Office 365 is the ideal productivity tool for small and medium-sized businesses — it is cost-effective and receives plenty of support and upgrades from Microsoft. During last month’s Inspire conference, they announced even more applications for Office 365 that you will love and help you manage the operations of your business.
MICROSOFT CONNECTIONS
Email marketing campaigns are a great way to build relationships with contacts and increase sales, but they are often difficult to manage. With Microsoft Connections, you can easily launch a campaign in minutes using pre-designed templates for newsletters, referrals and promotions.
As you acquire more contacts, Microsoft Connections allows you to segment your mailing list so you can target different customers. For instance, you can send product promotions to clients who have stayed with your business for more than six months.
After firing off your emails, performance charts track important metrics like open rates, click-through rates, new sign-ups and canceled subscriptions that can be used to improve future campaigns.
MICROSOFT LISTINGS
Microsoft Listings helps you seamlessly manage your online presence. Whenever you update your business profile, Microsoft Listings automatically publishes those changes across your Facebook, Google, Bing and Yelp accounts, allowing you to keep important information like business hours up-to-date.
Furthermore, Microsoft Listings includes a web dashboard where you can monitor page-views, reviews, and likes, helping you assess your company’s online reputation.
MICROSOFT INVOICING
Another useful addition is Microsoft Invoicing, a tool that helps you generate price estimates and invoices. When combined with enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, you can program workflows that automatically redirect invoices, pending payments and estimates to the right accountant. This application works for credit, debit and PayPal transactions.
OFFICE 365 BUSINESS CENTER
The Office 365 Business Center brings Connections, Listings, and Invoicing all under one roof. This means information listed within one application is automatically registered into another, saving you from inputting data multiple times.
The main hub also features a unified dashboard where you can track an email campaign’s performance, Facebook impressions and any outstanding invoices, giving you full visibility into your accounting and marketing processes.
According to Microsoft, these powerful features will be generally available for Office 365 Business Premium subscribers in the coming months, however, if you want to get early access, consider joining the Office 365 Insider program.
Office 365 will likely have even more surprises for SMBs this year, so be sure to keep in touch with us to get the latest rundown on feature releases and Microsoft news.