Posted On 03 Dec 2020

Microsoft Outlook is one of the most widely used applications, but not everybody uses it to its greatest potential. Below we list some ways in which you can use this application more effectively and efficiently.

FindTime: this is a useful time management add-in that can automatically look through schedules and find a time when all other team members appear to be free; it then sends out a list of potential meeting times and asks for a vote on the optimal time. Once this is completed, it will email everyone in the team telling them when the new meeting will take place.

Add it to your desktop: using the Outlook on the Desktop add-in, you can pin your Outlook calendar to your desktop rather than having to search through Outlook’s screens to find it. You can customize its size and appearance and easily switch into other areas of Outlook as required.

Custom Signatures: this add-in enhances Outlook’s capacity for adding a signature to multiple accounts. You can already do this in Outlook, but Custom Signatures allows you to add different signatures for different people or groups of people, so you can send the same email to customers and colleagues but with a different sign off.

Add Grammarly: however good your writing is, we can all do with an extra pair of eyes on our emails; Grammarly (free with premium options) provides just that, looking over anything you write in Outlook and letting you know if there are any spelling errors or grammatical problems with them. It’s a good way of instantly making your email look more professional.

Advanced Folders Watch: Advanced Folders Watch is an add-in that allows you to create a wizard that searches for keywords in emails and documents and alerts you if they arrive, eliminating the danger that important messages related to your latest project won’t get lost in the tide of everyday administration.

Boomerang: Boomerang (free with paid options) helps you to manage your email by giving you the option to schedule send times so you can customize them to a time when they are most likely to be opened. It also allows you to track your email, letting you know if anyone clicks through on links, and can also be scheduled to send reminders if emails are not opened.

Translator for Outlook: this official add-in from Microsoft can provide you with almost instantaneous translation of any emails you receive a foreign language, using the Microsoft Translator engine.