Microsoft Office products have served as the backbone of offices around the world since the 1990’s. And they’ve worked to maintain their importance in the age of smart phones, remote offices, and cloud computing.
Their 21st century upgrade, Office 365, was released in 2011 and adoption rates have been growing steadily since that time. Market Realist reports that as of 2016, the software had been deployed in over one-third of organizations globally.
But many businesses that use Office 365 have yet to unlock all the collaborative super powers of this platform. It’s so much more than just email, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel!
Companies that promote collaboration are 5 times more likely to be high performing!
According to Forbes, a study of corporate productivity found that companies that promote collaborative working are 5 times more likely to be high performing than those that don’t. It was also found that employees that were encouraged to work collaboratively with their teammates stuck at their task 64% longer than peers working alone.
Team collaboration is a key component of Office 365. And it’s something our team at Technology Visionaries teaches our clients to take advantage of.
Office 365 Software Overview
Before we get into the top three features we’re going to highlight in this article, let’s look at a quick overview of what’s included in Office 365.
Of course it has all the familiar favorites for creating documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, and the well-known email program, Outlook. But even these programs have been given a technology super boost by putting them online and shareable across multiple devices.
What’s Included in Office 365
- Outlook
- Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- OneNote
- Access (PC only)
- Exchange
- OneDrive
- SharePoint
- Skype for Business
- Microsoft Teams
- One license covers 5 phones, 5 tablets, and 5 PCs or Macs per user
How Does Office 365 Work?
Office 365 is a cloud service, meaning that you can store, backup, and share files with any device, no matter were you are. This means no more having to remember to email yourself that presentation so you can work on it at home. You can just open it from your home computer or tablet from the same place you preiously saved it.
Rather than buying one static copy then having to pay to buy another one later, Office 365 is a subscription service and you can pay for as many or few users as needed. Each license covers 5 copies per user for a PC/Mac, phone, and tablet.
3 Awesome Features of Office 365 to Empower Your Productivity
Now, let’s get down to three of the most awesome features to help your team collaborate and boost your office productivity.
We are thankful to work with so many great businesses in the Woodbridge, NJ area. One particular client quote about Technology Visionaries illustrates our passion for helping companies thrive:
“They’re always willing to help me be more productive in my job by suggesting new technology that makes me more efficient!”
In a nutshell, that’s why we love working with programs like this one. So, on to the awesome features every small (or medium or large) business should be using in Office 365.
Microsoft Teams (Let’s Get Connected!)
You have a client project being completed today and they’ve just contacted your sales person on the road to make a logo change. The team back at the office putting the project together doesn’t know yet, and your sales person can’t get them the graphic file until it’s too late.
With a connected platform, your sales person could’ve simply opened an app on their mobile device, sent a message via chat to a team member and dragged the file into it, instantly getting it where it needed to go and everyone is on the same page.
Features of Microsoft Teams:
- Interoffice Team Chat with file sharing and threaded conversations
- Easy online HD video meetings with clients or team members
- Computer based phone system and calling plans
- Communicate across multiple devices (desktops, laptops, smart phones, tablets)
- Share Office 365 documents through connected apps
- Enterprise security
- Customizable interface
OneDrive (One Place for Everything!)
Everyone’s been working hard on your brand new social media marketing plan, and now you’re ready to hand it over to be implemented. But you’re not sure which version is the final that everyone came up with. There are different copies on different computers.
With OneDrive, you’d have one file that can be accessed from multiple devices, updated, and saved in one location. Easy. It’s a master file system that makes it easy to backup, store, and share files anywhere, anytime.
Features of OneDrive:
- Comes pre-installed on Windows 10 and can be access from PC, Mac, Android, and iOS devices
- Collaborate with your favorite programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote) online and across devices
- Stay informed with real-time notification of edits
- Save Outlook email attachments to OneDrive easily
- Keep all your files in one place, accessible anywhere
Sharepoint (Dynamic Team & Project Websites!)
Your product development team just reached a milestone and needs input to make your next gadget the best it can be. They send out a questionnaire by email, but response is low. That email just got buried.
What if they had their own dynamic project website with images of the team and gadget with an easy online commenting system? Suddenly everyone’s excited and doing their best to input on the new innovation. Team websites empower your staff and make it easy to share files, data, news and resources.
Features of Sharepoint:
- Share news and data both internally and with your customers
- Allows collaboration on PCs, Macs, and mobile devices
- Engage and inform staff across your organization
- Tell your story to customers in a unique way
- Harness your collective knowledge for FAQs
- Streamline workflows, tasks, and notifications