Zoom unveils a load of new updates and features

Zoom has unveiled a raft of new updates and features to its platform, including enhanced slide control, advanced polling, and attendance status.

"As we enter the holiday season, we're excited to bring a bundle of new updates and features! In our latest product update, we're providing a range of features to help you add your personal touch to your digital events and take your customer service efforts to the next level," the company says.

"We have also extended the ability to enable automatic updates in the Zoom client, so you can access the latest and greatest features from Zoom as soon as they're available."

Zoom Meetings
Zoom added new features to help users host a more frictionless meeting, engage with attendees, and get the most out of recorded content.

Enhanced slide control
Because the presenter isn't always the one controlling a slide show, users can now select multiple people to control the movement of slides in a presentation. With enhanced slide control, presenters no longer have to ask another attendee to move the presentation forward, streamlining the presentation experience.

Polling enhancements
Meeting and webinar hosts now have more options for creating polls, including ranked responses, matching, short and long answers, and fill in the blank, creating more opportunities for gaining feedback and insights from team members. This same functionality can be used for quizzes, creating more effective student experiences, onboarding sessions, or lunch-and-learn events.

Additional watermark settings
Users can now set their size and placement to help get the most out of their recorded content and avoid distracting watermarks. Users can also enable watermarks by default and customise them via the web portal before the meeting.

Attendance Status 
Users can streamline the start of Zoom Meetings with Attendance Status, which allows meeting hosts and co-hosts with Google and Outlook calendar integrations to view who has accepted or declined the meeting invite and see whether they have joined.

Zoom Events
After releasing several new conference capabilities for Zoom Events, the company has released more features that allow hosts to customise their virtual event experiences further.

Corporate matching for fundraisers
Zoom users can offer corporate matching on donations during fundraisers through Pledge.

Chat flexibility
Users can create networking moments within an event by giving hosts and moderators the ability to turn chat on and off at any time, so users can create discussion and drive engagement at critical moments.

Enhanced accessibility
Accessibility features are essential when it comes to providing an equitable event experience. With support for third-party closed captioning API within Zoom Events, users can help more people enjoy an event. Closed captioning can be turned on or off by the host.

Queue analytics enhancements
With Zoom Phone Power Pack, managers can use queue analytics to more easily monitor critical call queue key performance indicators such as service level, missed call rate, average waiting time. They can choose to receive notifications through Zoom Chat in addition to email notifications when one of their KPI thresholds has been reached. Admins can also customise call queue wallboards and display them on Digital Signage devices for increased visibility.

Caller verified icon for incoming calls
Zoom Phone customers can more easily identify unwanted incoming calls. As part of ongoing STIR/SHAKEN compliance requirements, Zoom Phone will show caller verified checkmarks next to the number of an incoming call if the carrier has authorised the calling party to use that number. If there's no checkmark, it may be a robocall or spam call.

Zoom Phone integrations and updates
Zoom has added a new integration to Zoom Phone, as well as updates to a few of our most popular Zoom Phone integrations:

• ServiceNow: The new ServiceNow integration brings the power of Zoom Phone to existing ServiceNow workflows, including click to call and the ability to view and manage call and user logs.
• SMS for Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft Dynamics: Users can send SMS to internal and external contacts using their Zoom Phone number through Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft Dynamics.