Viva Engage Questions and Answers from Microsoft’s Ask Me Anything Event

Cocentric

Apr 24 · 4 mins read

On February 23rd, 2023, Microsoft hosted an AMA (Ask Me Anything) event where the community was given the opportunity to ask questions and clarify doubts related to Viva Engage. 

The top questions that were asked during the event were related to Viva Engage functionality, Yammer’s future, technical integration queries, and roadmap questions. We’ve listed these below.

Viva Engage Functionality Q&A  

Is it possible to access/disable new Viva features? 

If users are not licensed for new features, they will not see them. New features will be controlled by a toggle feature in settings, that unlocks or limits functionality. For example, premium feature leadership corner can be turned off, but premium feature Ask Analytics can be turned on. AMAs will be turned off as Answers in Viva launches. 

Can you bulk upload members within the community? 

If you have Azure Portal, you can bulk export and import members to groups, including Yammer groups. This feature will be available by the end of this quarter. 

Will there be any future functionality embedded so that Community Admins/Leaders can extract a list of community members, instead of having a Platform Admin execute this task? 

Any AD group management tool can be used since communities are groups. Azure Group Management Portal and PowerShell can export members. Many tools are available for “mere mortals” to see group members. However, no out of the box technology advice was provided for those with less technical experience. 

Will we be able to customise the banners: Branding / Text / Multiple Language? 

At this time, you would not be able to customise the rebranding banners that appear in the product.

The banner will be triggered automatically as the rebranding changes are rolled out. The rebranding will occur from 3 access points: Teams, mobile and desktop.

Teams rebranded has changed the appearance in the Communities app automatically; Mobile rebranding has begun and should be complete by summer. Users will need to update their mobile app from the apps store to access new changes. Desktop rebranding aims to be completed from June 2023 to December 2023. User experience changed will be automatically completed, finishing with a URL change.

The banners and any documentation would be available in multiple languages based on what language the user has selected for themselves. 

What features are included with the license currently/ what features are not free? 

Viva Engage will be available to all current Microsoft 365 commercial customers at no additional charge. But, users must have a Microsoft 365 license to use the app.

The Microsoft 365 Viva Suite License unlocks new functionality to connect your workforce and understand employee engagement. This comes at an additional cost to the standard Microsoft 365 licenses. Premium features such as Ask Analytics and Leadership Corner are examples of new pro features. 

Yammer’s Future

Will previous Yammer integrations/URLs be the same, and what will users need to do having completed rebranding? 

Most of the URL and rebranding changes will be automatic. Still, integration capabilities have changed, such as confusion over admin access and uploading may become more difficult. App discrepancies are hoped to be resolved with time, but there is still confusion here. 

Overall, Existing Yammer Progressive Web App users may need to update their apps to see the rebranding, but Microsoft is validating whether this will be done automatically.

There are still questions about how Live Events will work in Viva Engage, but it is clear that regular Teams call integration would be a valuable addition. Finally, the lack of per-group settings for guest access may pose challenges for internal and external communities, but Microsoft is actively working to provide solutions. 

The rebranding of Yammer to Viva Engage is an exciting development that promises to enhance collaboration and communication across organisations. While there are some technical and integration questions that remain unanswered, Microsoft has provided some reassuring answers about the continuity of operations and future updates. Users can expect the Yammer web part to continue working seamlessly, and Microsoft has expressed its commitment to reducing inconsistencies in platform frameworks. 

Overall, Microsoft’s roadmap for the rebranding of Yammer to Viva Engage appears well thought-out, and it is reassuring to know that Microsoft is committed to preserving links and making auto-redirects to ensure that user journeys are as familiar and automated as possible. Microsoft has also promised to publish a rebrand kit to help users socialise this change to their colleagues. 

As with any significant change, it is essential to keep an open mind and embrace the opportunities that the rebranding of Yammer to Viva Engage brings. By doing so, organisations can enhance collaboration, communication, and productivity across the board.