Microsoft Corp. announced Jan. 12 new research and technology to assist millions of frontline workers.
A press release published on the website PR Newswire said that the introduction of new features in Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Viva comes as the software company experiences 400% Teams growth per month by frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are approximately 2 billion frontline workers worldwide, making up 80% of the workforce, the release stated.
"It's no secret that the pandemic is reshaping work for all workers, and at a faster pace than we have ever seen," Emma Williams, Microsoft corporate vice president, said in the release.
"Empowering frontline workers remains essential for digital transformation," she said. "Together with our partners, we're equipping frontline workers with tools that allow them to stay connected with their team and company leadership while concentrating on the customer or job at hand. If done well, we believe technology can modernize workflows and enhance job performance while also improving workplace culture and communication."
Microsoft also announced the company will offer Microsoft Cloud for Retail in February.
“Microsoft Cloud for Retail accelerates business growth by providing trusted retail industry solutions that integrate with retailers' existing systems,” Microsoft said in the release. “It starts by unifying disparate data sources across the end-to-end shopper journey, allowing retailers to maximize the value of their data, resulting in one holistic view of the consumer. Once connected, data and AI (Artificial Intelligence) help retailers better understand and elevate the consumer shopping experience. In providing more relevant and streamlined experiences throughout the retail value chain, retailers can build a real-time sustainable supply chain.”