We’re excited to announce that cross-platform group chats are now supported for Slack users.

Slack users can stay in Slack and create group chats with colleagues on Microsoft Teams or Webex. They can also be added into group chats initiated from either platform.

The following features are supported in group chats between Slack and Teams or Slack and Webex:

• Plain text messages
• Sending pictures and files
• Threaded messages
• Editing and deleting messages
• Rich text formatting

Group chats play an important part in the workplace communication ecosystem. They are a space for multiple people to privately send direct messages. Group chats differ from channels, where a team collaborates publicly on specific topics or tasks, and 1:1 direct messaging.

At the moment, cross-platform Slack group chats are feature gated and require activation from Mio. To take advantage of this feature, please reach out to your Mio point of contact.

We’re excited to announce that Mio now supports Microsoft SharePoint integration in Slack channels

By leveraging Slack’s Bookmarks API, Mio allows any Slack user to collaborate on Microsoft SharePoint files shared across platforms.

Let’s take a closer look.

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What is Microsoft SharePoint?

SharePoint is a cloud-based file storage tool included in the Microsoft 365 suite. When a channel is created in Microsoft Teams, a SharePoint site is assigned to that channel.

All editable files shared in the channel are immediately uploaded to its SharePoint site for organized collaboration. Members of the channel can access and edit the file in SharePoint.

Now, what happens when you add cross-platform collaboration to the mix?

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How was Mio sending files before?

File sharing between Slack and Teams has been supported by Mio for quite some time.

To do this, Mio would send a copy of a file from Teams to Slack. This posed a number of issues:

1. Files were not stored in one place.
2. Users could not simultaneously collaborate on files.
3. Several copies of the same file could be floating around, with the possibility of files quickly becoming outdated.
4. Companies would have to spend money on a file storage solution outside of SharePoint.

So how does this new feature alleviate these problems?

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How does Mio’s SharePoint integration work?

When a Teams channel is synced with Slack, Mio automatically creates a Slack bookmark titled SharePoint.

When a user clicks this, they will be taken to the shared folder for that channel in their Teams account. All editable files shared across platforms will be accessible in this folder. This works in both directions–files uploaded from Teams and Slack will all appear in this folder.

Teams primary users can visit the channel’s SharePoint site to view all of the files sent and received across platforms. The contents of the SharePoint site mirror the contents of the shared folder bookmarked in Slack.

The Slack channel will also display a message from the Mio bot explaining that members can access shared files via the SharePoint bookmark. An Open SharePoint link will be included.

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Sending files from Teams to Slack

When an editable file is sent from Teams to Slack, Mio sends a message on Slack with a link directly to that document.

Slack users can click this link to begin editing the shared file in their browser.

The Teams user who initially sent the file can find it in the Teams SharePoint site or in the Files tab of their channel. They will be able to view all changes made by their Slack colleagues.

The Slack user can revisit the file at the SharePoint bookmark in the Slack channel or the link included with the file. They will be able to view all changes made by their Teams colleagues.

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Sending files from Slack to Teams

When an editable file is sent from Slack to Teams, Mio uploads the document to SharePoint.

The Teams user receives the file natively and can click on it to begin editing in their browser. They can also find the file in their SharePoint site or in the Files tab of the channel. Users will be able to view all changes made by their Slack colleagues.

Mio also sends a follow up threaded message to the Slack user who initially sent the file. This message includes a link to open the file and edit in SharePoint. The Slack user will be able to view all changes made by their Teams colleagues, and can access this file at the provided link or at the SharePoint bookmark in their channel.

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Other considerations

Currently, the SharePoint integration is only available in synced channels on Microsoft Teams and Slack. We are working on scaling this feature to direct messages and other platform pairings.

This new method of cross-platform file sharing only applies to editable files (eg. .docx, .xlsx, etc.). Images and other non-editable files will not be sent with a SharePoint link.

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Next Steps

The SharePoint integration is currently feature gated and requires activation from Mio. Please reach out to your point of contact and let them know if you’d like to take advantage of this feature today.

We are thrilled to announce that Slack Account Sync is now live.

