Businesses nowadays may struggle to keep up with ever-changing markets and a slew of new technologies. Whether they operate completely on-site, as a hybrid or entirely remote, companies whose team members struggle with collaboration and communication may run the risk of falling behind their competitors.
In today’s day and age, effective collaboration is more than just in-person team meetings. It is also about being able to communicate and coordinate via a social network that leverages various channels such as email, instant messaging, mobile devices, cloud storage and more.
Investing in the right technology like M365 can ensure a business is running to the best of its ability.
What is M365?
M365, aka Microsoft Office 365, is a monthly subscription service offered by Microsoft. It contains numerous cloud-supported productivity and collaboration tools that most (if not all) people are familiar with.
The Microsoft 365 apps for business include:
- Word
- Excel
- Powerpoint
- Teams
- OneNote
- And More....
M365 is available in four plans – Education, Enterprise, Personal and family, and Business – that support different services depending on which plan and level you choose.
As well as access to its programs, Microsoft 365’s business standard offers additional benefits such as ongoing expert support for your technical needs, premium features for Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc, the ability to organise webinars and more.
Its purpose is to give employees user-friendly tools that they can use to complete their work. No matter if your company uses Apple Macs or Windows computers, Office 365 suite is designed to work with your business’s existing devices.
How to use M365 in your business
Regardless of what industry your business exists in, Office 365 apps are capable of increasing your employees’ productivity and making their jobs easier. Each one was designed to serve a specific purpose.
Microsoft Word is the most commonly heard-of program offered by M365. It gives workers the ability to produce high-quality documents that can be used in a variety of ways from formal reports to invoices. In other words, if your business requires any type of short or long-form documentation, Microsoft Word can assist you in creating it.
Arguably the most important of Office 365’s applications for businesses, Microsoft Excel specialises in creating complex or simple spreadsheets that consolidate data from across a business. Data is a fundamental aspect for how companies can make well-informed decisions that impact critical procedures, the flow of projects, and the customer experience.
Microsoft Teams is an application that’s somewhat similar to Skype for Business – the predecessor of Teams. With the rise of the remote workforce, employees may find themselves working with co-workers who are based at home or even in another time zone. Microsoft Teams combines file-sharing with calendars and communication tools. It allows your employees to collaborate, share documents, and conduct business-related correspondences in a centralised location.
While some applications may be more useful to your business than others, it can be impossible to not understand how Microsoft Office 365 may integrate into your current business operations.
What are the benefits of using M365?
When working to deliver exceptional results, KPMG’s 2021 Customer Experience Excellence Report says it’s not what you do but how you do it that matters most. In today’s world of fast processing technology and customers who want their problems solved yesterday, businesses need to operate as efficiently as possible.
Businesses may only achieve this if they have the best tools at their disposal. Otherwise, employees may struggle with completing projects in a timely manner. This can lead to frustrated customers, dissatisfied stakeholders, and a damaged reputation for your business.
By using M365 in your business, you can avoid the aforementioned consequences and reap the following benefits:
- A flexible working arrangement that can support itself long-term, regardless of workers' locations. M365's cloud-based nature means that critical data is accessible from anywhere in the world, to authorised personnel, via an internet connection.
- A cost-effective, scalable business model. Since O365 runs as an affordable subscription service, you only have to pay for what your business requires at the time. If you scale up, you can easily upgrade to another plan with a higher number of benefits. If you scale down, your business can drop to a cheaper plan.
- Robust cybersecurity. M365 has numerous security features built into it that protect your business's sensitive documents.
Is it necessary to use M365 in your business?
A company’s survival is determined by two factors: how quickly it can deliver a service or product to its customers, and the morale of its employees. If a business spends more time floundering instead of delivering either of these two things, it can be disastrous for everybody involved.
Businesses should strive to create a modern workplace. Investing in reputable software like Microsoft 365 can streamline operations and make it possible for people to finish their tasks. Workers who feel like their employer supports them can naturally develop a sense of loyalty towards the business – a major motivator for delivering excellence at all times.
No business should hold themselves back with archaic processes and technologies that are not optimised for the workplace. It’s a business’s responsibility to ensure that it can satisfy its employees’ needs with the best software.
The Microsoft consultants at Muscatech are experts in M365 and can show you all the ways it can improve your business. Speak with the team today to boost your employees’ productivity.
