(but might not be benefitting from)
10 productivity apps in Microsoft 365 you're already paying for >
Well, consider Microsoft 365 as your digital closet. It’s packed with applications that you pay for, but perhaps haven’t ever used.
365 is essential software for millions of businesses. And it’s easy to forget it’s so much more than Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams It’s a comprehensive platform designed to enhance collaboration, streamline workflows, and ultimately, boost your business’s productivity.
In this guide we ’ re going to dive into 10 productivity-boosting apps that are part of your Microsoft 365 subscription. We’ll look at the benefits of each one and suggest some ways your business might use them
So, let’s roll up our (new) shirt sleeves, and see if we can help your business boost your productivity to new heights.
You know how sometimes you find a shirt in your closet with the tags still on? You think, “I’ve paid for this, but haven’t worn it even once!”
1.SharePoint
Pictureanexpansive digitalplaygroundwhereyoucan store,organize,share,andaccess informationfromanydevice,as longasyouhaveawebbrowser andaninternetconnection. Soundsgreat,right?
That’sSharePoint.
It’slikehavingagiant,organizeddrawer forallyourdigitalbelongings,accessible fromanywhereintheworld.
ButSharePointisn’tjustastoragesystem. It’ssomuchmore!It’salsoarobust platformforcollaboration Youcancreate websitesandportalsforyourteamoryour entireorganization,makingiteasierthan evertoworktogether.Thinkofitasyour virtualofficespacewhereyoucan exchangeideas,manageprojects,and stayconnectedwithyourcolleagues, evenifyou’recontinentsapart.
SharePointalsocomeswithsomehelpful featuresthatmakelifealoteasier
Needtofindadocumentbutcan’t rememberwhereyoustoredit?No problem!SharePoint’spowerfulsearch functionislikeadigitaldetective, helpingyoulocateyourfilesinnotime
Andlet’snotforgetaboutsecurity.In today’sdigitalage,keepingyourdata safeisasimportantaslockingyourdoors atnight WithSharePoint,youcanset permissionstocontrolwhocanaccess what.Enjoytotalpeaceofmindknowing yourinformationissecure.
2.OneDrive
Nomorefrantic searchingforthatcrucialbusiness proposallostinalabyrinthoffolders, orpanicattackswhenyourcomputer decidestotakeanunexpectedbreak. ThankstoOneDrive,those nightmaresareathingofthepast.
OneDriveisyourcloudstorageservice,a virtualvaultwhereallyourimportantfiles areneatlystoredandreadyforactionata moment’snotice.
Whatdoesthismeanforyourproductivity?
Well,imaginehavingaccesstoallyourfiles fromanywhere,atanytime,onanydevice Whetheryou’reintheoffice,athome,oron themove,OneDrivehasyoucovered.
Butit’snotjustaboutstorage.OneDriveisa collaborationwonder Needtoshareafile withacolleague?Forgetaboutwrestling withemailattachments.WithOneDrive,it’s assimpleassendingalink.Andyougetto controlwhocanvieworedityourfiles,so nomoreaccidentaleditsorworryingabout pryingeyes
And there’s also OneDrive’s Files On-Demand feature. It allows you to see all your files without having to download them. It’s like having a file preview on steroids. You can decide which files to take offline and work on, saving you valuable storage space and data.
In short, SharePoint is like the superhero of collaboration toolsalways there when you need it, and ready to make your work life easier, more organized, and more efficient.
3.Outlook
Yes,youprobably alreadyuseOutlook.Butit’s waymorethanjustemail.
Let’ssetthescene It’sMondaymorning Yourinboxisoverflowing,you’vegot back-to-backmeetings,and…where’s thatcriticaldocumentyouneed?Buried somewhereinanemailthreadfrom lastweek.
EnterOutlook It’sheretograbthat chaosbythereinsandsteeryour workdaytowardssereneproductivity.
Outlook’semailserviceisamasterpieceof designandfunctionality It’snotjustabout sendingandreceivingemails;it’sabout doingitinstyle.Withfeatureslikeflagging, colorcoding,andapreviewpane,Outlook turnsyourinboxfromaclutteredmessinto astreamlinedcommandcenter
Butwait,there’smore!Outlookalsocomes withanintegratedcalendartomanageyour busyschedule.Schedulemeetings,set reminders,shareyourcalendar-allwithout leavingtheapp It’slikehavingapersonal plannerthatdoesn’tneedcoffeebreaksor sleep.
Andwecan’tforgetaboutthetask managementfeature Withit,youcan createto-dolists,setdeadlines,andtrack progressrightwithinOutlook.Thinkofitas yourpersonalcoachgentlynudgingyou towardsyourbusinessgoals.
4.PowerBI
NextupisPowerBI. Thisisnotjustatool;it’syour personalbusinessintelligence guru,datawhisperer,and strategicadvisorallinone.