Based on our customers' feedback, we've learned that larger organizations prefer messages to be posted with users that have licensed Slack accounts, rather than bot or app imitations.

We've been working hard on an alternate solution to bots and are excited to share that we are now leveraging licensed Slack accounts for cross-platform direct messaging.

This update allows for a better UX experience for end users and prevents duplicating entries when searching for colleagues in your Slack workspace.

Direct messages with cross-platform users no longer appear under the “Apps” section of your Slack sidebar. Now, they appear under “Direct messages” the same way that other Slack DMs do. Nativeness in file sharing and reactions is also improved with Slack Account Sync.

At Mio, we're always looking for ways to improve our integrations with our supported platforms. This month, we’re excited to bring you two scope updates that significantly advance how the Mio app connects with Microsoft Teams.

Fewer scopes needed for Teams

Mio only ever asks for the bare minimum scopes required, and updates to application scopes have made it so that we can request even fewer than before.

This change has no impact on Mio’s existing functionality. Messages still work as expected in DMs, channels, and group chats.

New scope model to replace Teams service accounts

Previously, Mio required an admin-created service account and delegated tokens. Now, updates to Microsoft Graph APIs mean that Mio no longer requires service accounts from Teams orgs.

Instead, Mio will use application-level scopes that require admin-level authorization.

If your organization would like to delete an existing service account, please reach out to a Mio team member at the link below.

Please refer to this help article for all up-to-date scopes required by Mio.

Join Mio at Enterprise Connect 2023

Mio will be exhibiting at this year’s Enterprise Connect, taking place in Orlando, FL from March 27-30th.

Having participated for the past few years, we’re excited to return to showcase advancements in chat interoperability.

Want to see Mio in action? Our team will be hosting 15-minute personalized demos during the conference. Make sure to book your slot today.

And that’s not all, use code MIO for $500 off your registration and stop by booth #801 for some free swag.

And coming soon...

Slack Account Sync is in the works, and admins will soon be able to export user lists as .csv files in User Sync.

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Thank you for joining us for our February product update. We look forward to sharing our March news with you soon.

From Connect Center updates to new automations, we’re proud to start our year with improved usage reports and notification systems.

Activity Dashboard

Our Mio Hub has an exciting addition. The new Activity Dashboard is a valuable resource of user metrics to organize and optimize your organization’s chat activity.

User metrics in the Activity Dashboard are broken down into two sections: deployment and usage.

Deployment

The deployment section includes data on the number of synced users and active users. You can also see a list of pending users—members of your organization who have not accepted the Mio prompt to sync their secondary accounts. A useful guide on boosting user activity provides you with best practices for your organization.

Usage

The usage section shows data on the total amount of messages sent over a period of time. In addition to the total number of messages sent, you can see your organization’s channel, direct message, and group chat message counts as well as number of files shared.

For further granularity, message and file counts are broken down per platform. Data on most used channels and most active users is also available.

Toggle Tax

Have you ever heard of toggle tax? A study by the Harvard Business Review found that the average worker spends 5 weeks per year simply toggling between applications.

Toggle tax is calculated as savings made by reducing time switching between apps—an objective that Mio directly helps to achieve.

View quantitative data on time and money saved by chat interoperability in the toggle tax section of our Activity Dashboard.

Advancements in nativeness

A native chat experience, or what we call nativeness, is one where an app is used exactly the way that it was meant to be used.

We calculate each platform's nativeness scores by taking the available APIs on each platform and comparing them to the number of APIs that we actually leverage per platform.

At the end of 2022, our nativeness score improved from 67% to 82% on Webex and 66% to 76% on Microsoft Teams.

Nativeness for Zoom Team Chat users increases this month with the addition of two exciting new features:

• Native threaded replies in direct messages and group chats
• Reaction deletion

And that’s not all—Microsoft Teams, Webex, and Slack users will now be able to send native threaded replies.

Auto Heal: Token expiry notification

Mio uses encrypted tokens to send messages from one platform to another.

Occasionally, external changes in a customer’s environment cause tokens to expire.

To prepare for these situations, we’ve been hard at work on a solution for uninterrupted chat capabilities.

