Change doesn’t happen in a vacuum when businesses switch to Microsoft Office. Most firms need to integrate a range of current systems and procedures with Microsoft Office, and being proactive offers several advantages.
There are several causes for this, but many organizations utilizing Microsoft Office don’t fully use it or make the most of their financial investment.
Determining how organizations can effectively utilize Microsoft Office for collaboration will help them obtain more value from their investment, increase productivity, reduce organizationally and IT expenses, and enhance their working practices.
Understand the Integration Process
Exchange and Outlook are the foundation for most Office 365’s planner, mail, and contacts features. People spend most of their time there, and that’s also where integration points may be most helpful. Harmonie is a beautiful example of a system that connects SharePoint, where everybody should save their documents, with Outlook, where you will spend most of your time.
Using the Right Tools for the Process
Although you may be tempted to have Microsoft Office manage every aspect of your business operations, ensure you’re utilizing the right tools for each application. For instance, sales representatives frequently operate from their mobile devices when away from the Office.
They spend most of their time in Outlook, making it more sensible to activate Office 365’s contact capability with Outlook. However, keep in mind that Outlook doesn’t offer account or possibility monitoring, which is crucial for sales.
The recent news of Microsoft’s extensive cooperation with Salesforce.com opens up many fascinating possibilities. The organization can integrate the contact feature of Office 365 with Salesforce to help mobile workers be even more productive.
Save Time with Self-Service
Focusing on connection with HR systems is crucial if you consider what Microsoft 365 managed services offer and how businesses typically utilize SharePoint and enterprise intranets. Generally, methods like integrating employee information into SharePoint’s Personal Sites fall under this category.
By merging Microsoft Office with cloud-based HR applications like Workday, there will be even more chances to motivate workers and save time with self-service options.
Instead of requiring employees to visit the Office, look for possibilities to enable self-service, such as when reporting expenditures or requesting time off. Additional advantages of these integrations for remote workers include making it simpler to manage HR, and other tasks typically carried out in person.
Encourage Employees’ Adoption
The facts should be organized logically in successful integration, making moving between apps easier for the user. Consider the effects of enabling single sign-on. People detest having to remember so many different logins and passwords.
Users value the convenience of having everything they want in one interface when using programs integrated with Microsoft Office instead of switching between different applications. This drastically improves usefulness and efficiency:
Advocates: Choose a small group of influential individuals inside the company, such as managers, stakeholders, and staff members, who will energize the campaign, lead by example, and inspire others to follow.
Training: It’s a great idea to demonstrate to customers how to utilize Microsoft Office 365’s features and applications to get the most out of the software. You may organize group training and education sessions or distribute quick how-to videos on the internet for your staff to watch whenever they have a moment.
Be aware of Your Limitations
Any successful integration with Microsoft Office will firstly rely on how open the other service is. Many cloud services were complex because customization was not a priority during development.
A Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application’s capacity to be customized is typically sacrificed when deployed in a multi-tenant environment. Thanks to certain interface flexibility, you might be able to integrate on that level, only to run into data access problems later on when you try to integrate Office more thoroughly.
Few businesses begin their migration to Office 365 with a clean slate, so it’s crucial to determine which existing processes and systems to incorporate while being aware of the advantages and disadvantages.
Bottom Line
These are just a handful of the most important ways to maximize your Microsoft Office investment to grow your company. There are several features and advantages of Microsoft Office that many businesses don’t fully utilize. All it needs is some knowledge, some effort, and some assistance. Due to the time, money, and resource savings, as well as the increased production, the investment is, nevertheless, more than worthwhile.
