Improving your productivity is directly linked to improved profitability as well as increased job satisfaction, but it is still often overlooked. Minor tweaks to how you work can lead to significant gains in productivity and it doesn’t have to be difficult. You just need to have the right tools and technologies in place, along with the right training so you know how to get maximum value from the tools.

For example, a platform like Microsoft Office 365 lets you and your team communicate and collaborate in real-time, from any location. To unleash the full business value of Office 365 you need to have a clear strategy in place to embrace the platform and all of its features.

There are lots of ways to gain productivity improvements with Microsoft Office 365. Here are just four of them:

1. Access anywhere, anytime

Microsoft Office 365 lets you work when and where you choose, accessing documents, email, contacts, and calendar appointments from any device. This allows you to be more productive when travelling or working remotely, since you don’t have to wait until you get back to an office to complete tasks on a desktop. That leaves more hours in the day to focus on value-added activities.

2. Coordinate with existing tools

Office 365 lets you live-edit documents, sync documents automatically to the desktop, broadcast PowerPoint presentations, and move documents in and out of online document libraries. This flexibility to access and use documents and files removes the constraints that traditional, desktop-based software imposed.

Now, you can edit a document on your laptop while your colleagues give input in real time. You can work with a document on a tablet while out of the office, then pick up where you left off when you get back to the desktop. Put simply, location is no barrier when it comes to getting work done.

And, as a Microsoft Office user, you are generally familiar with the various versions of Office software, meaning you can be up and running with the new features without extensive training. Making you more productive, sooner.

3. Boost collaboration

A recent Deloitte survey found employees were 17 per cent more satisfied with their workplace culture when they had access to effective digital collaboration tools; proving we are happier when we are more productive.

We notice, from working closely with clients,that trouble arises when document version control isn’t strictly managed, or employees can’t tell where colleagues are up to on a particular project.

Office 365 lets teams draft documents collaboratively, storing them in a shared location online rather than on individual computers. It also helps remove silos across organisations and departments, as people can track projects centrally and access updates and information immediately, bring you closer to your colleagues in various teams throughout the company.

Microsoft Office 365 includes communication and collaboration tools such as Exchange Online, SharePoint, and Skype for Business, to help you stay in touch no matter where you are. This way, whether your team members are across the room or on the other side of the world, you can work together effectively for better outcomes.

4. Ensure business continuity during downtime

When people store mission-critical documents on their own hard drives or, at best, on servers located on-premise, a power outage, or internet downtime mean employees are hamstrung.

Office 365 backs up to the cloud, which is accessible from any internet-connected device. This means you can work from home or other locations with full access to all the information, applications, and systems you need.

These are just four of the ways Office 365 can deliver productivity improvements, making the time you spend more effective and making your life easier.

For a live demo of Office 365 Productivity Tips, make sure to watch the Brennan IT webinar, brought to you by Guy Lyon, Client Experience Manager. The webinar covers step by step instructions on:

• How to share calendars with your team and see their availability
• How multiple people can collaborate on the same document
• How to use any of your Office programs straight from the web browser
• How to sync your team’s Onedrive folder to your computer and work offline on files
• How to organise emails with rules, folders and favourites
• How to attach your most recently used documents straight from the ribbon
• How to start an instant message conversation directly from an email
• Plus many more…