Maximizing Productivity with Microsoft 365: Tips & Tricks

Microsoft 365 gives you and your team the tools you need to be even more productive around the workplace. The applications it offers are designed to facilitate greater collaboration; streamline workflows; and automate processes. With features like real-time co-authoring on shared documents, integrated communication platforms, and advanced data analytics, Microsoft 365 ensures that your team can work more efficiently and make informed decisions quickly. Whether you’re working remotely or in the office, these tools help maintain seamless connectivity and enhance overall productivity.?

Our nine useful tricks and tips will help your team to get the most out of their Microsoft 365 license and boost productivity across your organisation.?

1. Leverage Microsoft Teams for Seamless Collaboration?

Microsoft Teams is the hub for teamwork in Microsoft 365. It integrates chat, video meetings, file storage, and app integration, making it a powerful tool for collaboration. Not only is it an instant messaging system with built-in video conferencing functionality, but its seamless integration with other Microsoft apps allows for streamlined workflows and tight-knit collaboration between teams.?

Tips:?

• Create Channels for Projects: Organize your team’s work by creating channels for different projects or departments. This keeps conversations and files organized, and allows for siloing of sensitive information or discussions.?

• Use @Mentions: Grab someone’s attention by using @mentions in chats and channels. This ensures important messages are seen. Not only does this ping the user in realtime, but it delivers a notification to their Teams app separate to their messages list, to ensure they don’t miss your @mention.?

• Integrate Apps: Add apps like Outlook or OneNote to your Teams channels to streamline workflows. Teams can pull data from your schedule on Outlook to automatically update your status for when you’re in a meeting or a call, and shouldn’t be disturbed by Teams messages.?

2. Master Outlook for Efficient Email Management?

Outlook is more than just an email client. It’s a powerful tool for managing your calendar, tasks, and contacts.?

Tips:?

• Use Rules and Folders: Create rules to automatically sort incoming emails into folders. This keeps your inbox organized and reduces clutter, and provides a jumping off point to begin sorting emails into the early stages of your marketing and sales pipelines.?

• Schedule Emails: Use the “Delay Delivery” feature to schedule emails to be sent at a later time. You can also schedule received emails to re-notify you at a set date and time, to remind you to take action on them when you have the time to do so.?

• Calendar: Outlook can integrate with Teams to schedule Teams conference calls between you and anyone within your organisation at the touch of a button. By including people from your organisation in a scheduled call, you’ll also be able to see their agenda for the date you’ve selected, to instantly find a time that suits everyone’s schedule.?

3. Enhance Document Collaboration with OneDrive and SharePoint?

OneDrive and SharePoint are essential for storing, sharing, and collaborating on documents. They offer your organisation a central location for all your files and documents, to be accessed from anywhere your employees operate from and shared across all departments and teams as required.?

Tips:?

• Version History: Use version history to track changes and revert to previous versions of documents. This is especially useful when multiple authors are collaborating on a single file.?

• Co-Authoring: Collaborate in real-time with colleagues on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents.?

• Share Links: Share documents with colleagues by sending links instead of attachments. This ensures everyone has access to the latest version.?

4. Boost Productivity with Microsoft To Do?

Microsoft To Do is a task management app that helps you stay organized and manage your tasks effectively.?

Tips:?

• My Day: Use the “My Day” feature to plan your day by adding tasks you want to focus on.?

• Task Lists: Create task lists for different projects or areas of your life. This helps you stay organized and prioritize your workload.?

• Integrate with Outlook: Synch your tasks with Outlook to manage your tasks and emails in one place, allowing you to effortlessly update tasks from one to the other or vice versa.?

5. Automate Workflows with Power Automate?

Power Automate allows you to automate repetitive tasks and workflows, speed up mundane, repetitive tasks and leaving you more time to add value to what you’re doing.?

Tips:?

• Create Flows: Set up flows to automate tasks such as sending notifications, copying files, or gathering data.?

• Templates: Use pre-built templates to quickly create flows for common tasks across teams and departments.?

• Integrate with Other Apps: Connect Power Automate with other Microsoft 365 apps and third-party services to streamline your workflows across the width and breadth of your operations.?

6. Visualize Data with Power BI?

Power BI is a business analytics tool that helps you visualize and share insights from your data. It can pull data from across your organisation and organise it effortlessly into easily readable visuals that allow you to analyse trends and metrics for sharper decision-making.?

Tips:?

• Create Dashboards: Build interactive dashboards to monitor key metrics and track performance.?

• Data Sources: Connect to various data sources, such as Excel, SharePoint, and SQL Server, and IoT sensors to create comprehensive reports.?

• Share Insights: Share your dashboards and reports with colleagues to keep everyone informed and facilitate greater data-driven decision-making across the organisation.?

7. Enhance Meetings with Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams is not just for chat and collaboration; it’s also a powerful tool for conducting meetings.?

Tips:?

• Schedule Meetings: Use the calendar feature to schedule and manage meetings directly within Teams. When you select colleagues from your own organisation, the calendar system will automatically update to show you their schedule and help you find time all invitees are free.?

• Meeting Notes: Take notes during meetings and share them with participants to ensure everyone is on the same page. ?

• Record Meetings: Record meetings to capture important discussions and decisions. This is especially useful for team members who couldn’t attend. Copilot AI can even transcribe meetings automatically, for easy record-keeping.?

8. Improve Document Creation with Office Apps?

Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are essential tools for creating documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.?

Tips:?

• Templates: Use templates to quickly create professional-looking documents.?

• Smart Lookup: Use the Smart Lookup feature in Word to find information online without leaving the document.?

• PivotTables: Use PivotTables in Excel to analyze and summarize large datasets.?

9. Customize Your Experience with Microsoft Power Apps?

Power Apps allows you to create custom applications tailored to your business needs.?

Tips:?

• Start with Templates: Use templates to quickly build apps for common business scenarios.?

• Integrate Data: Connect your apps to various data sources, such as SharePoint, Excel, and SQL Server.?

• Mobile Access: Ensure your apps are mobile-friendly so they can be accessed on the go.?

Microsoft 365 offers a wide range of tools designed to enhance productivity and collaboration. By leveraging these tips and tricks, you can maximize the potential of Microsoft 365 and improve efficiency and ultimately productivity across your entire organisation.?