Microsoft 365 – A Quick Primer

office 365

Overview

If you’re in business, chances are you’re a little familiar with Microsoft Office. It’s a powerful business tool that keeps you connected no matter where you are working from. Touted as being one of the most “technologically advanced and sophisticated” office tools, its features were specifically designed to increase your company’s productivity. A nice side effect of this increase in productivity  is that you’ll find your daily practices are also greatly improved. Another plus is that your subscription to Microsoft 365 includes automatic real time updates with new and improved features so that you’ll always be up-to-date and “in the know.”

The big question here is “Are you getting the most out of your Microsoft 365 subscription?” Chances are you’re not. Let’s fix that. But before we get into that, here’s a quickie reminder of how to login to 365 and also add the email to your smartphone.

Logging into 365

It’s easier than you think. Simply Google “office 365 login”. The first item in the search results is the one you want (https://www.office.com) – click on “Sign in” and voila! You’re there!

Email on your smartphone

It’s as easy as logging in was. Go to settings on your phone; choose to add a new email account (each phone is a bit different, but it will be easy to spot); choose Exchange and then follow the prompts and fill in the information.

Now that you can login and you’re all set up on your phone, following are the basic tools (there are plenty more tools, but that’s for future detailed blogs) that come with your subscription that you will undoubtedly use on a regular basis:

Office Apps

Word, Excel and PowerPoint files can all be easily shared with your team in Microsoft Teams. You can edit, collaborate, save, etc.

Microsoft Teams

With so many of us working remotely, Teams has become an integral part of your daily routine. You can host meetings, collaborate in real time, or just chat and strategize. Everyone on your team can log in from wherever they happen to be at that time. Perhaps from home, or the office, or using Wi-Fi at a local coffee shop, it makes no difference.

OneDrive Cloud Storage

Your subscription comes equipped with 1 TB of cloud storage so you can manage and use your files from anywhere.

Outlook and Exchange

Microsoft 365 includes a powerful email system as well as a handy calendar.

Starting to see the picture? Everything in Microsoft 365 is interconnected so that everything works together in an organized way. It’s a breeze to stay in touch with your staff and clients.

Here are Top 13 popular ways to get the most out of your 365 subscription:

  • No more email “whack a mole”.  Emails are synchronized across all your devices and desktop.
  • Tell Me (it’s in the top tool bar and will become your best friend)
  • Make use of Clutter
  • Manage conversations with Ignore
  • Keep all your notes in one place
  • Take better notes with Office Lens
  • Collaborate with co-authoring in Word
  • Organize your documents using SharePoint Views
  • Conveniently attach files
  • Enhance slideshows with Sway
  • Sign digitally with DocuSign
  • Using pins to make life easier
  • Organize people with groups

Subscriptions Available Through Red Palm Marketing

Business Basic

Business Basic is a real deal at $21.00 per user per quarter as an add-on when we manage your website. Ideal for those that need easy remote access with Microsoft Teams and secure cloud storage.

Included in this are:

  • Web and mobile versions of office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
  • Email and calendar
  • File storage and sharing
  • Teamwork and communication
  • Security and compliance
  • Support and deployment through Red Palm Marketing

Business Standard

Upgrades to standard may be the ticket for you. The cost is $44.00 per user per quarter as an add-on when we manage your website. This is for those that need full remote work and collaboration tools including Teams, secure cloud storage, business email and premium Office apps (Outlook, Word, Excel ad PowerPoint, Publisher and Access).

Also included in this package are:

  • All of the features that were included in the Business Basic package and:
  • Tools to build and manage your business
  • Desktop versions of office apps for PC and Mac

All of this has been a very brief and very basic overview of Microsoft 365. We’ll delve into specific features in detail in future blogs. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or need more clarification!