How to Create Future-Ready Employees: Raise Baseline Skills in Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is an ever-evolving powerhouse, with new features and productivity apps continuously enhancing our work experience. Case in point—the new Outlook desktop app for Windows and the AI coming to Microsoft Office: Copilot for Microsoft 365.

The future is here.

But is your team future-ready?

Today's workforce spans five generations, from Traditionalists to Gen Z, each developing their Microsoft productivity skills in a different way:

• Those with years of experience utilize only a fraction of the technology investment made by organizations. In fact, without intentional training, employees know less than 30% of an application’s true capabilities. It's not their fault — diving into apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook is easy, but everyone is limited by knowledge gaps. Most people are self-taught, and they don't know what they don't know.
• For the new generation of workers, they’re expected to be proficient in the Microsoft platform on day one, but most grew up on Google tools. There are tales of young attorneys converting high-stakes legal documents to Google docs because that’s all they know. Again, it’s not their fault.

Add more layers of technology like the new Outlook and Copilot, and these knowledge gaps grow. It's essential to raise baseline Microsoft skills across your organization so everyone is on an even playing field.

But the question is, how?

First, let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room. Microsoft training lacks the pizzazz of, say, a Taylor Swift concert, the excitement of “Succession,” or what might be the most dramatic rose ceremony ever. You might even be thinking, “Microsoft training? Stick a fork in my eye.”

RedCape's highly rated Microsoft Productivity Workshop (MPW) solves these problems. It is a dynamic crash-course in the most essential time-saving tips across Microsoft 365. The free MPW skills assessment defines the baseline.

Entertaining and engaging, MPW cuts through the fluff and goes straight to the best stuff in Windows, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Microsoft 365. Your entire team will learn edge-of-their-seat best practices that can be implemented instantly, turning four hours of work into four clicks.

This scalable on-demand workshop is designed for:

• Those who rely on Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365 to get their job done
• Employees transitioning from Google tools?
• Advanced users to those just getting by

Of course, you might be thinking "Is any of this necessary? My high-performing team has years of experience with Microsoft. Besides, proficiency was a prerequisite for the job. They know enough to get by, right?"

That’s like saying, “I sorta know how to use this chainsaw.” While you might not lose a finger creating formulas in Excel, the consequences can be just as severe. In 2012, JP Morgan suffered a $6 billion trading loss due to a copy-and-paste error.

Studies show that 40% of employees who don’t receive necessary job training will leave their positions within the first year. Replacing them costs 20% of their annual salary. Those who stay remain overworked and overwhelmed. Adding more layers of new technology compounds the issue. Inaction simply isn't the answer.

The good news is that RedCape's Microsoft Productivity Workshop not only creates future-ready employees, but it also delivers an exponential return for your organization. Our most recent client trained 302 employees, saving a whopping 2,410 hours every month. The annual return on investment? $847,478 or nearly $3,000 per employee.

But time and money aren’t the only benefits of MPW. Employees will feel instantly empowered as they put these new skills into practice. They'll be inspired and eager to adopt the new technology coming their way.

“From the girl that guffawed at the idea of going to a Microsoft workshop. I thought I knew all there was to know about Word and Excel. People at my office come to me when they have questions about formatting. “What could I possibly take away from this?” I questioned. I hemmed and hawed and went to the seminar anyway. I am embarrassed to admit, out of everything Vickie went over—I knew none of it.? Zero. Zilch. Nada. I look at Microsoft in a whole new light.”— Holly E.

Now is the time to create future-ready employees. Individuals can sign up here. To get your entire team trained, schedule a strategy call with us today.

The Microsoft Productivity Workshop will create a buzz around the office for years to come. Your hands will hurt from all the high-fives:

“I could not believe how many items you showed that will make my job easier. I was telling my boss how great the class was — now he is going to sign up.” — Kim M.

“It was effortless to apply what I learned and share with colleagues. The tips have lightened my workload!” — Elizabeth N.

“I wish I knew about these my entire career!” — Joyce P.

"Mind blown!” — Sharon K.

"It was so much fun throwing a Microsoft Office training rave with you last week! Everyone I heard from has told me they got so much out of your presentation. Year after year we’ve all had to learn to do more with less and now many of us are much better equipped to do so thanks to you.” — Theresa R.