How Can Microsoft Office 365 Improve Your Team Productivity?

Running a business is not an easy task nowadays. Be it a large or small company, you have to take care of so many factors in order to make your business a success. The number of challenges faced is endless.

Most of the organizations these days lack productivity in spite of investing millions of dollars. Sometimes it’s because of the lack of coordination between the different teams working from different locations, or because of limited availability of resources to do work.

A solution to all these problems is now on one platform – Microsoft Office 365. Launched in 2011, it is a cloud-based version of the desktop-based software offered by Microsoft. This suite by Microsoft provides you with all the applications and services you’ve been looking for to improve your team productivity.

Statistics show that, currently, over 155 million people use Office 365 Business, and these numbers are constantly increasing.

So, let us see how Office 365 can help increase your team productivity –

1. Virtual Workspace on Cloud

Gone are the times when you had to worry about data loss, storage, and maintenance of your physical servers. With Microsoft Office 365 being on cloud, you can get various features and benefits which not only makes your work easier but also boosts the efficiency of your work.

Here are some aspects of cloud-based workspace offered by MS Office 365 –

a) Anytime, Anywhere Access

Being on cloud, you can access your Microsoft applications and products from anywhere around the world at any given time, provided that you have access to the Internet. You can also use the same license on multiple devices accessed by different users which helps you and your team work together efficiently.

b) Easy Collaboration

Office 365 helps create a common platform for your entire team to communicate and collaborate. It allows you to write, edit, and work on the same document, which prevents the creation of multiple versions of the same document.

c) Security and Backup

As all of your data and information is on the cloud, you don’t have to worry about the security of your data. Multiple backups are also created on different servers that can help you retrieve your files in case of any loss.

This means that you no longer need to worry about the safety of your information, and you can focus completely on expanding your business.

d) Integration with other Applications

With Office 365, you can integrate other third-party applications to improve your workflow. For example, accounting software like QuickBooks and Xero integrate seamlessly with Office 365 for efficient data management.

In short, MS Office 365 helps create a virtual workspace for you and your colleagues to work together on a common platform.

2. Features and Benefits

Office 365 comes in different plans and pricing, each of which has a variety of applications and products. Whatever plan you purchase will give you features to carry out each and every task required for your work.

From writing documents on MS Word to conducting video conferences from across the world on Skype for Business, Office 365 has it all.

Apart from the basic Microsoft Office suite, the O365 version provides you with a bundle of new applications and products with unique features to make your work easier.

Following are a few services provided by Office 365-

a) Microsoft Exchange Server

It is an email hosting service that helps you store and send emails. This also includes a calendaring server to help you plan and schedule meetings, presentations, etc.

b) Microsoft Yammer

It is a social networking platform which helps you connect with people within and outside your institution. It is a platform for people to share and exchange ideas, information, etc.

c) Skype for Business

It is an online messaging and conferencing application which helps you connect and work with people from anywhere around the world. With this network, you can even conduct a meeting of up to 250 people from different locations.

d) SharePoint

It is an online document management platform where you can collaborate with multiple people to work on the same file or presentation.

e) MyAnalytics

Formerly known as Delve Analytics, is a cloud-based service that helps you track your personal usage of all Microsoft applications. You can also check information and data about your colleagues. This tool basically acts as your personal dashboard.

f) Microsoft Teams

This is a communications platform that helps you work in a team with features including- chat, video calls, storage, etc.

g) Microsoft Planner

This is a web-based tool that helps you plan and organize meetings, schedule appointments, assign work, etc.

h) Microsoft OneNote

This tool helps you to make notes, highlight important topics, share notes with your colleagues, etc.

i) OneDrive

This is a cloud storage service offered by Microsoft that allows you to store your files in a virtual space and access them from anywhere.

The features mentioned above are just an overview of what you can do with office 365 suite. There are products in this suite for every task you wish to do. Moreover, features like remote access, collaborative platform, and social networking help you increase your team productivity.

To know more about the features of Microsoft Office 365, call our Microsoft certified experts at 1-855-ACE-IT-UP.