Microsoft Outlook is one of the most widely used email applications in the world. Whether you use it at home for personal correspondence or at work for professional communication, there are several distinct benefits of choosing the Microsoft Outlook desktop email client to manage email more efficiently. Here are five to consider.
Security
Keep Microsoft Outlook up-to-date, and it will provide a good level of security. It offers junk mail filtering and blocks external content such as downloaded images, web bugs, and data from strange sites.
With cybercrimes increasing every year, Microsoft has taken steps to beef up security on its Outlook platform to protect clients’ information.
These new and enhanced security features include protecting junk and phishing emails by allowing you to disable live links and block senders. Its built-in email scanner will also alert you when an untrustworthy source sends you something.
Search
With Microsoft Outlook, it is easy to find anything you’re looking for. Its integrated search function allows clients to use keywords to find contacts, dates, and emails. This feature can also be used with any Outlook program, including Contact Manager and Calendar.
Enhanced Connectivity
Microsoft Outlook is more than just an application for your computer. It keeps you connected by allowing you to attach it to your mobile device. This allows you to read, write and send emails from anywhere and at any time.
If you decide to sync your Outlook account to your phone, you’ll have the added benefit of transforming your calendar into a portable planner and receiving alerts about new & upcoming appointments while you’re out of the office.
Compatibility
Using Outlook is a walk in the park if you are email server runs on Microsoft Exchange. With those two paired, anyone can use a service even if you’re not a computer expert. All you have to do is open up Outlook and enter your email address; Outlook and Exchange will join forces and take care of the rest.
Users are also not required to spend a lot of time on the configuration process, and this allows them to easily complete tasks that they would otherwise rely on an IT specialist to do. Switching computers in the workplace is one such example.
Outlook Offers One-Stop E-mail
With Microsoft Outlook, you can set up multiple user accounts. You can have several accounts that can feed into one folder using IMAP and POP3 protocols. If that filing system doesn’t work for you, you can sort the information into separate folders based on each account. Outlook allows you to choose based on your preference.
Connect with Others Easily
If you want to share your calendar with a colleague or client, Microsoft Outlook Calendar allows you. In fact, there is no restriction on who you can share your calendar with. Choose anyone you want, and you’re able to share it with them.
You can also create, edit and manage online Calendars for clients. This allows them to access the calendar information when it is convenient for them to do so.
In addition to that, Microsoft Outlook Calendar allows users to send text messages directly to anyone’s phone in their contact list, with just the click of a button. They can also send customized business cards or share subscriptions and contact information.
Integration
MS Outlook is designed to ensure you get tasks done by providing what you need to do so. It has a task list, calendar, address book, and calendar. Even has virtual sticky notes, and all the different pieces are integrated, so you can drag and drop an email message to set up an appointment or task or make a note.
It allows users to add other third-party apps such as Skype and ACT. This ensures that users don’t have to worry when sending emails, as it is very rare to find an app that’s not compatible with the client’s Outlook email.
SharePoint
SharePoint is Microsoft’s collaborative platform that offers users tools for building and managing their websites, workspaces, and intranets, among others. However, the platform requires users to log on to check forum discussions or examine shared documents, and many clients don’t have the time to do so.
Microsoft is aware of that fact, allowing users to easily get notifications by e-mail and then click through to the SharePoint site. Users can also participate in forum discussions by e-mail or add content to a shared workspace.
Familiar User Interface
Microsoft Office is the leader in the market when it comes to productivity software, which means the Outlook user interface is familiar to most users. So although there are several functionalities to learn, the basics will come relatively easy if you’ve used Microsoft Office. That familiarity shortens the learning curve and can end up saving the organization a lot in training costs.
Organization
Outlook makes it easy to organize your assets. When it comes to sorting and managing, most e-mail clients have some rules to do so. However, Outlook raises the bar, allowing users to easily forward, redirect or sort their messages based on their own guidelines.
It also gives you the option to send various automatic “Out of Office” messages to internal and external contacts, based on the information you want to share. Sometimes you send messages that you may need to follow up on at some point in the future. Outlook allows you to do that without hassle.
It has color-coded flags that you can use to nudge you by creating a Follow-Up folder that collects links to all the messages you flagged and then stores them in one place so they are easily accessible when you want them.
Active Directory Use
The Active Directory authentication is extendable to Exchange. As soon as you log into Microsoft Outlook, the credentials you are using for Active Directory will be passed to Exchange Server. You do not need to separately login, and there are no other requirements like maintaining separate login credentials. Microsoft Outlook will automatically figure out the right email address.
Devices and Applications
Another important yet practical reason for using Microsoft Outlook is this client email software’s ability to integrate with other devices and applications easily. In most cases, you do not even need to have a native personal information manager. The customers usually have a copy of Outlook that takes care of everything for them. Some typical examples of applications or devices that easily integrate with Microsoft Outlook include Blackberry, Skype, and other Office add-ons.
Final Thoughts
With a business-class email from Office 365, you’re immediately putting your best foot forward, branding your communications with the same name as your business. That kind of dedication to your company shows your customers you care and that you’re serious about the business you conduct. And now that you know all the benefits of Microsoft Outlook email, there’s no reason to keep using that free email address.
