Hardware systems are the backbone of your IT operations. As most IT activities run round the clock, you need to routinely clean your hardware devices and conduct...
Are you looking to boost your company's productivity with Microsoft 365? Do you feel as if your company is only using a small percentage of the software's features? If so, then you need to learn about different tips that you can use to speed things up.
Microsoft 365 is a fabulous software, but it needs to be used correctly for your workplace productivity to thrive. Without teaching your workers different tricks, you might find it to be more of a nuisance than a help.
See below for several Microsoft 365 tips that you can use and teach your staff to streamline productivity.
1. Hire a Microsoft 365 Consulting Company
Perhaps IT is what you'd consider being the biggest weakness of your company. If you and your staff don't have much experience with it or knowledge of it, it can be a disadvantage for your entire workforce.
If that's the case, then all hope is not lost. You can turn that weakness into a strength by hiring a Microsoft 365 consulting company.
When you hire a consultant, they'll be able to teach you different aspects of the software that you never knew existed.
They can take a look at your business model, then highlight key Microsoft 365 features that can help you. For example, they can show you how to integrate Microsoft Dynamics to give your sales team an advantage.
Lastly, the consultant can be a one-stop-shop for all of your Microsoft 365 questions. You can ask them about applications, features, and best practices for your company.
2. Keep an Eye of Licensing
When your company initially signs up for Microsoft 365, you will choose to pay on either an annual or monthly basis.
However, many companies make the mistake of overlooking the number of licenses that they purchase. In so doing, they end up paying for more than they need.
The number of licenses that you purchase should only be dictated by the number of employees you have that have a legitimate need for it. For example, there's no reason for providing Microsoft 365 for your employees on the work floor other than the managers.
Always remember that one license for Microsoft 365 will permit people to integrate Microsoft 365 into 5 or fewer desktops, 5 or fewer tablets, and 5 phones. If you need more, you can always alter the license amount.
It's important to note that if someone leaves their position, you do not need to buy another license. You can switch out that employee's old license to the next one you hire.
3. Prioritize the Calendar
The calendar management feature on Microsoft 365 is one of the most effective tools that it offers. Still, many of your employees won't use it correctly, and your office's productivity will suffer for it.
Take the time to train your staff on effective calendar management techniques that they can use in their day to day tasks.
For example, your sales staff can use the calendar feature as both time management and a goal-setting tool. They can attach the appointments they set to the client's contact information and aim for scheduling 3 to 5 appointments each week.
You'll also want to stress the need of organizing their calendar accordingly. Little details such as filling in the address of the meeting in the "location" field can ensure there is no confusion between your workers and their clients/prospects.
4. Take Advantage of Microsoft OneDrive
If you weren't already aware, Microsoft's OneDrive feature allows you and all your employees to share files and cooperate on documents together, much like Google Docs. It's easy to download and synchronize files on OneDrive from one computer to the next.
This means that you and your staff have access to your Microsoft 365 account from virtually anywhere.
If you have a manager that's traveling for work and needs access to the file, they can sync it to their laptop within moments.
The subscription comes included with Microsoft 365 and offers your business 1 terabyte of data storage for the entire company.
5. Input a Shortcut to Outlook on Your Laptop
Even when you and your staff are away from the office and outside office hours, there will always be a need to occasionally check your email.
Of course, the process of logging into your Outlook account can be long and painful... until now!
Go to your preferred web browser and click on "file", then "info". Click on the link of your Outlook email, then click on it. Once the email opens up in a new window, bookmark it.
Now you can have access to your Outlook email with only a few clicks of a button. Perfect for any time of day or night!
6. Understand the Access You Have
Not many people realize the many benefits and features they get when they purchase Microsoft 365.
It doesn't just come with Outlook, it also contains Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and SharePoint as well. All of these tools can play an important role in your staff's day to day activities.
Be sure to spend the proper amount of time training them on best practices and ways to use each one. Doing so will pay off handsomely for your company's production.
Use These Microsoft 365 Tips to Your Advantage
Now that you've seen several helpful Microsoft 365 tips that you can use to boost your company's productivity, it's time to start with step one.
Be sure to read this article for many reasons why you need to audit your current managed services provider and search for an upgrade.
