Getting Your Money's Worth from Office 365: Tips and Tricks
Microsoft Office is the standard suite of productivity tools for most businesses in the world. The transition from on-premise solutions to cloud-based solutions has only been accelerated with recent world events to the point where every business from one person to hundreds should be evaluating how they take advantage of the benefits derived from Office 365.
Chart from off365itpros.com
Where so many businesses and professionals fall flat is by failing to take advantage of the full suite of tools they are licensing when they license Office 365. Did you know that with only a basic business license you have access to 25 different applications that can aid your operations. This doesn't even include those applications that require additional licensing, or the ones allowing you to have custom applications and automations configured for your use.
On any given day, the number of applications used by a business will be in the single digits, and then many will be used for purposes they were never meant for. If you're using Excel to manage your projects when you have access to SharePoint, Planner, Project, and Power Automate, why are you making your work so much harder?
Unfortunately the answers are all too common:
"We don't know how to use those apps."
"We don't have time to learn."
"We're business people, not tech nerds."
"If I know how to do it in (insert the name of commonly used app here), why wouldn't I just do it there?"
"Change is too disruptive to our business."
Or my all-time favorite:
"We've always done it this way." (This one makes me look for the *facepalm* emoji.)
The scope and power of the Office 365 suite can be daunting. That's no excuse for spending money and not getting the productivity return on that expenditure you were expecting. Learning your tools, understanding how they can improve your operations, creating a plan for digital transformation, and then implementing that plan are the steps to take to reap improvement so why aren't you doing that?
Too often individuals and businesses look to their own resources to be the experts in these types of transformations without realizing the successful transformations also grow these internal experts rather than just finding them. Engaging a digital transformation coach for your organization can make the difference between technology investment success and wasting money.
Getting started on your digital transformation with Office 365
An experienced digital transformation coach will work with you to identify:
What are your needs?
What should be changed?
What shouldn't be changed?
How can change be made as painless as possible for you and your people?
What is the maximum return you can get out of your existing investments?
Is new technology REALLY needed or is it just an opportunity to upsell?
Red flags when engaging a digital transformation coach or consultant
Watch out for these red flags when you begin your transformation efforts:
Promises of x% of improvement if a specific technology or methodology is implemented.
Transformation plans that are pre-structured or templated rather than being designed for your specific needs.
Transformation services that are sold without the opportunity to speak with an actual coach or consultant.
Transformations based on implementing a new technology but do not include review and understanding of existing people, tools, and processes.
Digital transformations are not singular events. Technology is a moving target so it is critical to your business to engage with a digital transformation coach as a trusted partner in the same way you would an attorney or accountant. A good digital transformation coach has your best interests in mind as a business and should be reliable as such. Now isn't it time to start thinking about your digital transformation?
Contact GelwicksTech today to start your journey towards a successful digital transformation. You can also schedule a time to discuss your needs from our online scheduler.