Imagineifyoucouldtakethestacksofraw datathatarecollectingdigitaldustonyour harddrive…andtransformtheminto compellingvisualsthattellastory?With PowerBIyoudon’tneedtoimagine It’s areality.
PowerBItakesyourdata,nomatterhow complexorcontrasting,andturnsitinto interactivedashboardsandreports It’slike atranslatorthatspeaksfluent‘data’Bar graphs,piecharts,linegraphs–youname it,PowerBIcanwhipitup.
Butthemagicdoesn’tstopthere PowerBI isn’tjustaboutmakingyourdatalook pretty;it’saboutmakingitworkforyou.It combines,analyzes,andvisualizesyour datatogiveyouinsightsthatcandrive businessgrowth.It’stheequivalentof havingacrystalballforyourbusiness
Needtosharetheseinsightswithyour team?Noproblem.PowerBImakes sharingaseasyaspie–piecharts,thatis. Andwithreal-timeupdates,everyonestays onthesamepage
The productivity boost you get from quickly understanding and using your data? Priceless.
5.Planner
Canyoupicturea worldwhereallyourteam’stasks, deadlines,andprogressare availableatasingleglance?Where productivityisn’tjustabuzzword, butatangible,trackablereality? WelcometoMicrosoftPlanner, yournewbestfriendinthe realmofbusinessgrowthand time-savingefficiency.
Planneristhattrustyassistantthat’s alwaysgotyourback,makingsureno taskfallsthroughthecracks,nodeadline ismissed,andnocoffeeisleftundrunk (we’rekidding butwouldn’tthat begreat?!).
Inallseriousness,Plannerisatool designedtoturnchaosintoorder,and confusionintoclarity Itletsyoucreate ‘Plans’,whichareessentiallyprojects,and withinthesePlans,youcanbreakdown yourworkintoindividual‘Tasks’.Imagine itasavirtualwhiteboard,whereyoucan mapouteverythingthatneedstobe done,assigntaskstoteammembers,set deadlines,andevenattachfilesrelevantto eachtask.
Butthere’smore!Planneralsoallowsfor seamlessintegrationwithotherMicrosoft 365tools Needtodiscussatask?Jump straightintoaTeamschatfromPlanner. WanttoattachafilefromOneDrive?Easy peasy.It’sallaboutcreatingasmooth, streamlinedworkflowwhereeverything youneedisrightatyourfingertips
Let’snotforgetaboutthebeautyofvisual progresstracking.Plannerofferscolorful, easy-to-understandchartsthatshowyou thestatusoftasksataglance Areweon track?Who’sgottoomuchontheirplate? Whichtasksareoverdue?Onelookatthe chart,andyou’llknow.It’slikehavinga bird’seyeviewofyourentireoperation.
6.MyAnalytics
Everwishedforapersonal fitnesstracker,butforyourwork? Atoolthatmeasuresyour productivity,helpsyouidentify bottlenecks,andnudgesyou towardsbetterworkhabits?
Well,meetMyAnalytics,yetanother unsungheroofMicrosoft365.It’slikea Fitbitforyourbusiness,minusthesweat!
Thisclevertoolisdesignedtohelpyou understandhowyouspendyourtime,so youcanmakethemostoutofevery preciousminute.Itworkssilentlyinthe background,gatheringdatafromyour day-to-dayactivitiesinMicrosoft365 It thenpresentsyouwithapersonalized dashboardfilledwithinsightsaboutyour workpatterns.
ThemagicofMyAnalyticsliesinitsability tobreakdownyourtimeintocategorieslike Focus,Wellbeing,Network,and Collaboration.Itshowsyouhowmuchtime you’respendinginmeetings, respondingtoemails,workingafterhours, orfocusingondeepwork It’slikehaving abird’seyeviewofyourworkweek.
ButMyAnalyticsdoesn’tjuststopat datacollection Italsoprovidesyouwith actionablerecommendations Areyou spendingtoomuchtimeinunproductive meetings?MyAnalyticswillsuggestways tocutdown.Findingithardtofocus? MyAnalyticswillrecommendsettingaside dedicatedfocustime
Anddon’tworry,allthisdataisforyour eyesonly.MyAnalyticsrespectsyour privacyandyourdataisnotsharedwith managersoranyoneelse Whathappensin MyAnalytics,staysinMyAnalytics!
7.Stream
You’reinameeting andyourcolleaguepresents anamazingvideothatyou’dlove torevisitlater.Butinsteadofasking themtoemailittoyouortryingto finditinthevortexofsharedfiles, yousimplygotoMicrosoftStream, theNetflixofyourworklife.
Streamisnotjustatool;it’savirtual library,alearningplatform,a communicationchannel,anda time-savingwonderallrolledintoone.
Streamallowsyoutoupload,view,and sharevideoswithinyourorganizationwith ease.Thinkofitasyourcompany’sown privateYouTube,butwithoutthe distractingcatvideos.Needtosharea trainingvideowithnewhires?Streamit! Wanttobroadcastyourquarterlywhole businessmeeting?Streamit!Havea greatnewproductdemo?Youguessed… Streamit!
