Microsoft’s power tools – World, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook – have been dominating offices since the 1990’s, and in this century, this office suite has had quite the evolution to give companies the means to make them more productive than ever.

Office 365 gives users all their Microsoft favorites, plus a whole pallet of new productivity tools that promote teamwork, collaboration, and the flexibility needed into today’s mobile-friendly offices.

56% of organizations globally use Microsoft’s Office 365. (Wire19)

Triada Networks enjoys the ability to help our clients’ businesses thrive by providing a number of tailored tech support and IT services to companies in the NYC and New Jersey areas. One of the most popular is our secure cloud services, which helps businesses reduce costs and improve their staff productivity.

One thing that we often find is while many offices are upgrading to the cloud-based Office 365, they’re not yet unlocking its full potential. We help them do that.

Have you been wondering how to get the most out of your Office 365 subscription? Read on for our top tips and tricks for harnessing this office suite’s amazing productivity benefits.

Using Office 365 for a More Productive Office

Productivity is defined as, “The effectiveness of productive effort as measured in terms of the rate of output per unit of input.”

In today’s modern office, being productive can take on a variety of forms, from collaboration that moves a project forward faster to an easily searchable platform for the storage and sharing of files.

Here are 8 powerful ways you can create a more productive office with Microsoft Office 365.

1. Reduce Email Clutter with Microsoft Teams

The average employee spends 30 hours per week just checking their email inbox. That’s a lot of productivity time that could better be used on other tasks. Using Microsoft Teams can free your team from sorting through multiple back-and-forth email conversation threads.

This team chat application not only helps your staff collaborate more easily, they can also message each other and quickly drag-and-drop to share files in real-time, without the inefficient email back and forth.

2. Use the “Tell Me” Box to Shorten Searches

It’s not unusual for minutes to tick by as you’re looking for a particular feature in Word, Excel or another program, such as “how to insert a hyperlink” or “how to increase tab distance”. Office 365 programs have a handy “Tell me” search at the top that brings you to just the thing you need in seconds by typing in a keyword or two.

3. Find Files Fast in OneDrive

OneDrive is a file storage tool that comes with an Office 365 subscription and it has powerful search and cloud backup capabilities. If you’re using an inefficient backup and storage app that is cumbersome to search, it hurts productivity. Utilize OneDrive for easy and efficient keyword-based file searches.

4. Meet Virtually with Clients in Skype for Business

Want to expand your customer base, but not increase your travel budget? Skype for Business, which comes with your Office 365 subscription, allows you to easily video conference with clients in another state or another country. This makes it possible to meet “face-to-face” without dealing with travel costs or hassle.

5. Mobile-Friendly, Means Talent Flexibility

An inherent benefit of using a cloud-based platform built for collaboration is that you can hire talent from any location and still be in constant contact throughout the day as if you were in the next office. Office 365 multiple collaborative tools offer the ability to hire the best and brightest without geographical barriers.

6. Multiple Document Templates to Save Design Time

Do you need a checklist for a new client portfolio plan? Want to put together a great-looking presentation fast? Office 365 goes beyond just the few pre-set templates in the offline version. You an easily search for hundreds of templates right inside the program to quickly find one that will reduce time spent on design and formatting.

7. Work Online or Offline

One standout feature of Office 365 is that it’s a cloud hybrid, meaning you still download the software onto your computer or device so you can use it both online or offline. This means if you’re on an airplane or in a spot without an internet connection, you can still get work done offline and save to your computer until you’re connected again.

8. Keep Everyone on the Same Page with Microsoft Groups

How much time is spent trying to keep team members working on the same client project connected? How can you secure a workspace so only certain staff can access it? Microsoft Groups is the answer! This tool allows you to set up shared resources like an Outlook inbox, shared calendar or collaborative document library and set permissions so only invited members can access everything.

Need Help Getting the Most Out of Your Office 365 Subscription?

Don’t be one of those offices that’s only using half of the power of their Microsoft office suite. Triada Networks can get you set up to fully utilize all the productivity-powering tools of Office 365 and teach your staff how use them.

Contact us today to take control of your tech. Call 201-297-7778 or schedule a consultation using our time-saving tool.