3 Lesser-Known Apps in Microsoft 365 That Will Boost Your Productivity

Microsoft 365 offers an impressive suite of well-known tools like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, but there’s a wealth of hidden gems waiting to be discovered.  

These lesser-known apps can change how you work, helping you organise, collaborate, and create like never before.  

In this post, we’ll explore three powerful tools—Microsoft Planner, Microsoft Loop, and Microsoft Sway—that can significantly enhance your productivity.

Microsoft Planner: Visualise and Organise Your Projects

Microsoft Planner is an intuitive project management tool that allows teams to visually manage tasks using a Kanban-style board. It’s perfect for organising work and tracking progress across different projects, making it an essential addition to your productivity toolkit. 

Key Features: 

• Task Assignment: You can easily assign tasks to team members, set due dates, and prioritise activities. 

• Progress Tracking: Keep an eye on project status with built-in progress charts and dashboards, which offer transparency into who is doing what and when. 

• Integration with Teams: Microsoft Planner integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Teams, making it easy to manage tasks directly from your workspace. 

By streamlining task management and collaboration, Microsoft Planner helps teams stay aligned and productive, whether working on a small internal project or large client deliverables. 

Learn More About Planner

Microsoft Loop: Collaborate in Real-Time, Anywhere

Microsoft Loop is a newer app in the Microsoft 365 suite, designed for real-time collaboration across teams. Think of it as a flexible canvas where you can create and share live components like tables, task lists, and even entire pages.  

These elements stay in sync, no matter where they are shared, allowing for seamless teamwork across different platforms. 

Key Features: 

• Live Components: Create elements like checklists, status trackers, and tables that are dynamic and constantly updated wherever they are embedded. 

• Flexible Collaboration: Work together in real-time on the same page or component, making changes that instantly reflect for all users. 

• Cross-App Integration: Loop components can be used in Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and even OneNote, enabling collaboration across various tools. 

For teams looking to stay connected and collaborate in an agile, efficient way, Microsoft Loop is a game-changer. Whether you’re brainstorming ideas or managing projects, Loop ensures that everyone is always on the same page—literally! 

Learn More About Loop

Microsoft Sway: Create Visually Stunning Presentations

Microsoft Sway is an often-overlooked app designed to help you create stunning, web-based presentations with minimal effort.  

It’s not a PowerPoint replacement but rather a storytelling tool that offers a different approach to showcasing content—ideal for reports, newsletters, and digital presentations. 

We actually use Microsoft Sway for our internal newsletters at Systemagic.  

Key Features: 

• Ease of Use: Sway allows you to drag and drop content into pre-designed templates, meaning you don’t need design skills to produce professional-looking results. 

• Responsive Design: Presentations created in Sway automatically adjust to look great on any device, whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, or desktop. 

• Embedding Content: Easily embed multimedia content like videos, images, and links to external sources, making your presentations more dynamic and engaging. 

Whether you’re delivering a company update, creating a marketing report, or showcasing a portfolio, Microsoft Sway helps you produce visually striking presentations without the typical effort required in traditional presentation software. 

Learn More About Sway

Conclusion 

These lesser-known Microsoft 365 apps—Planner, Loop, Sway offer powerful ways to enhance your productivity and streamline workflows.  

Whether you’re managing a project, collaborating on a document, or delivering a presentation, these tools can help you achieve more in less time.  

So, take a moment to explore them and unlock the full potential of Microsoft 365! 

For more information on these products, make sure to check out the Systemagic Resource Centre. 

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