Accurately pronouncing names can be challenging in a diverse work environment with individuals from across the globe. Name spellings don"t always clearly indicate pronunciation, which can vary significantly between countries. To help employees avoid mispronouncing colleagues" names, Microsoft is currently testing a new feature in Outlook.
According to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap page, Outlook web and Outlook desktop will get a name pronunciation feature on the profile card in January 2025. With this feature, users can record and share the correct pronunciation of their name to help colleagues avoid mispronunciations. Users can also easily play and listen to colleagues" name pronunciations with a single click from the Outlook profile card. The preview of the name pronunciation feature will be coming this month.
Back in 2020, Microsoft"s LinkedIn announced the same feature. LinkedIn allows users to add an audio recording of their name pronunciation, which is clickable on their profile by other users. LinkedIn"s name pronunciation feature is available on both mobile and web.
Like LinkedIn, to make the name pronunciation feature more accessible for Outlook users, Microsoft should expand the feature availability to mobile apps as well. This new feature will promote inclusivity and respect in the workplace by helping colleagues pronounce each other"s names correctly. It will be interesting to see how this feature is received by users and how it impacts workplace communication.
Over the past year or so, Microsoft has been regularly adding new features and improvements to the new Outlook for Windows. Recently, they added support for personal non-Microsoft accounts and a much-improved email sync, among other enhancements.
On the Microsoft 365 Roadmap page, Microsoft also revealed that Outlook mobile apps are getting a small UI change in January next year. Users will be able to choose a custom icon for their different accounts, allowing them to easily switch between them when using Outlook on iOS and Android.