Approximately 1.3 million American companies are using Microsoft 365 to maximize their operations. If your business is among them, you likely already know the basic features of Word, Excel, and Outlook. Yet many companies don’t take full advantage of the software’s diverse range of tools for improving collaboration, communication, and workflow management.
Our favorite Microsoft 365 features include:
- Cloud storage
- Clutter
- Sway
- Graph API
- To Do
- Microsoft Office Planner
- Automatic Summary and Meeting Recap
- Whiteboard
- Editing PDF files
What Is Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 is a comprehensive cloud-based productivity suite.
A subscription can be a major factor in your IT strategy, allowing team members to install these apps on multiple devices including PCs, Macs, tablets, and phones. Additionally, it provides Microsoft 365 features 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage for convenient file access and sharing.
Microsoft 365 helps to enhance your team’s efficiency and collaboration across various tasks and projects. It ensures that your organization stays current with feature updates and upgrades exclusive to the platform. At TenHats, we help business leaders implement Microsoft 365 to get the most out of their teams.
Microsoft 365 Features Helpful for Every Business
Microsoft 365 provides a range of features to your organization. Cloud storage simplifies file management while tools like Clutter organize emails for efficiency. Sway enhances presentations, Graph API empowers data management, and task management is streamlined with To Do and Office Planner. Other Microsoft 365 features such as Meeting Recaps and Whiteboard foster collaboration, with editing PDFs in Word boosting workflow efficiency.
1. Cloud Storage
Cloud storage from Microsoft 365 streamlines file management, eliminating the need for constant uploads and downloads. Instead of attaching files to emails, you simply insert links to cloud-stored files, facilitating quick and easy sharing with colleagues. This feature not only saves time but also ensures files are stored securely.
Additionally, Outlook integration lets you edit files directly from the email while senders retain control over editing access for recipients. This along with other Microsoft 365 features enhances collaboration and workflow efficiency within the digital environment.
2. Clutter
Considered one of the most underrated email management tools, the Clutter feature within Microsoft 365 intelligently organizes mailboxes. Utilizing mailbox rules, it prioritizes important messages for immediate attention while directing less urgent emails to the Clutter folder for review later.
Clutter enhances productivity by ensuring crucial communications are readily visible. As one of the standout Microsoft 365 features, it streamlines email management, helping your business focus on essential tasks while maintaining efficient communication channels.
3. Sway
Microsoft 365 features Sway, which proves super useful for presentations by offering an interactive, web-based platform for sharing concepts. With its built-in templates and configurations, you can effortlessly create visually appealing reports and presentations without requiring additional design skills.
Sway from Microsoft 365 enables the creation of various types of content, beneficial for teams like IT service desks.
You can easily arrange:
- Pictures
- Text
- Videos
- Diagrams
This is done on a canvas which can then be shared with colleagues via a link to adjust the presentation for the desired look and feel. This enhances collaboration and communication within your organization.
4. Graph API
The Graph API for Microsoft 365 is invaluable for companies that prioritize data management. With a single endpoint, you can harness a vast array of resources, relationships, and intelligence.
Tailored to retrieve specific organizational data, it enables swift development of custom:
- Dashboards
- Workflows
- Apps
If data is a top priority for your business, the Graph API empowers you to streamline processes and access valuable insights efficiently. It showcases one of the standout Microsoft 365 features for data-centric operations.
5. To Do
Microsoft 365 features To Do, which simplifies task management with its easy-to-use interface. It allows you to efficiently schedule and organize tasks from any device. This helps to enhance productivity and workflow organization.
To Do facilitates seamless task synchronization across all fields, ensuring teams stay coordinated and tasks are completed promptly. Its intuitive design and seamless integration make To Do a valuable addition to the Microsoft 365 suite, optimizing task management for companies of all types.
6. Microsoft Office Planner
Microsoft Office Planner is a visual task management software that aids in streamlining your business’s workflow management. Through effective collaboration, you can easily:
- Create plans
- Assign tasks to team members
- Share files
- Schedule dates
All this can be accomplished with a simple project management tool from Microsoft 365.
With email alerts and dashboards, team members stay updated on work statuses. The visual collaboration aspect fosters transparency, allowing teams to share files and discuss tasks openly. With Microsoft 365 features like Office Planner, you’ll enhance project coordination and visibility across projects.
7. Automatic Summary and Meeting Recap
Microsoft 365 features such as Automatic Summary in Word and Meeting Recaps with Outlook are invaluable, helping you save time and providing easy reference. With Word Editor’s AI integration, you can instantly summarize documents online. This captures the essence of long reports or simplifies information for multiple recipients effortlessly.
Outlook’s meeting recap option addresses meeting fatigue by providing easy access to key components like:
- Files,
- Transcripts, and
- Recordings
Gathered directly from the calendar event, it facilitates collaboration and streamlining workflows within Microsoft 365.
8. Whiteboard
Whiteboard from Microsoft 365 is a highly interactive app designed to innovate discussions within your teams. It provides an advanced space for collaborative:
- Brainstorming
- Problem-solving
- Incident management
- Sprint planning
- Learning
With its interactive features, Whiteboard enhances engagement during meetings and fosters creativity and efficiency. Your teams can use the Microsoft 365 features to visualize ideas, organize thoughts, and work together seamlessly. This makes Whiteboard an essential tool for interactive discussions and collaborative work within the suite of Microsoft 365 features.
9. Editing PDF Files
The ease of editing PDF files with Microsoft 365 features is a game-changer. While PDFs are commonly used as uneditable final documents in business, the ability to edit them within Word streamlines workflow. You can seamlessly convert PDFs to Word documents and vice versa, eliminating the need to switch between Adobe and Office applications.
This feature from Microsoft 365 enhances efficiency and convenience, allowing your company to make necessary changes to documents without hassle. It ultimately ends up improving productivity within the Microsoft 365 suite itself.
Want to learn how TenHats can provide strategic advising to your organization? Contact us today to start a conversation!
Microsoft 365 offers a comprehensive suite of tools to transform operations for your business. With access to essential applications, a subscription becomes integral to your IT strategy, enabling seamless collaboration and secure file storage. These tools enhance productivity, streamline workflows, and foster efficient communication within organizations. TenHats specializes in helping businesses leverage Microsoft 365 to maximize their potential.
In 2016, TenHats built the region’s first purpose-built colocation data center in over 20 years. Located in Knoxville, TN, our data center can serve any organization in East Tennessee and beyond. With our team’s IT experience, we provide a lot more than simply protected data. When you call us, you talk to a real IT expert. Connect with our team about our data center today!
