So, have you been using SharePoint 365 Office throughout the pandemic, but you’re not quite getting the most from it? A move to a new IT system can be daunting, and for many during the pandemic, changes were made incredibly quickly. This was to combat the changes in the way many organisations had to work, to stop the spread of COVID-19.

As a result, many have been playing catch-up ever since. Now, as flexible working looks set to be with us for some time, 365 Office and SharePoint will be the operating system of choice for many businesses. As IT specialists, Neuways is full of experienced consultants who can help – here are some of our top tips to getting the most out of SharePoint 365 Office:

  • On-the-job training is essential:

    We understand that taking time out for training sessions isn’t always manageable. This is why our Office 365 training is on-the-job, allowing you to learn and improve while completing your daily tasks. Not only does it make training easy for employees, but the analytics feed into management. This makes it easy to evaluate training performances of staff, and also how that feeds into their day-to-day work.

  • Use SharePoint Views:

    Information can be filtered down, to stop everything from becoming too overwhelming. By using SharePoint Views, specific data from different areas of an organisation can be brought to the fore. Simply using the information display to show exactly what you need, filtering out anything unnecessary. This can help improve productivity, and allow users to get to what they need a lot quicker.

  • Use group calendars:

    At either an entire office level, or by department, it can be very useful to operate with a group calendar. Each person with the correct privileges can view a shared calendar, which will give an insight into whether or not the required person is available. This can also be used for purposes such as displaying the office rota. It is all about using the key functionality of SharePoint to help enrich the user experience.

  • Create electronic forms:

    If you need to gather specific information in order to get them in your system, then it might be time to set up electronic forms. Data validation rules can be built in to ensure that the information you need and only the information you need can be recorded. The data can then be directly downloaded into your systems, removing the need for it to be re-entered. This saves the time of employees, allowing them to focus on more beneficial tasks to the business.

  • Set up a company Intranet:

    With flexible systems, colleagues may not get the opportunity to physically see each other in the workplace. As a result, the creation of an Intranet could give an area for company-wide communications to be displayed. Emails can often go missing in clogged up inboxes. An intranet could be used for urgent notices, information about social occasions and the latest company news. All hosted within the boundaries of SharePoint.

  • Develop a detailed resource:

    Similar to the above, for new starters beginning roles within an organisation post-COVID, it might be tricky to get a full sense of their new employer. New starter information can be hosted on SharePoint to give those new to the business a place to go to learn more information. Alongside a detailed intranet, this would give any employee a critical resource to engage with, that could give them the answer to a burning question, without having to consult a colleague.

If you’re curious to learn more about SharePoint, visit our Video Library section to learn more.