ButStreamismorethanjustavideo platform Itsintegrationwithother Microsoft365toolsreallymakesitstand out.YoucansharevideosdirectlyinTeams chats,embedtheminPowerPoint presentations,orevenco-authorvideo transcriptsinreal-time It’sapowerful videoproductionandsharingsystemright atyourfingertips.
Streamalsoboastsotherfantastic featureslikeautomatictranscription,face detection,andsearchablecontent Ever wantedtojumptothatspecific momentinavideowhereyourCEO talksaboutthenewbusinessstrategy? WithStream,youcan.It’slikehavinga personalvideoassistantthatknows exactlywhatyouneed
8.Forms
Areyouseekinga waytostreamlinedatacollection, getinsightsfromyourteam,or perhapsevengathercustomer feedback?MicrosoftFormsisthe secretweaponyouneedinyour productivityarsenal.
Formsisanintuitive,AI-poweredtool thatenablesyoutocreateonlinesurveys, quizzes,questionnaires,andmoreinno time Imaginebeingabletoeffortlessly capturetheinformationyouneed, wheneveryouneedit.
Doyouremembertheolddayswhenwe hadtomanuallycreateforms,distribute them,andthenpainstakinglycompilethe data?Wellthosedaysareover.Thistoolnot justsimplifiestheprocessofcreating forms,butalsoorganizesthedataforyou, savingyouprecioustimeandeffort
Andobviously,there’smore.Formsisn’t justaboutcollectingdata.It’salsoabout growingyourbusiness.Howso?By providingyouwithvaluableinsightsthat canhelpyoumakeinformeddecisions Wanttoknowwhatyourcustomersthink aboutyourlatestproduct?Ormaybeyou’re curiouswhatyouremployeesfeelabout thenewofficelayout Formscanhelpyou findout!
Let’snotforgetthefunpart-yes,there’sa funpart!YoucanalsouseMicrosoftForms tocreateengagingquizzesfortraining sessionsorteam-buildingactivities Who saiddatacollectionhadtobeboring?
MicrosoftFormshasalsointroducedsome excitingnewfeatures,includingtheability toincludeimagesinmultiple-choice questions.Now,doesn’tthataddadash ofcolor?
9.ToDo
Isyourto-dolist longerthanachild’sChristmaswish list?Areyouconstantlyjuggling betweentasks,tryingtokeeptrack ofwhat’sdoneandwhat’spending?
It’stimetodiscoverMicrosoftTo-Do.
It’slikeyourveryownpersonalassistant who’salwaysontheirA-game It’sacloudbasedtaskmanagementapplicationthat letsyoucreate,manage,andprioritizeyour tasksfromanydevice.Whetheryou’reon yourphonecheckingoffthegrocerylistor atyourcomputerplanningthenextbig project,MicrosoftTo-Dohasgotyourback
Rememberthosedayswhenstickynotes ruledourworld,stickingtoeverypossible surface,onlytobelostwhenneededthe most?MicrosoftTo-Dosavesyoufromthat chaos Itseasy-to-useinterfaceletsyou createlistsfordifferentprojects,setdue dates,andevenaddreminders.
Butitdoesn’tjusthelpwithmanaging tasks;italsohelpsyougrowyourbusiness, byincreasingyourproductivity,reducing stress,andfreeinguptimeforyouto focusonwhattrulymatters–takingyour businesstothenextlevel.
Youcansharelistswithyourteam, fosteringcollaborationandensuring everyoneisonthesamepage.Andif you’refeelingadventurous,youcaneven color-codeyourlists.Whosaidtask managementhadtobedull?
10.Dynamics365
Dynamics365isabitlikethat superorganizedfriendweallhave. Youknowtheonethat’salwayson topoftheirgame,nevermissesa beat,andstillfindstimetobake cupcakesfortheschoolbakesale?
Except,insteadofcupcakes,Dynamics 365offersatonofbusinessapplications.
Thinkofitasyourpersonalassistant, financialadvisor,andcustomerservice representativeallinone.Ithelpswith managingyourfinances,streamlining youroperations,andevenschmoozing yourcustomers.
Onemoment,it’soptimizingyour everydayfinancialsandoperations, reducingcomplexitywithoutramping upcosts.Thenext,it’scollaborating effectivelywithyourteams,driving growthandpavingthewayforan excitingfuture.
It’slikeaSwissArmyknifeforyour business Needtomanageyoursupply chain?There’sanappforthat Wantto improveyourcustomerservice?Yep, there’sanappforthattoo.Human resources?Youbetcha.Andthey allplaynicelytogetherunderthe Dynamics365umbrella
And of course, just like other Microsoft 365 tools, it offers seamless integration with other apps in the suite. Now, isn’t that a productivity booster?
