Access to email from left tab panel
If there was an Outlook tab integrated on the left, similar to the Meetings tab (which is effectively the Outlook calendar), one could stay in Teams all day and not have to switch out.
Eric Richards
shared this idea
Adding email as a left tab panel remains under review. We are working on adding several Teams and email integrations:
- Share to Teams: Share a copy of an email and any attachments into a chat or channel directly from Outlook
- Share to Outlook: Share a copy of a channel or chat conversation via email directly from Teams
- Actionable Teams Activity Emails: Teams missed activity emails display the latest replies and allow you to reply directly from Outlook
See this post for more information:
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-teams-blog/what-s-new-in-microsoft-teams-microsoft-ignite-2019/ba-p/937025.
Thanks!
430 comments
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Jan
commented
many people would benefit from that feature and its not feasable to use third party applications in a bigger company
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Marcel M
commented
Or maybe integrate Teams in Outlook, or vice-verca.
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Mike Therien
commented
I have not read all 427 comments to this point... but for all the people against this, it's an option, you don't have to use it.
I used this technique (https://tomtalks.blog/2019/11/adding-outlook-email-and-calendar-app-to-microsoft-teams-a-proof-of-concept/) and found it to work, but I think it would be better if Microsoft created this. The UI could be the same as the Outlook "app" that you can install from the Outlook web app in Edge.
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Derek
commented
The whole point is to move away from email......
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Matt C
commented
Please don't implement this idea. Teams is already a mess of bloat. Work on usability and flexibility improvements before throwing Outlook into the mix. Teams is already becoming a hodgepodge skin over other products that aren't well integrated, which is making it unpleasant to use.
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Bill Grant commented
Not once have I seen anyone ask for the features listed in Alex's update. It seems that there are a total of 50 people in the world who have made a case to NOT have outlook integration into teams. One would assume that their job role does not involve much email outside of their own organization. Proof of concept has shown this feature to work well. 98% of your customer base has expressed an interest in this feature. Teams is actually a GREAT tool. But your emotionless robotic response to this thread is a bit alarming.
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Cristi
commented
Out of all the random and barely useful mini apps available within the Teams app, you would think OUTLOOK would be the first one to be integrated.
The lacking integration questions common sense.
Here is an idea which might spur interest: side by side view of email and chat with people involved in said email.
I'm not sure if you want to kill emails completely with this move.
In the meantime, email is alive, reliable, and with a proven track record. As opposed to the how many iterations of "chat for business" Microsoft has deployed and killed over the years. -
Scott Martin
commented
Yeah, the idea of integrating email is to keep us from having to turn to Outlook so often. I understand, you want to get people away from relying so heavily on email when using teams as intended could be much more effective. It just requires full buy-in from all users. At the enterprise level, this just doesn't happen. We need to be able to handle external contacts. By forcing email outside of Teams, users are forced to close Teams and open Outlook. Teams is at its best when users stay in Teams.
I do understand the performance risks when you try to get an application to do literally everything.
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Jonathan Cutting
commented
LOL @alex. In true Microsoft fashion, we wait three YEARS for a response, and then the original request is completely misinterpreted. At least Microsoft is consistent...
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George Hughes
commented
I saw this a little while ago so i hope i'm okay to post it.
This IS NOT a supported solution and is only for testing but it shows the power behind the Power Platform.
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Corey Hokanson
commented
@alex, I feel like your team is missing the point. Most of us don't have a huge use for sending existing messages from teams to an email.
The thing is:
1) we use teams for all of our internal communication.
2) clients send us emails.
That means I need, at a minimum, two apps open - just for communication. That's a lot of valuable screen real estate.
Embedding outlook into teams allows us to only have ONE window for all of our communication.
We're not asking for an entirely new email interface (not that it wouldn't be good). Just give us the ability to open outlook in a frame in teams (you're already doing it for all the other 365 apps)
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Anonymous
commented
I think your list misses the point. why have two communication tools when one would suffice. Adding email to teams would allow one to say in Teams and not switch back and forth as the original request indicated.
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ITPro
commented
care to give us the 2 yr update?
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Mike
commented
I would love to be able to have the Outlook/Webmail app available on the left navigation menu instead of Meetings (Our organization hasn't made the calendar app available yet, but that doesn't even seem all that useful to me). We have the ability to have website as a tab in a channel and for now, I am using webmail there. Having a website as an app would be all I would need. Not sure what is easier/capable to implement.
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Matthew
commented
Personally, I would like to see at least today's mail in Teams. Particularly on the Android App. That way I can handle all my work stuff necessary while away from office with one application
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Matt Jurcich
commented
Yes integrating Outlook in some fashion is a next logical step, imho.
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Agustin Dana
commented
I would prevent this from happening. The idea of using Teams is moving away from the less productive way of communicate that is email.
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Paul
commented
WHEN is this happening? How was this not a forethought before introducing the platform.
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Anonymous
commented
Would like the ability to have emails land in teams. It could be similar to the Calendar tab in the left part of the ribbon or tool bar. It would also be nice to add filters for Distribution Lists that could be routed to specific teams or individuals as needed. The ability to create what I would call Speed Dial email messages at the press of a button that would have information for specific people during specific events that they may need to relay to their teams.
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Chris Daniels
commented
For those who are tired of waiting for Microsoft on this...
https://tomtalks.blog/2019/11/adding-outlook-email-and-calendar-app-to-microsoft-teams-a-proof-of-concept/
