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How to Become an Office 365 Champion

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It’s a new year and many people are resolving to be more productive in 2017. One way to do this is to be an Office 365 champion. Resolve to learn all you can about the technology. We’re not only talking about integrating it into your current workflow. We’re talking about making an all-out commitment to use it to maximize your productivity. Get more work done in less time.

1. Go beyond the basics

Many companies have made the switch to Office 365. If your company has migrated, they might have included training where you learn about storing and syncing data, using the calendar, running effective meetings in Skype, etc. This gives you the basics with an abundance of tools and features. Learn how to use them. Take this training further by mastering the basics and finding new ways to use the tools for better results. Understand that everyone is different and how you utilize the tools will be based on your specific needs and habits. Be creative in how you can improve your habits with the tools provided.

2. Explore the many features

Documents easily convert and once converted you’ll find features to help you use and share those documents in creative ways. There are many features, but don’t look at them as overkill. With so many, you can do some amazing things quicker and easier. Think of the many features as opportunities to be more productive. For example, discover clutter in Outlook and how it helps to sort low priority messages. Yes, you will need to spend some time on the front end with learning about the features and testing them out, but on the back end you will be able to save time so you can concentrate on what you do best.

3. Use features to stick to resolutions

Don’t forget about your New Year’s resolutions. Find ways to stick to those resolutions. This might require changing behaviors to improve, and many of the features in Office 365 can help you do just that! While you’ll love the bells and whistles of the new technology, using it is more about enhancing your productivity and workflow. Instead of looking at the cool features and how to fit them into your work, think about what you can use in your work to be more productive and search out the specific tools in Office 365. For example, if you want to stop being overwhelmed with email, check out sweep in Outlook. With sweep, you can quickly clean up unwanted emails in your mailbox. And to improve your task management, look deeper into integrating OneNote with Outlook for an effective project management tool. OneNote is also an awesome way to move your notes from paper to digital form so that they are searchable, always at your fingertips, and on your computer and phone. No more getting out the laptop to enter notes, just open OneNote on your mobile phone.

4. Keep up with the training

Stay on top of your game by continuously learning about the many tools and features. To be a champion you want to learn all the ins and outs. The Microsoft Office Training Center has many videos. There will always be more training as you discover additional features and find the need for other tools that increase your productivity, but by being proactive in your learning, you’ll be the ideal team player. You’ll be able to lead by example and help your peers as you master setting, tracking and measuring goals, communicating with your team, and sharing files with ease!

Migrating to Office 365 is a great choice for most businesses and Boost IT has perfected the migration with zero downtime. And if you need assistance configuring it on your device, see our how-to instructional articles on Configure Office 365 on Android and Configure Office 365 on iPhone / iPad.