides IT admins with insights into meeting room health and utilization. Microsoft says Teams Rooms Pro Management works with a range of third-party hardware and integrates with existing ITSM and CMMS systems, delivering AI-driven recommendations and analytics to improve the performance of meeting room equipment.

In other news, Copilot in Microsoft Teams can help you speak and understand a foreign language in meetings thanks to its new Interpreter Agent, which provides real-time speech-to-speech interpretation during team meetings.