Microsoft Outlook continues to rule over the business email world—current estimates hold that more than 1 billion users run the broader Microsoft Office software suite, with at least half of them (or a cool 500 million users) relying on Outlook to access their messages.
As the most widely used email program for businesses, Outlook boasts an ever-growing array of industry-leading features: email, calendar, and contact integration; remote access to email; customizable categorization and organization options; clutter-minimizing rules; and intuitive search.
Many other add-ins and plugins can boost your use of Outlook, as well. From security to connectivity to efficiency to productivity, here are five of our favorites to make your everyday use of Outlook even better:
5) GoToMeeting
There’s no denying the fact that anytime/anywhere Internet access has transformed the way modern workers can conduct important business. If you spend any time on the road or working remotely, you probably participate in your fair share of webinars and remote meetings, which makes GoToMeeting’s Outlook plug-in one of the best third-party applications for teleconferencing. You can schedule, manage, and start meetings directly from your Microsoft Outlook calendar, while an Add Meeting button can be plugged directly into your main toolbar for convenient access. If you have a Microsoft Office 365 subscription that includes Skype for Business, you’ll find a similar Skype Meeting button in your toolbar.
4) Remember The Milk
One of the first famous to-do/list-making apps, Remember The Milk underwent a transformation in 2016 when a new interface increased sharing capabilities and upgraded the MilkSync tie between RTM and Microsoft Outlook. Two-way synchronization allows lists, calendars, and contacts to be shared from Outlook to RTM and vice versa, while schedule-setting tools can streamline the way you structure your work and personal time. Upgrading to the Pro account unlocks another layer of powerful productivity tools.
3) Starbucks
Audio and video conferencing are great, but there’s nothing like a good old-fashioned in-person meeting to talk business. The Starbucks for Outlook plug-in adds a “Meet at Starbucks” button to your main toolbar so that you can create a meeting request, search for your favorite or most convenient Starbucks, and automatically set it as the location of your next face-to-face. In addition, you can send Starbucks eGift Cards right from your inbox for a nice personal touch.
2) Salesforce
Millions of users have made Salesforce one of the leading customer relationship management applications in the world. The Salesforce Lightning tool seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Outlook, updating and uploading client information through email and automatically saving attachments directly to client records. That equals a faster and more effective way to use Salesforce, eliminating the need to manually update records and contacts.
1) Egnyte
The combination of Egnyte’s powerful file-sharing capabilities with Outlook’s trusted user experience enables seamless collaboration and file-sharing. Egnyte’s Office integration offers Desktop, Online, and Mobile options, allowing users to share links to files or folders, upload files, and request files via upload links directly from Outlook. Email attachments can also be saved directly to the cloud with strong security and encryption options.
Everyone uses Microsoft Outlook differently, but most of us have the same goal when we sit down with the mail program: to find a way to work more efficiently and boost productivity. Whether you achieve that through basic Outlook functionality or more advanced add-ins like the ones mentioned above, CMIT Solutions is here to help. We consider email the lifeblood of any business, and we value the security and integrity of your communications. We can also provide enhanced security options that allow for the safe use of third-party apps. Want to know more? Contact CMIT Solutions today. We worry about your IT so you don’t have to.