Microsoft’s Workplace Analytics uses data gathered from email, documents, calendar, and other Office 365 applications to present a clear picture of both employee and manager productivity. It’s a clear upgrade from MyAnalytics, which allowed employees to view just their own data.

How does Workplace Analytics work?

A paid add-on to Office 365 enterprise plans, Workplace Analytics extracts behavioral insights from data gathered from Office 365 email, calendar, documents, and Skype. This means any data an employee types into their email and calendar — whether the information is in the subject line or in the body itself — can be used to determine their productivity.

The program has an overview dashboard that provides specific information:

• Week in the Life provides an overall view of how the entire organization spends time and how members collaborate with one another
• Meetings Overview shows the amount of time people spent in meetings
• Management and Coaching gauges one-on-one meetings between your staff and their manager
• Internal Networks shows how people within the company connect with one another
• External Collaboration provides insights into how people from your company connect with those from third-party organizations
• Teams Collaboration takes a look at how employees and managers communicate with their colleagues

What does Workplace Analytics aim to do?

According to Microsoft, Workplace Analytics addresses businesses’ most common challenges: complexity, productivity, and engagement.

Using Workplace Analytics data, managers and human resources departments can form productivity strategies for the entire company. If most of your employees spend 60% of their time attending meetings and not enough time doing creative work, managers can come up with a strategy to reduce meeting times and focus more on productive tasks.

Workplace Analytics also identifies how employees collaborate with internal and external parties. Suppose one of your sales staff frequently communicates with certain contacts. By using Workplace Analytics data, the manager would be able to determine whether this particular collaboration pattern is helping the employee hit sales targets or he or she is missing out on other more critical contacts. Based on this info, managers would also be able to determine which employees are most likely to meet or exceed their targets and set company-wide standards accordingly.

Workplace Analytics also allows managers to determine an employee’s level of engagement (i.e., whether the organization’s collaboration patterns are good for the company), and whether workloads are fairly distributed among workers and/or departments.

Is Workplace Analytics useful for small businesses?

Large corporations have been using Workplace Analytics, but small businesses can also benefit from it. The data used to provide insights are what employees generate themselves — how much time they spend on meetings, whom they frequently communicate with, and how much time they spend on productive tasks.

Aside from letting managers examine their staff’s work behavior, Workplace Analytics also provides an overall look at an organizational level. If you want your organization to further harness the capabilities of Workplace Analytics and other Office 365 tools, give us a call today.

The post Using Workplace Analytics to boost productivity appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Microsoft’s Workplace Analytics uses data gathered from email, documents, calendar, and other Office 365 applications to present a clear picture of both employee and manager productivity. It’s a clear upgrade from MyAnalytics, which allowed employees to view just their own data.

How does Workplace Analytics work?

A paid add-on to Office 365 enterprise plans, Workplace Analytics extracts behavioral insights from data gathered from Office 365 email, calendar, documents, and Skype. This means any data an employee types into their email and calendar — whether the information is in the subject line or in the body itself — can be used to determine their productivity.

The program has an overview dashboard that provides specific information:

• Week in the Life provides an overall view of how the entire organization spends time and how members collaborate with one another
• Meetings Overview shows the amount of time people spent in meetings
• Management and Coaching gauges one-on-one meetings between your staff and their manager
• Internal Networks shows how people within the company connect with one another
• External Collaboration provides insights into how people from your company connect with those from third-party organizations
• Teams Collaboration takes a look at how employees and managers communicate with their colleagues

What does Workplace Analytics aim to do?

According to Microsoft, Workplace Analytics addresses businesses’ most common challenges: complexity, productivity, and engagement.

Using Workplace Analytics data, managers and human resources departments can form productivity strategies for the entire company. If most of your employees spend 60% of their time attending meetings and not enough time doing creative work, managers can come up with a strategy to reduce meeting times and focus more on productive tasks.

Workplace Analytics also identifies how employees collaborate with internal and external parties. Suppose one of your sales staff frequently communicates with certain contacts. By using Workplace Analytics data, the manager would be able to determine whether this particular collaboration pattern is helping the employee hit sales targets or he or she is missing out on other more critical contacts. Based on this info, managers would also be able to determine which employees are most likely to meet or exceed their targets and set company-wide standards accordingly.

Workplace Analytics also allows managers to determine an employee’s level of engagement (i.e., whether the organization’s collaboration patterns are good for the company), and whether workloads are fairly distributed among workers and/or departments.

Is Workplace Analytics useful for small businesses?

Large corporations have been using Workplace Analytics, but small businesses can also benefit from it. The data used to provide insights are what employees generate themselves — how much time they spend on meetings, whom they frequently communicate with, and how much time they spend on productive tasks.

Aside from letting managers examine their staff’s work behavior, Workplace Analytics also provides an overall look at an organizational level. If you want your organization to further harness the capabilities of Workplace Analytics and other Office 365 tools, give us a call today.

The post Using Workplace Analytics to boost productivity appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Microsoft recently showcased Surface, a line of touchscreen-based laptops and tablets that run on the latest version of Windows. These gadgets boast compact builds, sharp displays, and other top-of-the-line specifications. And the best part is, all of these devices can integrate seamlessly with Office 365 to help you achieve optimum productivity. Here’s what you can expect.

Audio transcription in Word

This new feature allows audio files to be uploaded into Word, which will then be broken down and transcribed on a side panel using Azure Speech Technology. If you want, you can also record directly on Word using the Dictate function. The app will automatically transcribe it. To review the accuracy of the transcription, simply select a piece of the transcribed text and the audio version of that part will be played back.

This technology will be available in Word for web in early 2020, and can be enjoyed on desktop and mobile in the spring. This feature isn't free, but researchers, students, and professionals will find that this feature is worth the cost. It can also be of help to people with disabilities.

Improved Ink Editor

Ink Editor lets you edit and highlight documents by using your finger or a digital pen. Previously, you could already do simple commands with it, like delete and add words in a document, split a word, or link two words together. With Surface devices, the editing gestures become even more natural. When the technology arrives on web and desktop in Spring 2020, you will be able to insert comments anywhere in the document, as well as add graphs, drawings, or dictations.

Digital pen support for Excel

Microsoft takes advantage of the touchscreen capabilities in Surface devices by offering digital pen support for Excel. With this capability, you can now use your digital pen to write letters and numbers directly into Excel. This is perfect for people who are always on the go and those who want to save time when taking down notes.

Powerful Earbuds

Surface Earbuds are wireless earbuds that allow you to control music and calls by using signature gestures and voice commands. And because it integrates with Office 365, you can also use these gestures and commands on Office apps, such as when controlling a PowerPoint slideshow. Go to the next slide on PowerPoint by swiping on your Earbuds, or play and pause a video with a single tap on your device. Access apps like Outlook calendar and email without a screen. You can also use its built-in mic for dictation in apps like Word and Teams. The possibilities are limitless.

With Surface and Office 365 working together, you can expect improved productivity and more efficient workflows. Want to learn more about Office 365 and other necessary business technologies? Contact us today. Our technology experts are always ready to answer your questions.

The post Increase productivity with Office 365 and Surface appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..