Microsoft Office 365. The world knows the utility and how it makes several business functions easier for companies. But is it helping you?
More often than not, companies find themselves stuck while trying to make the most out of their Office 365 license. Generally, this problem occurs when they aren’t able to choose the right or relevant set of tools for their business functions . Well, thankfully, there’s a fix to it.
Here’s how you can choose the right Office 365 tools for all your collaboration needs.
This simply tells that if you want to chat with anyone, you can use Microsoft Teams. If you have to share some files with anyone, you can use SharePoint. Have to make an internet call? Skype all the way for you.
Simple solutions depending on the need. However, it still it doesn’t really solve the problem. All it does is make the basic selection process simple.
To find out about the set of tools to efficiently implement collaborations, you’ll have to do more.
In the matrix above, on the x-axis you can see the groups whom you may want to collaborate with and on the y-axis you can see the urgency of collaboration tasks.
At the bottom left, non-urgent communication with individuals suggests sharing documents using OneDrive for Business. Sending an Outlook email can also work here. Similarly, for sending an urgent message to people in your company (top right) would suggest the use of Yammer or Skype Broadcast.
This seems to sort a lot, doesn’t it? Even for other similar or varying needs, the nine other tools on this matrix can help you.
Certainly, choosing the right Office 365 tools for your collaboration needs isn’t that difficult after all. We hope this blog helped make up your mind!
Approach 1: Identify the Need
First one on this list is a simple approach. You identify the need and pick a tool that can fulfill it. And if a direct solution isn’t provided, the one with the closest set of required features can also work well. For a better understanding of how different tools can help you collaborate differently, take a look at the example below.
This simply tells that if you want to chat with anyone, you can use Microsoft Teams. If you have to share some files with anyone, you can use SharePoint. Have to make an internet call? Skype all the way for you.
Simple solutions depending on the need. However, it still it doesn’t really solve the problem. All it does is make the basic selection process simple.
To find out about the set of tools to efficiently implement collaborations, you’ll have to do more.
Approach 2: See What Your Project Needs
Another approach that can help you pick the right set of Office 365 tools is by looking at what your project needs currently. Every project goes through a number of stages before it’s finally complete. All these stages are different and require a different implementation plan and strategy. This is where the need for different Office tools will occur. And to make the most out of your Office 365 license, you will have to analyze the current project stage and pick the tools fit for the stage. For example, if your project is just starting, for collaborative brainstorming sessions, you can use ideation tools like Yammer. If your project is in a stage where you need to track plans and schedules, you can use tools like SharePoint to share documents. The only drawback of this approach is the lack of continuity. For every project stage, you’ll have to use a different set of tools.Approach 3: Based on the People You Have to Collaborate With
The last approach on this list is persona based. Basically, you have to think about the people you are going to collaborate with. Whether they are your employees, team-mates, other people working across different locations across your organization or any other coworker for that matter, you can just pick the set of people and tailor your Office 365’s tools selection process accordingly. For a better understanding of this approach’s functionality, you must refer to Avanade’s “What to Use When” table that follows.
In the matrix above, on the x-axis you can see the groups whom you may want to collaborate with and on the y-axis you can see the urgency of collaboration tasks.
At the bottom left, non-urgent communication with individuals suggests sharing documents using OneDrive for Business. Sending an Outlook email can also work here. Similarly, for sending an urgent message to people in your company (top right) would suggest the use of Yammer or Skype Broadcast.
This seems to sort a lot, doesn’t it? Even for other similar or varying needs, the nine other tools on this matrix can help you.
Certainly, choosing the right Office 365 tools for your collaboration needs isn’t that difficult after all. We hope this blog helped make up your mind!