Introducing Auto Heal, a new automation to bridge your organization through token refresh periods.

This feature first detects the external conditions that necessitate token refresh.

Depending on the situation, Mio will automatically send a notification to either admins or end users requesting re-authorization.

Reactive prompting for unsynced users

We recently streamlined our prompting approach in response to feedback on Mio’s bot messaging logic. Now, prompting by the Mio Bot is broken down into two categories: proactive and reactive.

Proactive prompting

Proactive prompts are manually sent by admins from the Mio Hub in order to initiate specific actions from an end user. For example, after clicking the “Sync” icon in User Sync, end users will receive a prompt from the Mio bot requesting account authorization.

Reactive prompting

Reactive prompts are automatically sent to initiate an action from end users whose accounts meet certain criteria. In this case, an unsynced user who attempts to send a cross-platform dm will receive a message from the Mio bot prompting them to sync their accounts.

The prompts will look like this:

We are confident that this new automation will increase adoption and simplify the deployment process.

And coming soon...

Reduced scopes for Microsoft Teams

Mio only ever asks for the bare minimum scopes required, and updates to application scopes have made it so that we can request even fewer than before.

This change will have no impact on Mio’s existing functionality. Messages will still work as expected in direct messages, channels, and group chats.

Expect to see this update implemented within the next month.

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Thank you for joining us for our January product update. We look forward to sharing our February news with you soon.

2022 was a big year for Mio and the collaboration platforms we support (Slack, Microsoft Teams, Webex, and Zoom Team Chat).

As we head into 2023, let’s take a look back at the pivotal product updates and key industry events that defined our year.

Zoom Team Chat interoperability

Mio started supporting Zoom Team Chat for cross-platform communication this year. In December 2021, Mio announced an $8.7 mil investment by Zoom and Cisco. Since then, Zoom has teamed up with Mio to release several new chat APIs to enable a seamless interoperability experience for its customers.

As our CEO, Tom Hadfield, says, “The addition of Zoom Team Chat to Mio’s universal messaging network is a major step forward for the collaboration industry. This brings us even closer to ‘Collaboration Nirvana,’ where everyone can collaborate with each other, regardless of which chat app they are using.”

Read more about Zoom Team Chat interop here.

Rebranding and website redesign

You might have noticed that we’re looking a little different.

We upgraded to a bolder, sleeker look to mirror the growth of our company and product. Our website has been revamped to reflect this exciting change, and also includes several useful features and updates:

ROI calculator

Ever heard of “toggle tax”? In a study conducted by Harvard Business Review, they found that the average worker spends 5 weeks per year simply toggling between applications. With Mio, employees can stay on one platform and chat to any platform - use this calculator to see just how much time and money your organization can save by investing in cross-platform interoperability.

Pricing tier updates

We’ve updated our pricing page to include information on our new Pro, Business, and Enterprise tiers. Mio is now an ideal fit for medium-sized businesses to large-scale organizations.

Auto Sync

We launched Auto Sync, a feature in the Mio Hub that allows admins to sync large groups of users. Admins no longer have to manually update every user who leaves or joins an organization.

By subscribing to your organization’s Active Directory groups, Mio automatically determines:

1. A user’s primary platform, and
2. Which users to sync or unsync when they are added or removed.

Haven’t set up Auto Sync yet? Log in to the Mio Hub and navigate to User Sync in the left sidebar. Click on the Sync users tab and select the green Configure Auto Sync button. Follow the steps to set up and provide information about your Active Directory groups.

Enterprise Connect

With Zoom Team Chat added to our list of supported platforms, we headed to Enterprise Connect to showcase interoperability between all four apps. We met some of our customers face-to-face for the first time and demoed our product for hundreds of conference attendees.

Heading to Enterprise Connect 2023? We’ll see you there. Use our promo code MIO for $500 off the current rate on conference passes. Make sure you get your passes soon for the lowest possible price - Super Early Bird rates end on Jan 27th.

Want to see Mio in action? Schedule a 15-minute in-person session with our team at Enterprise Connect 2023 for a personalized demo.

New Mio Hub

With a sleeker interface and admin-friendly tools, the new Mio Hub makes getting started and staying organized as easy as possible.

