Microsoft 365 contains several applications. You can think of Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and PowerPoint. You probably already use many of these apps, however do you also know where to find all the useful functions? In this blog Tech-Wales will give you some smart tips and tricks to get even more out of Microsoft 365 apps.
Microsoft 365 read aloud function
Microsoft 365 has the functionality to read documents and e-mails to you. This is of course very useful if you are in the car or when you are too busy to read yourself but can listen. The review tab contains the read aloud functionality. The voice starts reading aloud and in the document you can follow where in the document is being read. At the top right of the screen a menu appears where the voice reading speed can be adjusted. The read-aloud feature is available for Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Do you use reading aloud more often? Then pin the function to the quick access toolbar.
Use @mention to post a comment or task
This tool is often used to post comments or points for improvement. But what you may not know is that you can also assign tasks. The person you assign the task will receive an email that a task has been assigned. More information can be found here.
Work in a shared folder
Are you working on the same file with a colleague? Then save it in a shared folder in SharePoint. This way you ensure that you both work in the most recent version and you no longer have to search for the latest version. SharePoint automatically saves the latest version. Did you accidentally make a mistake? You can consult the version history for this. Read more in our previous blog about team collaboration with SharePoint.
Talk instead of typing
Typing sometimes takes a lot of time and excessive typing can even cause complaints in your hand, wrist, arm and shoulder. This is why you should make use of the ‘dictation’ function in Word. Go to where you want to start in the document and click on dictation on the right-top side. A microphone icon will now appear. Wait for a while until the icon turns red. This is the sign that dictation is turned on. Now you can start talking and the text will appear in the document. If you make a mistake you can correct it with the keyboard, so you don’t have to stop dictating if you make a mistake.
Editor is the writing assistant
Editor is the intelligent helper for writing documents. It not only removes spelling mistakes from a document but also helps you with grammar and writing style! The application works in Word and in the web version of Outlook. In Word, Editor can be found under the heading ‘Check’. In the web version of Outlook, the Editor is in the bottom menu bar. Here the Editor can be recognised by the pen.
Chat with your colleague whilst working in a document
Are you working on a document with a colleague? A consultation can then be useful. Of course you can always call via Teams, app or email. Unfortunately, this sometimes takes an unnecessary amount of time. You can easily chat with a ‘co-author’ while you are working on the same document. As soon as you and your co-author has opened the same document, a chat icon will automatically appear at the top right of the screen. This way you can easily consult and work more efficiently. This feature works in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Tech-Wales Office 365 Consultancy
At Tech-Wales we are experts in integrating MS Office 365 into your organisation. We have great knowledge and experience in Microsoft 365 consultancy. Our experienced and client friendly staff will ensure that MS Office 365 will be smoothly integrated into your organisation and will develop additional features to make sure Office 365 is tailor made to your organisation. Feel free to contact us today to discuss your requirements.