Microsoft 365 is a suite of apps that help you work more efficiently, collaborate with different people in real-time, connect from anywhere, and simplify your day by becoming more organized. With enterprise-grade built-in security features by Microsoft, you can do all this and much more with peace of mind – knowing that your personal information, apps, data, and devices are protected.
There are different plans of Microsoft 365 for home and personal use, business – small, midsized, and large enterprises, and schools and non-profits. As per your line of business, you can select the best plan per your needs. In this article, we will be discussing some not-so-used or known features of Microsoft 365.
Benefits of Microsoft 365 for business
Security
With 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage, backup and access your files, data across all your devices. With Personal Vault, get an additional layer of security for your most critical data. Use advanced measures like next-gen Defender Antivirus and post-breach technologies such as Endpoint Detection and Response, which provide a robust defense against sophisticated cyber threats.
Productivity
Microsoft offers various AI-driven features like Excel’s “Data Types”, which can transform traditional rows and columns into interconnected smart data. Similarly, Word’s “Editor” uses AI to offer more natural and context-aware writing suggestions. With enhanced “Designer” suggestions, PowerPoint enables more dynamic and visually appealing presentations.
Creativity
Use different types of creative tools at your work. Microsoft Designer in PowerPoint leverages AI to create professional designs with ease. In addition, Word’s advanced “Ideas” suggests creative layouts and styles for documents, while Excel’s “Ideas” tool suggests innovative data visualizations to transform numbers into impactful stories.
With enhanced inking features across Office 365, including pressure sensitivity and tilt effects, you can enjoy a more natural writing and drawing experience.
Furthermore, Microsoft 365 offers access to an expanded library of premium templates, royalty-free images, icons, and fonts, enabling users to bring their creative visions to life with greater ease and sophistication.
Connectivity
Manage your daily activities via one secure app – Outlook that includes your mail, calendar, and file access. Its “Focused Inbox” feature helps you prioritize important emails. Use “Enhanced Calendar” to join online meetings from various platforms, and “Play My Emails” to read emails aloud.
Autonomy
With a Microsoft 365 subscription, you’ll always get the latest fixes, features, and security updates with always-available tech support. You can choose to pay for your Microsoft 365 subscription on a monthly or yearly basis.
7 surprising features of Microsoft 365
As stated in the points above, there are a lot of benefits of Microsoft 365. You must have heard about these benefits at one place or another but there are certain new things in Microsoft 365 that you may not have heard probably. So, let’s discuss 7 things you didn’t know about Microsoft 365 in this section.
1. Create Innovative Videos with Microsoft Clipchamp
The Microsoft Clipchamp feature in Microsoft 365 is a significant addition for users seeking an intuitive yet powerful video editing tool. Clipchamp is designed to be user-friendly, especially for those who may have found other video editing software too complex or challenging to learn. Key aspects of Clipchamp include:
- Ease of Use: Clipchamp prioritizes user-friendliness without compromising on functionality. This makes it accessible even to those with limited video editing experience.
- Basic Editing Tools: The software includes essential editing tools such as trimming, cropping, and speed control. These tools are made to be straightforward and easy to use right from the start.
- Advanced Features: For users looking to advance their editing skills, Clipchamp also offers more sophisticated features like timeline editing and audio processing.
- Integration with Microsoft 365 Apps: Clipchamp is seamlessly integrated with other Microsoft 365 apps, enhancing the workflow and making it more efficient.
- Auto-Formatting for Delivery Channels: An interesting feature of Clipchamp is its ability to auto-format videos for various third-party delivery channels, including Facebook and YouTube, streamlining the process of sharing your content.
- High-Quality Recordings: The tool allows users to go from raw footage to a fully edited video smoothly and quickly, ensuring high-quality final products.
2. Revolutionize Collaboration, Use Microsoft Loop
Microsoft Loop represents a significant advancement in the field of collaborative work tools within the Microsoft 365 suite. As a co-creation app enhanced by AI, Loop brings a new level of efficiency and synergy to team projects. Here are some more details about Microsoft Loop:
- AI-Powered Co-Creation: Loop leverages AI to streamline the collaborative process, making it easier for team members to work together on various aspects of a project.
- Seamless Integration: One of Loop’s standout features is its ability to integrate with other Microsoft 365 apps like Outlook and Teams. This allows for a fluid and cohesive work experience across different applications.
- Loop Components: These are modular, flexible pieces of content that can be embedded into different Microsoft 365 apps. They synchronize automatically, ensuring that updates made in one app are reflected across all instances of the component.
- Organized Workspace: Loop consolidates all parts of a project into a single, organized workspace. This helps in keeping track of different project elements and streamlines the workflow.
- Flexibility in Collaboration: Loop’s design centers on flexibility, allowing team members to collaborate in their preferred apps while keeping all updates and components in sync.
3. Get the New Microsoft Teams Phone Experience
The Microsoft Teams Phone feature has been enhanced with several new functionalities to streamline communication for businesses, particularly small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). These new features add significant value to the Teams ecosystem, enhancing its utility as a comprehensive communication platform. Here are some additional details about these features:
- Shared Calling: This feature enables a group of licensed users to share a single phone number and calling plan. It’s particularly useful for teams like store personnel who need to make outbound calls to customers and receive incoming calls on the same number, ensuring seamless communication.
