On this new period of hybrid work with extra chats, extra conferences, and longer days, staff are in search of methods to enhance their focus, temper, and wellness.¹ What if I informed you that movement-driven “microbreaks” of solely two minutes might present that elevate and make it easier to be extra productive? That’s the concept behind the Breakthru wellbeing app for Microsoft Groups, constructed on the Groups platform.

In accordance with Breakthru, the app makes use of interactive microbreaks created by motion specialists to assist enhance cognitive focus, productiveness, and wellbeing. As a result of it’s in Groups, the place staff are already working, utilizing Breakthru can support them in rebooting their metabolism between conferences or refocusing after lengthy intervals of focus. That makes it simple to determine and keep a break-taking observe.

In the meantime, the Breakthru app in Groups is offered to greater than 300 million potential month-to-month lively customers in 500,000 organizations. Discovering the correct viewers is important for impartial software program distributors (ISVs), and simply three years after launching on Groups, Breakthru reaches greater than 45,000 organizations worldwide, with a rising buyer base.

Microsoft Groups apps

Reimagine collaborative apps with Groups

Breakthru used 4 precious ways to extend engaged customers whereas enhancing worker wellbeing and productiveness: pinning to the Groups app bar, encouraging customers to share, harnessing information to tailor options, and benefiting from the Microsoft ecosystem. We’ll present how different ISVs can observe Breakthru’s instance to drive app utilization and improve buyer acquisition.

Pinning to the Groups app bar helps Breakthru supply wellbeing within the stream of labor

Breakthru pairs research-backed motion breaks with nature-inspired visuals and sounds. The app sends reminders to encourage staff to start out a observe that may improve office engagement and counteract burnout, in response to Breakthru. Enterprises can promote bodily and psychological wellbeing and assist enhance worker morale.

In contrast to different wellbeing instruments, Breakthru in Groups exists inside the stream of staff’ work. “Constructing a really helpful trendy work software requires seamlessly incorporating it into the trendy work atmosphere,” says Breakthru Founder Melissa Painter.

Breakthru additionally gives the power to share breaks after which take part with colleagues. That’s vital for Breakthru’s enterprise mannequin, which we’ll cowl later, and it may be an efficient software for high-stress, fast-paced jobs. For instance, healthcare staff typically wrestle with self-care.

“Breakthru solely requires a fraction of the day, and medical employees can help one another’s wellbeing proper from Groups. That gives an unimaginable return for a healthcare firm searching for to raised the office.”

Melissa Painter, Breakthru Founder

Breakthru’s clients embrace the Nationwide Well being Service (NHS) in the UK. Painter and Nic Saunders, a Microsoft Buyer Success Supervisor (CSM), launched the app to the NHS England NHSmail Centre of Excellence, the nationwide safe collaboration service for well being and social care, which focuses on reworking the way in which well being providers work collectively.

“Micro actions to enhance psychological well being shone via, and the app was so easy to make use of that our group knew we needed to get this out,” says Gemma Rogerson, NHS England Lead Supply Supervisor. “NHS staff can now give their colleagues the reward of time and optimistic motion.”

Groups may also assist ISVs deploy apps for max influence with customers. One buyer lately accomplished a mushy launch of Breakthru just by pinning it to the Groups app bar, with none inner announcement. Inside eight hours, 20 % of staff used the app, the client’s highest fee ever.

Sharing microbreaks in Groups helped Breakthru construct a world person base

As a startup, it was vital for Breakthru to broaden its subscriber base organically, and the sharing capabilities in Groups accelerated the corporate’s product-led progress technique.

When staff share breaks, it drives natural adoption and better person counts inside enterprises—essential for rising Breakthru’s subscriber base. Encouraging employees to share apps by way of Groups may also assist ISVs achieve new customers. Breakthru permits customers to attempt the app and share with coworkers with out a full subscription, serving to staff keep their wellbeing whereas the app develops a person base. Then Breakthru can observe up with the group’s management to showcase how staff are having fun with it.

“Many executives are anxious about shopping for apps that their staff don’t use,” Painter says. “It’s refreshing to enter a gathering and say, ‘We all know your staff will use and share Breakthru as a result of they’re already doing it in Groups proper now.’”

Between September 2022 and Could 2023, Breakthru elevated the variety of lively month-to-month tenants in Groups by about 25 %.

Information from Azure informs Breakthru options that improve utilization

Breakthru is constructed on Microsoft Azure, and the workers analyzes information inside Azure Monitor Software Insights to make product choices and discover patterns to gas new buyer acquisition. They examine anonymized person habits to know product launch variations, and so they have a look at which options and onboarding fashions assist develop devoted customers.

Anytime they see a function influencing habits and making the app stickier, they enrich these features of the product. Information from Azure confirmed that when individuals first encountered the app, a overwhelming majority used the reminder perform to set a time to attempt it later. Since then, the corporate added gamification capabilities to assist with adoption, and a current redesign drove a utilization spike.

Breakthru has additional elevated utilization by creating relationships with many CSMs, who function further boots on the bottom. The CSMs additionally cross buyer suggestions to Breakthru to proceed bettering the product. In early March, Breakthru added “respiratory breaks,” a user-requested function that might assist entice new clients.

Microsoft helps simplify the gross sales course of and improve deal velocity

In early 2023, Breakthru earned Microsoft 365 Certification to indicate potential clients that the app meets stringent requirements for safety and compliance. Navigating a company’s technical necessities ought to now solely require a number of weeks quite than months, accelerating the gross sales and deployment course of.

Breakthru can be extending throughout the Microsoft 365 atmosphere via Viva Connections and planning so as to add breaks in Outlook.

“As a small, agile group, it’s an unimaginable benefit to launch a product that lands in so many main enterprises as a result of we’re working inside this world-class ecosystem.”

Melissa Painter, Breakthru Founder

The connection with Microsoft helps speed up innovation, too. This previous summer time, Painter and her group visited The Hive, Microsoft’s office lab, to check Breakthru in Groups Rooms, that are hybrid-centric but full-sized areas outfitted with Groups know-how. By combining these modern areas with Breakthru’s app, the group was in a position to create Wellbeing Rooms, which can permit staff to make use of their very own units to show unused convention rooms into digital and sonic environments for immersive motion breaks.

The take a look at supplied an thrilling preview of how Breakthru and Groups will proceed evolving collectively to enhance the office expertise.

Be taught extra about collaborative apps in Microsoft Groups

Give clients an expertise they’ll love by constructing collaborative apps with Microsoft Groups.

Take a look at these assets for extra info on Groups apps and Microsoft help:

Uncover Breakthru’s app out there for Microsoft Groups and be taught extra about Breakthru’s movement-based breaks for wellbeing at work.

This weblog sequence highlights ISVs which have achieved enterprise progress and added worth for his or her clients by constructing and deploying apps on Microsoft Groups. We love sharing companion success tales. When you have a narrative, please contact us. 

¹The New Way forward for Work: Analysis from Microsoft on the Affect of the Pandemic on Work Practices, Microsoft. January 2021.