Although the physical stores of technology giant Microsoft have been closed across the world since March 16 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, its retail employees have been lending their expert knowledge and experience to a wide range of people.
Close to 2,000 employees normally working at Microsoft’s numerous retail outlets around the globe have now provided virtual training to 65,000 individuals in multiple sectors, including healthcare, finance, education, and government. The specialist training has been conducted in recent weeks using Microsoft’s popular communication platform Teams.
Remote assistance on hand
Keeping in line with government advice and instructions, many company employees have been forced to perform their roles and duties remotely. With the current need for working from home, online support and virtual training has never been more of a necessity.
Microsoft Store currently reaches a two-billion customer base via its 190 locations around the world and online. Many of its staff have now moved from serving customers in person to assisting remotely, which is an important component of the Redmond-based firm’s plan entitled ‘Emergency Remote Operations’.
In a recent blog Microsoft reported on this latest initiative:
“Nearly 80% chose to work from home in a new Emergency Remote Operations model covering five areas: serving small and medium-sized businesses and education customers; training enterprise customers; selling Surface, Cloud and Microsoft 365; supporting customers of all types; and delivering virtual community workshops.”
The programme, named ‘Customer Success Training’, has understandably seen a rise in demand from businesses seeking to customise newly adopted work environments using this latest collaboration option, including accounting company Ernst and Young, the Cleveland clinic medical centre and the logistics firm CN.
Technology assisting new approaches to working
Microsoft Teams has seen a rapid surge in usage during the present crisis. On March 11, its active users per day were logged at 32 million, rising to 44 million by March 18. Teams also had a new daily record on March 31 with meeting minutes of a staggering 2.7 billion.
Numerous businesses have faced logistical challenges making the transition to home working environments. Microsoft staff have also assisted school districts, enabling them to teach remotely effectively using Office 365 (renamed Microsoft 365 as of April 21), and along with this they are now rolling out virtual workshops on coding designed especially for kids.
David Porter, corporate vice president for Microsoft’s stores, commented in a LinkedIn post:
“From training thousands of customers to work productively in a remote setting with Microsoft Teams, to helping school systems get up and running on Microsoft 365, to getting small businesses the devices they need to successfully operate remotely, our team is offering their expertise”
From collaborative platforms like SharePoint, to communication tools such as Teams, Microsoft technology can be an effective resource when you need to continue your business without disruption. Well-designed for remote working, they can provide an ideal solution during a crisis. Experts on the latest products from Microsoft, our team at WM Reply is well equipped to assist you to keep running effectively. Get in touch today for professional support and advice.