The Hidden Features in Microsoft 365 That Could Be Saving Your Business Thousands Each Year
Microsoft 365 services comprise of a comprehensive platform made to make business operations safer and more effective. Email, document creation, and file storage are among the most common uses for it, but it is capable of much more. Many of its features can save your business time and money. In fact, some of these hidden tools could save you thousands each year without you even knowing it!
Let’s examine some of Microsoft 365 business’s most beneficial but underutilized features that could significantly impact the financial performance of your company.
Microsoft Teams: Beyond Meetings
Microsoft Teams is frequently thought of as merely a chat and virtual meeting tool. But in reality, it’s a comprehensive hub for collaboration that can take the place of a number of other tools your company may be utilizing.
How Groups Reduce Costs:
- Centralised Communication: By managing all team communications in one location, including chat, phone calls, and video conferences, you can eliminate the need for multiple tools.
- Document Collaboration: Teams integrates easily with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, allowing your team to collaborate on documents in real time. No more confusing email chains or file version issues!
Your team will work more productively, and you won’t have to pay for additional software subscriptions if you use Teams as your primary communication tool.
Automate Repeated Tasks with Power Automate
You can automate repetitive tasks with Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow). Workflows can be set up, for instance, to transfer files between apps, send emails automatically, or even collect data from various sources.
How Power Automate Reduces Costs
- Faster Processes: Your team can save time by automating tasks like generating reports or sending emails requesting approval.
- Fewer Errors: Because automated procedures are less likely to be human error-prone, you can avoid the expenses associated with correcting errors.
Power Automate can reduce expenses by optimising your workflows if your company spends a lot of time on repetitive tasks.
Microsoft Defender: Top-Notch Security
Cybersecurity is a big concern for all businesses, but many still rely on third-party security software. Microsoft Defender, included with Microsoft 365, offers top-tier security to protect your data and systems from cyberattacks.
How Microsoft Defender Saves Money:
- Advanced Threat Protection: It can detect threats before they cause any damage, meaning fewer costly data breaches or cyberattacks.
- Built-In Security Features: You don’t need to buy extra software to keep your business secure. Defender handles it all, saving you the cost of third-party security tools.
Microsoft Defender helps protect your business without the need for expensive security services.
OneDrive for Business: Secure Cloud Storage
OneDrive for Business is a cloud storage tool that lets you store and access your files from anywhere, securely. Many businesses use it as an alternative to traditional file servers, and it has some great features that can help save money.
How OneDrive Saves Money:
- No Need for Physical Servers: With OneDrive, there’s no need to invest in expensive on-site storage or worry about maintaining servers.
- Automatic Backup: Files are backed up automatically, so you won’t lose important data and won’t have to spend money on recovery services.
- Easy Sharing and Collaboration: You can easily share files with your team and collaborate in real-time without needing third-party file-sharing tools.
By moving your storage to the cloud with OneDrive, you eliminate the cost of physical servers and reduce IT management expenses.
Microsoft Bookings: Simplify Scheduling
Microsoft Bookings is a tool that helps you manage appointments and meetings without the back-and-forth emails or phone calls. If your business requires frequent scheduling with clients, this tool can save your team a lot of time.
How Microsoft Bookings Saves Money:
- Automated Scheduling: Clients can book their own appointments online, freeing up your team from answering phone calls and responding to emails.
- Integration with Outlook: Bookings automatically syncs with your Outlook calendar to prevent double-booking and ensures you don’t miss any meetings.
- Reminder Notifications: It sends reminders to clients before their appointments, which helps reduce no-shows and last-minute cancellations.
Microsoft Bookings is a simple yet powerful way to cut down on time spent on scheduling, improving both your customer service and bottom line.
Excel and Power BI: Smarter Data Management
Microsoft Excel is already widely used for tracking and analyzing data, but it has even more advanced features that can help your business. When combined with Power BI, Excel can turn your data into easy-to-understand reports and dashboards that can drive smart decision-making.
How Excel and Power BI Save Money:
- Informed Decisions: With better access to your business’s data, you can make decisions that improve efficiency and cut down on unnecessary costs.
- Affordable Analytics: Power BI is a low-cost way to get detailed business insights, without the hefty price tag of other business intelligence tools.
- Automated Reporting: You can set up automated reports, which means less manual data entry and more time to focus on growth.
By unlocking the full potential of Excel and Power BI, you can get the data you need to make better, cost-effective business decisions.
Outlook and Exchange: Manage Your Email Efficiently
Most businesses rely on Outlook for email, but its features go beyond just sending and receiving messages. If you use Microsoft Exchange, you can make your email management even more efficient.
How Outlook and Exchange Save Money:
- Better Organization: Shared calendars, contacts, and task lists mean everyone in your team is on the same page and less time is wasted.
- Built-In Security: Outlook and Exchange provide robust email security features, reducing the risk of phishing attacks and other threats that could lead to costly data breaches.
With Exchange’s features, you can avoid paying for separate email management tools while improving your email efficiency.
Conclusion: Maximize Your Microsoft 365 Investment
Many businesses use Microsoft 365 for its basic tools like Word, Excel, and Teams. But as you can see, there are so many other powerful features hidden within the platform that can help you save money and run your business more efficiently. By taking full advantage of Microsoft 365 Services, you can streamline your operations, enhance security, and automate time-consuming tasks—all of which help cut costs and boost your profitability.
At FLYONIT, we specialize in helping businesses unlock the full potential of Microsoft 365 Business. Our team can guide you through the advanced features and help you optimize your Microsoft 365 environment for maximum savings.
Contact us today to learn how we can help your business save thousands each year with Microsoft 365!
