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MICROSOFT 365: LEVERAGING MICROSOFT PLACES

Author: Elliot Dunn


Microsoft Places is a useful tool for improving staff visibility of when and where their team is working and may help foster a more transparent and efficient hybrid working environment as a result. It can support senior leaders to understand their workspace utilisation and better inform their decisions.


You can use the core features with your existing M365 license; however, the enhanced features require an additional license. A moderate amount of effort is required to setup and configure the service, so plan ahead if you going to consider deploying it and refer to the available resources.

screenshot of Outlook interface showing Places information in meetings

Overview

Microsoft Places is an AI-powered connected workplace platform that's integrated across Microsoft 365. It helps employees make confident decisions about whom, how, when, and where they want to work. As a result, it increases flexibility, productivity, and collaboration.


Areas of focus

Coordinate work locations with your colleagues by choosing where and when to be in the office, booking the appropriate workspaces and meeting rooms at the right time, and using suggested information to prioritise moments that matter with frequent collaborators and new connections.


Modernise your workplace with information about who’s in the office and what’s happening, such as in-person events. Navigate your office with interactive maps. Explore the amenities in your workplace.


Optimise your physical environment to reduce costs, maximise space effectiveness with data and usage analysis, and improve sustainability across your workplace.


Core vs Enhanced

Microsoft Places is available in two offerings: Core and Enhanced. Each provides different levels of features to meet varying organisational needs.


Core

The Core offering includes the foundational features needed for basic workplace management. These features provide essential tools for tracking and optimising office resources without the need for extensive customisation.


Features:

  1. Basic Space Utilisation Insights: Provides insights into how frequently spaces are being used, helping organisations understand occupancy rates and trends.

  2. Desk Booking and Room Scheduling: Allows employees to book desks and meeting rooms directly, either through the Microsoft Places app or integrated tools like Outlook and Teams.

  3. Hybrid Scheduling Assistance: Assists employees in coordinating their in-office days with colleagues, encouraging collaboration by suggesting optimal days for onsite work.

  4. Basic Notifications and Reminders: Sends reminders for desk or room bookings, helping ensure employees are aware of their reservations.


Enhanced

Building on the core features, the Enhanced offering provides more in-depth insights and greater customisation capabilities. It’s geared towards organisations with complex workspace needs and a strong focus on optimising their hybrid work setup.


Features:

  • Advanced Space Utilisation Analytics: Provides more detailed insights into occupancy trends, including peak times and heatmaps, helping organisations maximise space utilisation.

  • Customisable Workplace Experience: Allows for greater customisation of the workplace setup, including flexible floor plans and personalised notifications for employees.

  • Predictive AI and Smart Suggestions: Uses AI to provide predictive analytics on employee attendance and suggest the best times for office visits based on historical trends.

  • Advanced Notifications and Alerts: Sends real-time alerts about changes in bookings, room availability, and other key factors, ensuring better communication among employees and managers.


Summary of Key Differences

Feature

Core Offering

Enhanced Offering

Space Utilisation Insights

Basic occupancy tracking

Advanced analytics with detailed insights

Desk and Room Booking

Standard booking capabilities

Enhanced customisation and smart suggestions

Hybrid Scheduling Assistance

Coordination for in-office days

Predictive AI for attendance trends

Notifications

Basic reminders

Real-time alerts and advanced notifications

screenshot of Outlook calendar with Places information dialogue

Licensing

Core Licensing - Available to organisations with one of the following Microsoft 365 subscriptions:

  • Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard or Premium

  • Microsoft 365 or Office 365 (E1, E3, E5)

  • Microsoft 365 Frontline Worker (F1, F3)


Enhanced (Premium) Licensing - the premium offering requires the additional ‘Teams Premium’ licence on top of a Microsoft 365 subscription. Additionally, AI centric features such as managed booking and recommended in-office days will require a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.


Configuration

After going through the setup process for the service, there are a range of steps involved to get everything up and running.

  • PowerShell is required to configure the service as well as load your buildings, floors and rooms.

  • IMDF file integration: To go all the way and integrate floor plans and desk booking, you will need access to specific software to produce an IMDF file (indoor mapping data format - an open mapping data standard for indoor places that extends GeoJSON) and be comfortable with the formatting of these files. I would only suggest going down this path if you are seriously considering utilising the premium features and have existing knowledge of indoor mapping files.


So, should you use it?

To reap the benefits of enhanced collaboration and resource allocation, there needs to be clear communications from leaders that the expectations to keep their place of work up to date and accurate is integrated into their daily workflow. Just like keeping your Outlook calendar up to date, ensuring your work location is accurately reflected will allow a sense of visibility and transparency across teams to develop.


Regardless of size, any organisation that manages a hybrid workforce will benefit from Places. Setting up the core functionality will provide an immediate improvement to Team whereabouts and the additional enhanced features can be investigated once the routine of setting your daily work location has been embedded into your organisation’s norms.


Useful references

Places deployment guide – M365 Admin Centre: https://aka.ms/MicrosoftPlacesSetupGuide


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