Get the Most out of Your Microsoft Office 365 (O365) Purchase – The Power User

Microsoft Office 365 packs quite a punch and a lot more value than most people think. Rather than continue to leave value on the table – we want to highlight the O365 apps and services that can help your business grow. Understanding these apps and services will help you move beyond the basics and maximize your organization’s effectiveness with Office 365.

We’ve covered the O365 Fundamentals User and Moderate User – now let’s look at The Power User!

Level 3: The Power User

You’re seeking true opportunities for innovation and expansion, and Microsoft Office 365 includes plenty of avenues for this pursuit (note that some of these expert-level tools require additional subscriptions).

– PowerBI (additional purchase): Business intelligence and analytics. In a high-level position, it can be challenging to know which data about your business is most actionable, and even more difficult to arrange that data for maximum impact when you share it. PowerBI creates simple dashboards for tracking data and quickly transforms it into valuable insights. Use the data tracked by the 365 apps (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) or stored in your servers (both Microsoft SharePoint and any SQL servers you maintain) to notice trends in your company’s communication and collaboration. View that information on your dashboards in real-time, transform the data with interactive reports, and share results with your teams to improve effectiveness by removing blind spots.

Whatever your Microsoft Office 365 expertise level, knowing and utilizing these apps and services can transform the way you work.

– PowerApps (Business Premium or Business Essentials packages): Simple app creation. Many of your employees likely have big ideas but lack the coding experience to build them, and a busy workday only allows so much time to learn new skills. PowerApps allows users to turn their ideas into functional apps without any coding experience or knowledge. It includes pre-built templates for easy front-end configuration, integrates fully with your existing data systems, and publishes apps in both mobile and web formats so that your entire organization can use the newly established interfaces immediately.

– Dynamics 365 (additional purchase; includes PowerApps): Dynamics 365 approaches many facets of business management with one solution. It connects previously separate aspects of your business using a modular approach so that you can build as needed. The sales portion, which supports both your customer acquisition team and your retail solutions (both physical and digital), replaces your previous CRM. Service modules are designed to enhance the customer service experience, improve field service and maintenance, and automate project management in order to delight customers. The finance and operations segment is meant to unite all aspects of the supply chain, while the talent portion makes HR recruiting and onboarding integrate seamlessly. As if that weren’t enough, Dynamics 365 also includes the Adobe Marketing Cloud, intended to connect sales and marketing departments so that your message is consistent and clear throughout the organization.

RFA’s Pro-Tip: Whatever your Microsoft Office 365 expertise level, knowing and utilizing these apps and services can transform the way you work, especially in today’s cloud-based world. It’s also worth noting that the products go through periodic updates to improve their efficacy, so be sure to log in to your account regularly in order to see any new features and improvements.

We hope you found this breakdown helpful and that you’re ready to move to the next level of product mastery. If you found value in our Office 365 resource, please take a moment to and share it with your colleagues.