Our new Mio Hub includes the following new features:

• Connect Center: a one-stop dashboard for configuring platform settings and importing platforms for sync.
• Channel Sync: updated to allow more flexibility and customization in desired channels. Also includes additional channel filtering features and an intuitive interface to remove and re-import channels with ease.
• User Sync: revamped to include the ability to import desired users for direct messaging. Also includes a resource library for immediate troubleshooting.
• Auto Sync: Mio automatically keeps your user list up to date - no need to manually add or remove each user who joins or leaves your team.

We also announced that it’s no longer necessary to have a Teams Service Account to use Mio with Microsoft Teams.

Zoomtopia

“Zoomtopia and Enterprise Connect were great to get face-to-face time with customers and Zoom sellers,” says Jack Conlin, Head of Channel Development at Mio.

We even got a great shout out from Patrick Kelley, Distinguished Architect at Zoom. In his words:

“Today we live in choice…a lot of CIOs and CTOs I talk to are providing choice to their end users…let them choose what tool to use, whether it’s Teams and/or Zoom. It’s not an either/or, it’s an and. Use them together. What I’m trying to say is Mio has come out with this amazing tool. [It's] allowing you to have choice in whatever chat platform you choose.”

Hear what else he has to say about the interoperability between Zoom and Microsoft Teams here:

Group chats for Webex and Microsoft Teams

Group chats are finally here. Webex and Microsoft Teams users can chat in groups while staying on their respective platforms.

We are excited to advance chat nativeness on Webex and Microsoft Teams with the addition of this frequently requested feature.

A native chat experience is one where an app is used exactly the way that it was meant to be used. As of the end of 2022, our nativeness score improved from 67% to 82% on Webex and 66% to 76% on Microsoft Teams. We calculate these scores by taking the available APIs on each platform and comparing them to the number of APIs that we actually leverage per platform.

Slack and Zoom Team Chat users - don’t fret. Stay tuned for more updates on Group Chats.

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Thanks for joining us for our 2022 wrap up! We’re looking forward to more exciting updates this year.

Big changes to advance chat nativeness

This December, we’re excited to share product updates that address some of our most common feature requests. We’ve been working on improving nativeness in a way that impacts the end user experience.

A native chat experience is one where an app is used exactly the way that it was meant to be used. When working with third-party integrations, a decrease in nativeness is often the result of grappling with API limitations. This leaves the end user with an experience that seems buggy.

From file sharing to message editing, we hope that these updates will maximize your workflow as 2022 comes to a close.

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Native file sharing in Zoom Team Chat

Native file sharing has been one of our most-requested features. Zoom was the last platform we support that received files as links, and we are excited to share that we are now sending and receiving files natively on all platforms.

Mio is still making concurrent editing of files a reality through Sharepoint integration, but today, files will look native for users regardless of their platform.

Previously, Mio would create a download link for each file that was shared to Zoom Team Chat. Zoom Team Chat users would then have to click the link and download the file on their browser.

This caused several issues:

1. Clicking a link, going into a web browser, and then only downloading the file meant that downloading shared files took significantly more time than it was meant to.
2. Admins had to educate their users on what a cross-platform file sharing link would look like. If not, links seemed "spammy," leading to a decrease in trust and collaboration.

Zoom Team Chat users will no longer have to click on a link to download cross-platform shared files. Your users will be able to preview and download files directly from Zoom Team Chat.

Rich text formatting in Zoom Team Chat

Send your holiday wishes in bold.

Rich text formatting is now supported from Zoom Team Chat to Webex, Slack, and Microsoft Teams. This includes bold, italic, bulleted lists, and numbered lists.

RTF (bold, italic, bulleted lists, numbered lists) is also supported in messages sent from Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Webex (when markdown mode is enabled) to Zoom Team Chat.

Native message editing on Webex

Message editing is crucial to online communication. With this month's update, native message editing is now possible for organizations with fully synced Webex users.

Message editing was previously achieved by deleting and reposting the original message with applicable edits.

This month's update allows us to utilize the Webex editing API to natively edit messages sent from Slack, Zoom Team Chat, and Microsoft Teams.

