We are all familiar as users of Microsoft Office with the Outlook mail client application, which has been around for many years and runs locally on your PC. However, as you may be aware, Microsoft is in the process of introducing a replacement for this application, which they refer to as the “New Outlook”. This development uses a newer approach to coding known as Progressive Web Application (PWA), meaning it runs as a website you access using your web browser.
The Impact of the New Outlook
Microsoft has officially announced that the new Outlook does not support COM add-ins. Despite a good deal of pushback from the industry, it appears that Microsoft is adamant. Legrand CRM is one of the affected companies; the Legrand CRM Outlook add-in does not and will not work in the new Outlook. Therefore, we do not recommend switching to the new Outlook.
The New Outlook Migration Timeline
If you use Office 365 as your mail provider, you’ll see that Microsoft is already offering you to try the new Outlook experience; you will see an option to switch in the top right-hand corner of your Outlook window:
We do not recommend that you take up this invitation. By doing so, you will lose the productivity benefits of our Outlook add-in and any other COM-based add-ins you use.
At this time, the adoption of the new Outlook is optional. However, there will be a point when users of Microsoft Office 365 or hosted Exchange mail will be forced to switch to the new Outlook. Microsoft’s current timetable for the change is published here: New Outlook: Guide to Product Availability.
We are at least twelve months away from moving to their opt-out stage. Once we reach that stage, it’s another twelve months or more until the new Outlook will be made compulsory. The new Outlook is very far from being production-ready, with many of the functions currently available in Classic Outlook not yet implemented, which is another reason not to try the new approach yet.
The Future of Legrand CRM Outlook Add-in
Legrand CRM will no longer develop and update the Legrand CRM Outlook Add-in for desktop Outlook as the new Outlook does not support COM add-ins. However, Legrand CRM is committed to providing a new version of the Outlook add-in that will operate in the new Outlook in time to ensure no productivity enhancements are lost.
If you have any questions regarding the impact of the new Outlook, please email our support team at support@legrandcrm.com