Most companies have over 30% waste on their Microsoft licenses. And if you think that’s bad, enterprise-scale organizations are at the higher end of the waste spectrum, where 44% of licenses are underutilized or oversized.

I can’t imagine many business executives are really hoping for more ways to give Microsoft their hard-earned money without getting the ROI they’re paying for. So, in this blog, I’ll help you unlock some of the value you should be getting out of this incredibly robust platform and how to make sure you’re not overpaying. 

What Is Microsoft 365 Typically Used for in Business?

The typical business that relies on Microsoft 365 tends to use it the same way they used it ten years ago — for emails, documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and storing files. 

But depending on your business’s goals, you could probably get much more value from the same license. 

Here are just a few capabilities this platform can unlock: 

• Automate repetitive tasks, including data entry and database management 
• Create business apps without any coding needed 
• Simplify collaboration from anywhere
• Reduce common email and scheduling pain points
• Facilitate an easier onboarding and offboarding experience 
• Streamline mobile device management (MDM)

6 Areas Most Businesses Could Get More ROI From Microsoft 365

Every workplace has different needs, so here are just a few ways that Microsoft 365 can bring more value to almost every organization in almost every industry. 

1. Microsoft 365 Email

The mailboxes are much larger with Microsoft Office 365 than most competitors, which means you no longer have to run exchange servers, and you’re not arguing with end users about how big their mailboxes can be. 

But if you’re not using any of these features, you should start: 

• Encourage your staff to enable Focused Inbox and start training the platform’s AI capabilities by manually moving key emails to their focused view, so important conversations will be automatically prioritized
• Create templates in Outlook for frequently sent messages 
• If you also have Microsoft Copilot, you can use it to summarize long email threads, compose thoughtful responses using data from your Microsoft environment, and more

2. Microsoft Teams 

After Microsoft announced licensing changes that essentially made Microsoft Teams an add-on for new licenses, it made waves. Microsoft Teams is very popular, but even in organizations where it’s used daily, it’s often not used to its fullest. 

Here are a few Teams tips you’re welcome to steal: 

• Create read-only channels to send out important announcements 
• Set up topic-based channels, using emojis to make content easy to identify at a glance
• Create templates for recurring meetings 
• Pin key files to channel tabs 
• Create preset responses to common questions 
• Automatically transcribe your meeting, including speakers and timestamps 
• Use built-in analytics to see what features are being used, compare usage across different departments, and identify where additional training might be needed 

3. Microsoft Loop 

Looking to work better with your team in Microsoft 365? If you haven’t yet had the pleasure, give Loop a try. 

It's a user-friendly workspace where you can create and share all kinds of content that stays up-to-date everywhere you use it.

Want to make a checklist with your team? Or maybe build a table together? Loop lets you do that and more. And whatever you create will automatically update across all your documents, emails, and chats. 

Pro tip: If you have Copilot, try using it to help you get started with creative brainstorming, creating new content, and project management tasks. 

4. Word and PowerPoint 

Did you know that Microsoft 365 makes it easy to transform Word docs into presentations? Play around with Word’s Export feature, so that moving forward, you can focus on polishing your content — not cutting and pasting. 

Pro tip: Microsoft 365 also lets you use your mouse as a laser pointer when you’re in Presenter Mode (even during Teams meetings), and Copilot can also make it easier to create content and graphs. 

5. Excel

Databases require constant maintenance —  and it’s the type of work most humans find tedious and unnecessarily time-consuming. But with Excel Data Types, you can now link specific cells to other databases and online data sources. 

6. Microsoft Planner 

This tool recently got a huge boost with tons of collaboration and project management features that make it easy to wrangle complex projects and keep work moving. And if you’re wondering — yes, Copilot can further enhance this app by suggesting reminders, generating specific task lists, and more. 

The Easiest Way To Reduce Waste and Maximize ROI From Microsoft Subscriptions

If you’ve assumed that you’ll pay less when you purchase your Microsoft license directly from Microsoft, you’re in good company. However, it’s actually not true! 

Many top equipment manufacturers and software developers would rather focus on creating a great product — leaving the sales and support to a company that’s better at building and maintaining relationships. So they are quite happy to let a “middle man” offer an even better deal. 

One of the many ways we can do that at Marco—a Certified Microsoft Solutions Partner — is to provide free Microsoft license assessments to help our clients get more ROI and simplify license management in the future. To get started, we’d just need to get some visibility into your account to start providing customized recommendations.