Editing attachments or multi-part messages is not currently supported by the Webex API. Edited messages that contain images, files, or attachments still utilize our previous fallback method.

Adding and removing reactions to Microsoft Teams

Spread some holiday cheer with message reactions.

Reactions added or removed from Slack or Zoom Team Chat to Microsoft Teams is now natively supported.

Previously, message reactions received in Microsoft Teams would be displayed as an emoji in a threaded reply. Now, cross-platform reactions will appear natively for Microsoft Teams users.

Using reactions to your advantage is an important part of online workplace etiquette.

Check out these articles for best messaging practices for Slack, Zoom Team Chat, Webex, or Microsoft Teams.

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Thank you to all of our customers for trusting us to bring chat interoperability to your organizations this year.

With exciting updates on the horizon, 2023 is looking to be an even brighter year for collaboration.

Happy holidays from the Mio team. Wishing you a great end to this year and beginning to the next.

Save time and maximize productivity with the new Mio Hub

We’re excited to introduce a reimagined connection hub, making Mio an even more powerful tool for admins to sync their organizations.

With the new Mio Hub, it’s easier than ever to enable cross-platform chat. Designed with admin needs in mind, we’ve simplified the process of getting users and platforms imported and ready to communicate.

Discover all of our new features below and see the Mio Hub in action:

Connect Center

We’ve centralized the platform importation process into one easy-to-find dashboard.

Rather than having to click back and forth to configure settings and import platforms, the Connect Center now combines Platform Settings and Connect Platforms on one page.

Platform Settings walks you through a simplified authorization process and takes the guesswork out of necessary scopes and permissions. After ensuring that settings have been configured correctly, move on to our boosted version of Connect Platforms.

Previously, Connect Platforms was the hub for admins to import the teams and users. Now, admins are free to use different groups and personalize the teams and users for importation directly in Channel Sync and User Sync.

Our reason for this update is twofold:

1. To provide more freedom and flexibility in users and groups synced. We understand that some organizations only want to utilize either Channel Sync or User Sync, while others want to use both but with different user import data.
2. For a streamlined workflow. Usability and efficiency are maximized by importing teams and users directly in Channel Sync and User Sync. No longer do admins have to toggle back between Connect Platforms and User Sync to view users as they update.

Now, Connect Platforms is simply a place to install the Mio app into Microsoft Teams, Webex, Slack, or Zoom Team Chat. Importing teams and users happens directly in Channel Sync and User Sync.

Need a question answered? Don't hunt down guides and docs. Select Having trouble? in the lower right-hand corner to access a resource library of configuration instructions.

Channel Sync

Channel Sync has been redesigned with a more intuitive interface.

Select and import your desired channels for cross-platform chat. This is done in the Import teams and channels tab and allows for additional workspace personalization.

Remove and re-import channels with ease, and easily filter by status to see which channels are imported.

User Sync

User Sync now includes the ability to import desired users for direct messaging (DM). Beginning in Import teams and users, admins have the ability to select which specific users require cross-platform DM.

A User Sync resource library, linked at the bottom of Import teams and users, helps with immediate troubleshooting.

Further redesigns for clarity include switching the column label from "Sync Platforms" to "Secondary Platform Sync" in the Sync Users tab.

Filtering capabilities allow admins to view users by sync status and primary platform.

And you may notice a new button to click in the upper right corner of Sync Users. This brings us to…

Auto Sync

Auto Sync is finally here. No longer will admins have to manually update every user who leaves or joins an organization.

By subscribing to your organization’s Active Directory groups, Mio will automatically keep your user list up to date.

Additionally, Mio now offers the option to prompt all unsynced users. By initiating this option, Mio will send prompts to all users who have set up their primary platforms but who still need to sync their secondary accounts.

Learn more about Auto Sync here.

No more Teams Service Accounts

Admins rejoice. It's no longer necessary to have a Teams Service Account to use Mio with Microsoft Teams.

What’s next?

We are always working on updated features to boost and streamline how Mio works for you. Stay tuned for updates on an all-new Activity page of the Mio Hub.