Zoom may be ready to move beyond video calling and collaboration, with possible plans to introduce email and calendar tools.
Zoom is one of the leading communication platforms. Adoption of the company’s service expanded dramatically during the pandemic, and Zoom has been looking for ways to keep that momentum going and build on its existing base. According to The Information, via The Verge, the company may be planning to introduce email and calendar tools to better compete with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
In many ways, the move makes sense. Slack was once the undisputed king of corporate messaging but has seen its user base eclipsed by Microsoft Teams. Much of that is due to the integration Teams offers with the rest of the Office suite. Zoom is no doubt keen to build out its own ecosystem, which would go a long way toward fending off defections to Teams or Google Meet.
According to the report, the new features could launch as early as later this year. Needless to say, Zoom’s battle will just be getting started with the launch of those features, as neither Microsoft nor Google will take a challenge to their business lying down.
Despite the difficulty in going up against Microsoft and Google, however, it be exactly what Zoom needs to do in order to evolve and stay relevant.