How to Get the Most Out Of Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365

There is a lot to love about Microsoft Office 365.  It is a robust platform that comes with tons of functionalities. Microsoft attributes much of the success of its commercial cloud to Office 365. With over 120 million users on board as of 2017, it could explain why it is a top earner for the company. 

The platform has a collection of Cloud services for both individual and commercial use. The latter benefit from packages like Azure, Power BI, Dynamics 365, and Enterprise security. Users also have access to office tools like Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

But, you will not realize the full potential of Microsoft 365 if you do not know how to get the most out of it. We will show you how with examples in our article below. 

1. Project Management Is Easy With Microsoft Project 

Have you ever had a chance to interact with project managers? One thing for sure is that they never seem to have enough time. It is like their world revolves around tasks, budgets, team management and so much more. And indeed, that is the true picture if you have ever been one.

It helps to have a way to manage all the different tasks and processes. Project managers will find this and so much more with Microsoft Project.

Don’t be put off by the complexity of this software. You can get valuable insights from a microsoft project training course for beginners found online. This will give a jump start on your journey to master Microsoft Project.

Some of the best Microsoft Project functionalities include:-

  • Centralization of project activities on one dashboard.  All the team members know their roles, timelines, and progress
  • Planning and scheduling of tasks
  • Team calendars with notifications and work synchronization for better streamlining of activities
  • Integration with other Microsoft tools. Microsoft Teams, for example, helps with easy collaboration.  Microsoft Office allows for document creation and sharing on the cloud platform.
  • Mobile optimization for convenience and quick access
  •  Report creation using customizable structures depending on your requirements

 With processes in place, project managers can achieve higher efficiency. There will be greater productivity and higher project completion rates. 

2. Presentation Creation With Sway

The go-to tool for presentations is Microsoft PowerPoint. Customization options are plentiful including adding images, audio, or video files. 

But now there is another option available on Microsoft. Sway allows for a high level of creativity when creating presentations. The features are easy to use so the learning curve is not steep. Even beginners will not have a problem using the tool. 

When you go to the homepage, you find tutorials, links, and examples on how to use it.  You can integrate Sway with YouTube, Twitter, Bing, and Onedrive. Adding videos, photos and other multimedia from the platforms is easy.

Sharing or editing with team members only requires you to have a URL. Audio recording allows you to add narration or commentaries as you wish. 

Closed captioning with multiple language options is also available. If you don’t want people to see the presentations, use the security feature to ensure privacy. Only those with a password will get access.

If uploading the presentation online, y set the viewer count option. It allows you to see how many people looked at your document. 

3. Organize Your Day With OneNote

With so much to do, it can be easy to forget some critical tasks. Of course, you have the option of using a notebook to scribble down everything you need to do. But, it only works if you remember to look at the to-do list.

Well, OneNote is very much like a digital notebook. The advantage is you get alerts when it is time to work on a task.

You will also find it very useful if you need to share documents with other people. The cloud facility only requires you to give access to those you wish. 

IPad and iPhone users have added functionalities with Office Lens. It is an inbuilt camera application on OneNote. Users can take pictures, or whiteboards and edit them so that it looks like a scan, instead of a picture.

That means you can crop, straighten or sharpen the image. Now, save the image in OneNote and it will be available anytime you need it.

No more transferring notes from the whiteboard after a meeting. All you need to do is take a picture and get the digital format on the platform. 

4. Manage Emails With Outlook

Do you ever look at your inbox and groan, whether loudly or silently? You just can’t seem to keep up with the emails. When you try to go through them, you find that some are not relevant. 

You also seem to attract a lot of spam mail. And, you wish you had a way to prioritize the emails, so  that you only deal with the most urgent.

Well, split your screen right now into two. On one side have this article open. On the other, have your outlook. Now, check out the following features. 

  • Start with the clutter feature. It allows you to create a folder for non-essential emails.  The tool recognizes patterns of behavior. If you always ignore particular emails, it classifies them as clutter. They will go straight to the clutter folder. That means your inbox does not pile up with unnecessary stuff.
  • Are there any conversations you do not feel you need to be part of?  If yes, enable the ignore feature. No more annoying notifications or updates you have zero interest in.
  •  Snooze, schedule, or set reminders with Boomerang.
  • Categories and flags help keep track of the most important emails. Assign different colors depending on priority levels
  • Create appointments, meetings, tasks all from one window.  No more switching from your inbox to other tools to do all these. 

Final Thoughts

Microsoft 365 has some excellent features that can make your life so much simpler. We have looked at some of the best packages.

What we like is that they can help make your life so much easier. It doesn’t matter whether you are using it in the office or at home. You will find different tools to fit your requirements. 

Online security is a concern for anyone who uses cloud services. But, Microsoft 365 has you covered.  The company has added excellent security measures to keep your documents safe. Such include advanced threat protection (ATP) and multi-factor authentication. 

Take the time to learn more about Microsoft 365. There is so much more to uncover, discover and explore.

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