Stay aHead: How Microsoft’s ‘One Experience’ enhances my productivity

Work life can become exceedingly hectic, so it makes sense to stay one step ahead and have everything you need available to you at all times. It means you’re always prepared and capable of dealing with any situation that rolls your way.

How are we doing it at the moment? Working on Microsoft Connects allows us to experience the plethora of features available. At the centre of this is the ‘One Experience’.

What does that mean? It means having the same resources available to you on all of your technological devices at any time.

What I’m currently using:

• Lumia 930 – Surface Pro 3 tablet – Laptop running Windows 7

Here’s a snapshot of the features that are available via a Community Executive’s POV.

OneDrive

• All of my docs and reports for clients are stored on OneDrive, fully downloadable and editable across any of my devices
• As a community exec I also require imagery to be at my disposal for social channels such as Twitter and Instagram. All of these assets, along with videos and Photoshop files are securely stored here
• Additional members of the team can be added at any time for access by clicking ‘share’ and entering their email address. You can also revoke access in case somebody leaves the agency/client team

Office365 and Outlook

• Office 365 can be installed on up to 5 devices – syncing allows constant contact between to the client and the agency as well as third parties – something that is very important, especially when organising events and video shoots
• I’m constantly sending emails (aren’t we all), so this really helps!

Office

• Documents can be edited across all of the devices when needed. The Office Apps have now been made available to IOS too, so you no longer have to be using a Microsoft device in order to experience these capabilities
• I don’t do a whole lot of editing on the move, but it’s good to know it’s there if I need it

Contacts

• Synced across all devices, this enables me to have constant contact with clients, and members of the ever-developing community, such as those who will be doing Instagram takeovers soon
• Pin to start – I pin key contacts such as team members and clients to the start screen, acting as a shortcut for quick access

Tethering

• I regularly use my Lumia as a hotspot for my Surface when Wi-Fi isn’t available

Skype and Lync

• These apps allow me to stay connected, communicate, collaborate and conference with others on any of the devices I use

There are of course many more that we are beginning to involve in our everyday work such as Yammer, Sway and SharePoint, but more on those another time!

From a productivity and security standpoint, my setup helps me out tremendously as I can work from just about anywhere when required.

Of course these features don’t just lend itself to business; all of this can be used for similar reasons in your personal life (with additional features such as Xbox).

How do you stay productive when on the move? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter @1000heads