Productivity – Soteria365

How to Manage Your Team Better With Microsoft Planner.

June 1, 2018November 13, 2017

Managing a team can often seem nothing short of chaotic, especially in a thriving office environment. Whether it’s strategizing, task assigning, file sharing, or just simply organizing– you do it all. But it doesn’t have to be complicated. With Office 365, you can do all this and more in one place.

Here are the three benefits of using Microsoft Planner.

Staying Organized. By using Planner, you can quickly and easily create new plans, build teams, assign tasks, and update the status of your projects in just a few clicks. Every plan you create has its own unique board where you can categorize each task by status or the person(s) it is assigned to.

Work Together Efficiently. One of the most difficult aspects of planning is teamwork. Planner makes teamwork easy by always providing team members a list of the current tasks and who is working on them. It also makes for easy file sharing, project collaboration, and even messaging.

Use Mobile Devices? No Problem. Planner works well across all devices. This allows for quick and easy conversation and collaboration among team members. Your team will always be up to date on the latest plans no matter what device they’re on, and will get email notifications when assigned to a new task.

Want to try Microsoft Planner free for 30-days? Click below to get started.

Need an Appointment Scheduler? Introducing Microsoft Bookings.

June 1, 2018November 6, 2017

It’s time to make appointment scheduling simple– for both you and your customers. Microsoft Bookings is one of the quickest and most convenient tools for any business. With Bookings, there’s no need to spend extra time or money on complicated online schedulers. It’s already included in Office 365.

Here’s what makes Bookings so spectacular.

Simplicity for Customers: Bookings provides easy navigation for customers to visit your booking page, choose services, and schedule appointments whenever they want. It also allows for quick appointment cancellations and rescheduling when necessary. If customers still prefer to call, you can add the appointment details and Bookings will send all confirmations and reminders.

Saving Time: Never deal with frustrating phone scheduling again. With Bookings, you get a simple, customizable webpage that your customers can get access to 24/7. Also included is a private, easy-to-set-up calendar for managing your schedule and reminders of your upcoming appointments.

Say Goodbye to No-Shows: Bookings will help you decrease missed appointments with automated reminders for both customers and staff. Appointments will appear on your calendar as soon as they are booked. Customers can also add their appointments to their calendars and cancel or reschedule easily.

Mobile Appointment Managing: Can’t get to your laptop or personal computer? Don’t fret! With the Bookings Mobile App, you can view and manage all of your personal appointments as well as your customers’ and staffs’. You can use the app to text, email, or call customers or even create new appointments.

Want to try Microsoft Bookings free for 30-days? Click below to get started.

uConnect – What’s Your Number?

June 1, 2018January 6, 2015

Above my hometown of Boise, Idaho there is a ski area known as Bogus Basin (aptly named for a miner who thought he had discovered gold but, in reality, had only found “fool’s” gold.) Each morning during the ski season they recorded a message of the coming days’ snow conditions.

The fun part, as a teenager, was at the end of that tape recording there was a 5-10 second pause in which someone could shout, “Any numbers?” And, if there was someone who wanted to talk, would quickly shout their phone number. Connection made.

Today our communications have evolved. Numbers have been replaced with a name or a picture on a mobile device. Numbers, except for the first entry, don’t really mean a lot. In fact, what really matters is what Microsoft has been touting for years now … presence.

I don’t need to know your number, I need to know your color or status. Microsoft Lync tells me whether the person I am seeking is “available”, “away”, “off work”, “busy” or a favorite “be right back (… maybe).”

As much as I rebelled against “Presence” originally, in running a company and dealing with my people and customers, knowing the status of people is important; more so than their number. Having a number I get a chance to call, knowing their presence I know if I can connect.