Microsoft announced today that its Kaizala group-messaging service is now available to all Microsoft 365 and Office 365 commercial customers across more than 180 markets worldwide. The app"s general availability comes after the rollout of its Pro version to all Office 365 commercial subscribers in November of last year.
The phone number-based system first launched in 2016 as a Microsoft Garage project alongside Sprightly. It was initially available on the Google Play Store for India"s mobile workforce before becoming a full-fledged chat app for first-line workers. Its open directory allows users to connect with anyone both inside and outside an organization. Watch the app in action in the video below as it enables one of Microsoft"s customers, Philippine Airlines, to manage its crewing system.
As part of today"s announcement, Microsoft also promised to incorporate Kaizala into Microsoft Teams in phases over the next 12 to 18 months. Additionally, the enterprise messaging platform has added a bunch of new capabilities including @mentions to draw the attention of a specific group chat member.
Users can now also delete messages in a one-on-one or group chat within an hour of sending it, while group admins can do so anytime. Plus, there"s an option to annotate images, make video calls, and send yourself a private note.
In the future, Microsoft plans to add several more capabilities to Kaizala including support for right-to-left languages like Hebrew and Arabic, the ability to invite users via email, and the option to sync your organization’s Azure Active Directory within Kaizala. Admins will also receive a new capability to designate policy management tasks to dedicated admins as part of a future update.