Introducing a whole new way of working in Switchboard!

Now you can:

• Use rooms without joining a call
• Add common apps faster

Collaboration is more than just meetings. So we've expanded how you can use rooms to get more done asynchronously. 

Before, opening a Switchboard room meant turning on your camera and microphone. This was perfect for meeting other people in the room.

But by yourself it's a bit... awkward.

More and more users we talked to were jumping into rooms between meetings - to prep the room, grab a link, or even work solo from the room. That got us thinking of ways Switchboard could improve collaboration between meetings, and even replace some meetings altogether.

Here's how it all works.

Calls

When you join a room, you'll still see all of the interactive apps and content but won't be in a video call by default.

In the right corner of the top bar you'll see the avatars for anyone currently in the room and a phone button you can use to start a call. 




Once on a call you'll see settings for you mic and camera in the top right along with a list of participants in the call. There's also a red phone button you can use to leave the call but stay in the room.



If you open a room while a call is already in progress, you'll get the option to join the call or just go to the room. 

Can I set a room to put people on a call by default?

Absolutely! Click on the room name in the top left corner and open the room settings. Then check "Always use room for calls" and hit save. Now when someone joins the room they will join the call too. They can always leave the call but stay in the room by clicking on the red telephone icon in the top right. 

Can I link directly to a call? 

Click the green Share button in the top right and check the "Link to call" box. Then hit the "Copy room link" button to copy a link directly to the call. This will direct people straight into the call instead of going to the room first. 

Tip: Use the call link for calendar invites to save everyone an extra click. 

What if I'm on a call in one room and want to jump directly to a call in another room? 

Back to back calls? No problem. Right click on the room you want to join in the left panel and select "Start/Join call" 

Learn more about how calls work here. 

Bottom Bar

We also refreshed the bottom bar to give you quicker access to the most popular features. 




You'll find our help center, recording, and present mode on the left side corner. 

In the center we've added shortcuts to common apps and a "more" button to see the full list. 

When you click on an app to add, it will follow your cursor until you click to place it where you want in the room. 

On the right you've got the Scribble tool, reactions, chat and zoom settings.

Try it!

Wrapping your head around ways to use a Switchboard room when you're not in a meeting? 

Take the browser tabs you have open right now and add them to a room in Switchboard. Try laying them out in sections and see how working with them side by side feels.

This works best when you're working a task that requires jumping back and forth between the same few sites.

Let us know what you think!