Author, Dimitri Dizna CEO, BINARC
Boosting Your Digital Transformation with Microsoft 365
We are living in an increasingly digital age in which more and more companies are turning to remote or digital solutions for clients and employees alike. To stay up to date, it is essential to make sure that your company has the complete ability and bandwidth to provide digital and remote services to your customers. It is equally important to ensure that your employees are able to easily use digital platforms to perform day-to-day services.
Why go digital? Before we look at some of the innovative features that Microsoft 365 offers, let's look at some concrete reasons why beginning your digital transformation is the next step to advance your business to a new level.
The recent COVID-19 crisis revealed just how unpredictable the world can be. Unfortunately, businesses suffered during this time because many of them did not have the tools or resources to properly to utilize digital transformation to optimize their lines of business. Making sure your company can offer digital services for clients and employees will ensure that your company can continue to thrive during these challenging times by allowing your employees to work from almost anywhere at any time.
A November 2020 study commissioned by Microsoft and conducted by Boston Consulting Group and KRC Research found that productivity remained stable or even increased in many cases during the pandemic-induced shift to remote work. By giving your employees the power to work remotely, you enable them to focus more on getting work done. Providing a solid digital platform will illustrate to your employees your desire to support their productivity while working remotely.
Another great benefit to an increasingly digital workplace is the ability to take on more projects. Expanding your capacity to make more sales calls or add more people into virtual meetings will serve to advance your company regardless of the circumstances. Being able to hold online events or sell merchandise via your website will also help you reach more customers, leading to increased sales. Scaling your company to meet the needs and wants of more people will ensure the longevity of your business.
According to Gartner Digitalization Insights, 87% of senior business leaders cite digitization as a company priority, but only 40% of organizations have brought digital initiatives to scale. Clearly, most companies consider it a priority but haven't yet taken the proper steps to implement digital practices within their business. Why is this? There are several reasons why companies have yet to make the leap. One of the main issues is that it is considered to be a lengthy and laborious process. However, it doesn't always need to be. Let's look at one available software you can use that will make your digital transformation easy and straightforward, and embolden your employees to proceed with confidence.
Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is your best solution for any and all of your digital and remote needs. While there will always be challenges involved in introducing new software to your team, the process can be smooth, simple, and stress-free when utilizing Microsoft 365. One of the most important things to keep in mind is how the specific tools this software uses can help your team and clients alike. Educating your team on these tools and their benefits is vital to ensuring that your team maximizes the benefits of the software.
Microsoft Productivity Library
The most important thing is to ensure that your team and clients are aware of how using Microsoft 365 will help boost their productivity and improve results. The best way to help your team visualize this is to utilize the Productivity Library. The Productivity Library can help your team understand exactly how Microsoft 365 will assist them in their specific roles or job titles. Available for a number of sectors, including but not limited to retail, healthcare, financial services, and human resources, you can rest assured that the Productivity Library will help your team get detailed and specific instructions on how to proceed using their new software.
Microsoft Productivity Score
Another excellent Microsoft 365 tool is the Microsoft Productivity Score. The Microsoft Productivity Score will assist in providing insights on where you can improve experiences to help people reach their goals. It can also help you see what skills and systems need to be updated to optimize your business operations and maximize efficiency.
My Analytics
The third tool you'll want to implement is My Analytics My Analytics. My Analytics helps companies better understand their employees' work habits and how they are spending their time at work. My Analytics is available on both Micrsoft 365 and Office 365 Enterprise. This can help increase productivity, reduce wasted time and resources, and provide employees with a better idea of realistic expectations. A cousin of My Analytics, Workplace Analytics serves to analyze the impact business practices have on the way your team works and helps drive the change ascertained through My Analytics. Workplace Analytics is available as a Microsoft 365 add-on.
While these three tools are essential to begin your digital transformation via Microsoft 365, they will only be used once your transformation is in the works. To make your transition as smooth as possible, make sure you are using the Microsoft 365 Adoption Guide.
Adoption Guide
The Microsoft 365 Adoption Guide is a great tool for making the transition to Microsoft 365 easy and painless for your entire team. It will assist you in understanding how to best build and launch your digital plan with your stakeholders and identify priorities for your transformation. Additionally, it can assist you in tracking and monitoring the usage of your new software.
Let's talk about two programs you can utilize once your digital transformation is in the works.
It will take a little time for your team to get comfortable with Microsoft 365 and, of course, you will need to train any new employees to use the software. For that reason, it's always a good idea to use the Microsoft 365 Learning Pathways. The Learning Pathway can be used for clients, employees, or trainees to learn how Microsoft 365 and its features work. Easy how-tos will make sure everyone on your team knows how to share and customize their new portals and provides customizable on-demand training for both new and seasoned employees. There's no reason or need to have your team go blindly into this transformation. Ensure that you are giving everyone the tools and resources they need to utilize this software to the best of their ability.
Another useful Microsoft 365 training tool is the Office 365 Champions Program. This program can help your team leaders get the resources and support needed for them to effectively tackle day-to-day tasks and larger projects. The best part about this tool, is its ability to share information across the organization so that all may benefit.
Now that we've discussed the ways Microsoft 365 can enhance your digital transformation, here are a couple final thoughts.
First, remember that transformations are always ongoing. Our world is constantly evolving, so it only makes sense that our businesses must also. While your end goals may remain the same, the ways in which you achieve those goals will constantly evolve.
Second, don't forgo in-person relationships and a home base for your team. It is imperative that your team, clients, and customers feel supported by real people, not just faceless entities behind a screen. Whether by in-person meetings, phone calls, or video chats, make sure that everyone in your company receives meaningful human interaction to help them go forward and fulfill their potential.
Are you ready?
Interested in learning more about digital transformation and how it would advance your organization? It’s not as daunting as you might think, and BINARC can help.
BINARC is Microsoft Managed Services Provider that has utilized best-in-class people and tools to solve complex IT challenges for more than 20 years. As a first step, we can help clarify your IT inventory challenges and make recommendations as to how your current assets might be better utilized—for both immediate benefits and to ensure that you have a strong foundation upon which to launch your digital transformation.
For more, contact us at 202-681-7787 or online. You may also schedule a free 30-minute IT architecture strategy session via our online booking tool.