Microsoft offers various Office 365 plans for businesses and enterprises of all sizes, so you can increase productivity and collaboration within your organization. Whether you’re a small 20-person startup or a large corporation with thousands of employees, there’s a plan that will work for you.
Not to mention, Microsoft is consistently adding new features and updates, and their current list of applications goes far beyond the applications we all know and love such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. So, to enlighten you, we’ve gathered a short list of 5 useful Office 365 applications you might not have been aware of but could really be a game-changer for your business operations.
1. Teams
Collaboration and open communication is a must for every team, no matter the size or industry. Microsoft’s Teams app allows your employees to chat within various channels (think departments, projects, etc.) all while seamlessly integrating other Office 365 apps. For example, there’s no need to leave the app to send the marketing calendar to your “Marketing Team” channel, instead you can upload it right there in the Teams apps and work on it together. Other features include threading conversations, video calls, tagging specific people in your messages, and adding emojis or GIFs to give your conversations a personal touch.
2. OneDrive
The time of uploading and sending files to colleagues through email is over. OneDrive is a more efficient, secure way to store, sync, and share your files. Also, because OneDrive uses cloud technology, you can retrieve your files from anywhere with an internet connection. Sharing a file with OneDrive is as easy as a click of a button, literally. Possibly the most important part of utilizing OneDrive for file sharing is its security. This app allows you to protect and backup your files, whereas with email – phishing attacks are on the rise, so choosing this method for file sending/receiving may compromise your security. Another great feature is being able to collaborate with your team on files in real-time!
3. Sway
If your organization doesn’t have access to design software or an in-house team of designers, that doesn’t mean your digital newsletters, presentations, and reports can’t look like you do! Using Microsoft’s Sway app, you can easily compile text, images, and videos into aesthetically pleasing layouts using an interactive, web-based canvas with drag-and-drop features. Also, there’s various templates to choose from and even an option to let Sway suggest design elements that match your current content! When you’re finished, your creations can then be shared simply by sending a link.
4. Planner
Some people just learn and work better visually. Office 365’s Planner app does just that by organizing your team’s tasks and projects into a simple, visual layout. Create plans, assign tasks, share files, set deadlines, update project statuses, and much more in this interactive planning application. Once you get started, you can check out the “Planner Hub” to see how your plans are progressing and whether tasks are being completed in a timely manner. Planner will help skyrocket your team’s productivity by ensuring that everybody is informed and on task.
5. Flow
Saving time in business is crucial. After all, time is money. So, when it comes to repetitive tasks, Microsoft Flow is a fantastic option for automating processes by building workflows based on certain triggers and actions. For example, when a document is uploaded to a certain library you can automate an email to be sent to the supervisor to review it. This cuts out the task of manually emailing and any back-and-forth that may occur. Not to mention, the user interface is easy-to-use and allows integrations with various other applications (IE: MailChimp, Twitter, OneDrive, etc.)
The list of useful applications goes beyond these 5, including: Bookings, Stream, MyAnalytics, and many more.
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