Businesses of all sizes will be able to receive payments through Microsoft Teams, adding a whole new dimension to the service.
The videoconferencing platform integrates payments as it appears to be even more helpful to businesses around the world allowing them to request payment during a Teams meeting.
Microsoft is even saying that customers will be able to pay “with a few clicks”, meaning cumbersome online payments and complicated invoices could soon become a thing of the past.
Pop-up Microsoft Teams meetings
In his post on official Microsoft 365 roadmap (opens in a new tab)the company notes that the feature will be especially useful for smaller businesses that have moved to the internet during the pandemic.
It mentions meetings, classes, or events held in Microsoft Teams, and a payment request is sent during the meeting itself.
Users will need to connect to the third-party service to receive payment, although Microsoft has not yet identified any specific partner or payment provider.
The service, which is still listed as “in development” on the roadmap, will for now only be available to companies registered in the US and Canada.
It is scheduled for an overall availability date in October 2022, and should be available to Microsoft Teams users on Mac, Android, iOS, desktops, and the web once released.
The messaging is meant to set Microsoft Teams apart from its competitors in the video chat space, and it appears to be the first such option to allow attendees to pay directly in the meeting.
Zoom allows users to set up paid access to their connections, especially for webinars, with integrated PayPal along with other payment options. Google Meet also includes a link to PayPal, but third party integration is required for that.
If Microsoft managed to bypass some of these steps, Teams could steal a march from its competitors and potentially take more in the increasingly lucrative small and midsize market.