- Private Line Feature: Microsoft Teams Phone now includes a private line feature, which allows setting up a second phone number for either a single user or a group. This number is separate from the main line and bypasses admins, assistants, or delegates, acting like a hotline for urgent or important calls.
- Protected Voicemail Alerts: Teams Phone now provides alerts for protected voicemail. This means encrypted voicemails left by either internal or external callers can trigger notifications, adding an extra layer of security and privacy to voicemail communications.
- Click-to-Call Feature: This new feature allows customers to easily reach sales and support teams directly from a company’s website or app. Developers can integrate this feature, customizing it to connect customers with specific Teams users, call queues, or auto attendants.
- Promotional Offer: Microsoft is also offering a promotional package that includes Microsoft Teams Essentials and Teams Phone. This offer is designed to be flexible to meet the diverse needs of different businesses.
4. Secure Better with the Advanced Shield of Microsoft Defender for Business
Microsoft Defender for Business, introduced as a part of Microsoft 365 innovations in 2023, is designed to provide enhanced security for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Here are some key features and aspects of Microsoft Defender for Business:
- Comprehensive Security Solution: Microsoft Defender for Business is a holistic security solution that offers protection across various domains, including endpoint security, email, and application security.
- Next-Generation Protection: The service includes next-generation Defender Antivirus, which not only guards against known threats but also uses advanced techniques to detect emerging threats. This ensures a proactive approach to security.
- Advanced Post-Breach Technologies: Microsoft Defender for Business incorporates advanced post-breach technologies like Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Automated Investigation and Remediation capabilities. This allows businesses to not only detect threats but also respond to them effectively.
- AI-Powered Security: Leveraging AI, Defender for Business offers cutting-edge security measures. This includes automatic attack disruption, which is crucial for mitigating the impact of security breaches.
- Mobile Device Security: Recognizing the importance of mobile security, Microsoft has simplified its approach, ensuring employees can remain secure even when using Android or iOS devices.
- Accessibility for SMBs: Designed with SMBs in mind, Microsoft Defender for Business is tailored to address the unique security challenges faced by smaller enterprises. It provides enterprise-level security, making it accessible and affordable for smaller businesses.
- Integration with Microsoft 365: Seamless integration with other Microsoft 365 services enhances the overall security posture of businesses and simplifies the management of security protocols.
5. Get the Convenience of Financial Transactions in Microsoft Teams
The Microsoft Teams Payments app represents a significant enhancement in Microsoft Teams’ capabilities, especially for professionals and businesses conducting appointments, classes, and webinars. Here’s a detailed look at what this app offers:
- Ease of Payment Processing: The Payments app in Microsoft Teams simplifies the process of getting paid for various services like appointments, classes, or webinars. It allows users to manage and collect funds directly within a Teams meeting.
- Collaboration with Payment Industry Leaders: To ensure a seamless experience, Microsoft has partnered with leading payment processors like PayPal and Stripe. This collaboration combines Microsoft Teams’ collaboration capabilities with robust ecommerce solutions.
- Efficient Customer Interactions: The integration of these payment services within Microsoft Teams enables smoother interactions with customers. It facilitates a more efficient payment process, enhancing the overall customer experience.
- Rapid Payment Processing: With the support of PayPal and Stripe, the Payments app ensures faster processing of payments, which is crucial for businesses and individuals relying on timely transactions.
6. Explore Personalized App Recommendations
Recently, Microsoft 365 has introduced personalized app recommendations. This feature enhances the user experience by providing suggestions tailored to an individual’s role and daily activities.
By analyzing the user’s tasks and responsibilities, Microsoft 365 intelligently recommends the most suitable apps from its suite, aiding in task efficiency and productivity. This customization ensures that users have the tools they need at their fingertips, precisely aligned with their work requirements.
7. Enhance Productivity with Microsoft Co-Pilot
Microsoft Co-Pilot is a groundbreaking addition to Microsoft 365, bringing AI-powered assistance to enhance workplace productivity. Co-Pilot seamlessly integrates into various Microsoft applications, offering real-time suggestions, automating routine tasks, and providing insights based on data analysis. This AI assistant adapts to individual working styles, helping users optimize their workflow and make more informed decisions quickly.
Key Features of Microsoft Co-Pilot:
- Adaptability to Individual Working Styles: One of the most significant aspects of Co-Pilot is its ability to adapt to the unique needs and workflows of each user. This personalized approach allows the tool to learn and adjust to individual user preferences and working styles, providing more tailored and effective support.
- Automated Task Completion: Co-Pilot can handle a variety of routine tasks automatically, such as drafting emails and creating basic reports. Its capability to understand and execute tasks reduces manual effort and saves time.
- Data Analysis and Insights: Co-Pilot is equipped with advanced data analysis capabilities, providing insightful observations, and identifying trends. It can assist in generating summaries and even predict future patterns based on existing data. This feature is particularly useful in applications like Excel.
- Enhanced Decision-Making: Co-Pilot provides real-time data analysis and suggestions, aiding in making informed and efficient decisions. This feature is particularly valuable in fast-paced business environments where data-driven decision-making is crucial.
You can buy Microsoft 365 to help boost your team’s productivity. Contact the Microsoft certified experts today or mail us at sales@znetlive.com.
Know an exciting feature that we should add to the list? Do let us know in the comments section.
