Five Company Essentials to Consider when Updating to Office 365

While it’s easy to imagine a workforce that operates in a grand swirl of collaboration, innovation, and flexibility, we can’t talk about employee productivity without appreciating the impact of Microsoft Office 365. As a very basic set of office tools, Microsoft Office set the standard for office productivity. Since updating the software to the now cloud-based, super collaborative Office 365, it has changed everything about the way we work. From increased access and collaboration, to data security and supporting excellence in customer service, it continues its long-distance run as the most elastic productivity suite of our generation.

Gone are the days of employees shuttling back and forth to transfer files on USBs. Team members don’t even have to be chained to their desks to be productive either. The versatility of Office 365 has enabled a new level of innovation and data accessibility, empowering a workforce at its most productive. However, there are quite a few things to consider when attempting this shift to Office 365.

Taking a closer look at government structures, for example, we can see how these tools enhance employee productivity, enabling them to better and more efficiently serve the public at large. Here are five company essentials to consider, when updating to Office 365 to boost employee productivity:

1. Culture

A lot of business owners think implementing cloud-enabled systems like Microsoft Office 365 will suddenly result in everything becoming brighter, faster, easier. In fact, shifting to a more digitally-collaborative culture is predicated on the adoption and ease of use of these cloud-based applications. It’s one thing to introduce new technologies. It’s another thing entirely to redefine an entire company culture that has long relied on the processes of yore. Luckily, Office 365 isn’t so far removed from its predecessor in terms of effortlessness, but managers should pay attention to how actively employees are engaging with this new, optimized culture – especially as this cultural shift will be the bellwether for your company’s digital transformation and will keep employees inspired to perform. Government employees in the Caribbean are only now starting to appreciate the shift to providing digital services. The longstanding culture of requiring everything in ‘hardcopy’ seemed somewhat unshakeable, but with Office 365’s ease of use, could see this cultural shift happening a bit faster.

2. Access

There’s typically a train of identifiers for businesses that are operating in a stagnant pool: tradition, late adoption, and a general lack of knowledge. For so many companies wanting to optimize operations and reach new markets, crossing the chasm between convention and participating at a higher economic level usually means adopting new technology to encourage growth. Where this technology was once too complicated, ease of access nowadays has never been easier. Office 365 can significantly affect how accessible a company’s core business tools can be and, used effectively, can increase access to global markets. We’ve seen a ton of progress within different governments’ inland revenue database systems, and how digital access has improved the quality of taxation services for businesses and individuals alike.

3. Innovation

The constant need to remain fluid and innovate on product is a natural part of the business kaleidoscope. Certainly, every company wants to not just be (and stay!) in the race but to be close to leading the pack. And even without a head start, one very real aspect of innovation is a business’ ability to keep up with the monthly – and sometimes, weekly – changes in the technological landscape. The cloud offers several opportunities to transform the way we do business. Having Office 365 at the center of your innovation efforts, puts your business in the best position to challenge the status quo and become a legitimate voice within your industry. The access to global trade insights, and resultant optimization across all departments, have shown a marked difference in how many businesses wind their way through the global marketplace.

4. Collaboration

The entire process of collaboration has made an about-face. Where companies were once challenged by lack of remote access, they are finding partners, suppliers, and customers more mobile than ever. Cloud-enabled applications like Office 365 have nurtured this global village, making it easier to share, track, and edit information simultaneously. We see this collaboration in action where persons applying for disability grants, through a government social agency, can be assessed by intake officers, have their digital files updated by the visiting social worker via a mobile app and monitor the status of their claims from the comfort of their homes.

5. Competition

Smaller businesses have been plagued by the inability to scale up effectively, but the Internet is very quickly sorting that out. The massive supermarket chain feels like the corner store. The movie theatre is in your home. You can call a taxi with the touch of a button. This global village of ours has contracted beautifully to help organizations connect, collaborate, and compete. Companies that take advantage of cloud-based applications like Office 365 are in the best position to innovate quickly, increase productivity, and reach new markets.

Whether you’re focused on employee collaboration, automating business processes or building the right organizational culture, Office 365’s technology solutions are best optimized to address these needs. Once you’ve assessed your organization’s growth requirements, moving to implementation of your solution is the next step. Systems like Office 365 prove less challenging to implement than traditional IT infrastructures but having a knowledgeable technology solutions partner can help you navigate the system from set up to success!