Microsoft recently hosted a web cast where they demonstrated how Office 365 is changing the workplace. The web cast began with the host sitting in a coffee bar on a Lync video call with Luke Williams, Author of Disrupt: Think the Unthinkable to Spark Transformation in Your Business. At the end of the call, the host moved from the coffee bar to the car where he participated in another Lync video call with the Co-Founder of Yammer, Adam Pisoni. Finally, the host ended the web cast at the Office 365 studio where he wrapped up with a Lync video call to Andy Roberts, Head of End User Technology at Telefonica in the UK and another with Sandy Abrahams, CIO of Helly Hansen in Norway to share their testimonies of using Office 365.
It was very exciting to hear about the way other companies are using Office 365, so I wanted to share our experience at TecFac with you. TecFac is a Microsoft Partner and re-seller of Office 365 and Lync Unified Communications.
I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage, “The shoemaker’s children have no shoes.” Why is that? It’s largely due to the fact that the shoemaker is so busy making and fixing shoes for his customers, that he doesn’t have time to do so for his own family. Well, we believe in the other old adage, “Eat your own dog food.” And that’s exactly what we do at TecFac.
Lync and Office 365 have been an integral part of the way we run our business. As a small organization, Office 365 gives us the opportunity to use platforms that would have cost a fortune to host on premises such as Exchange for email. With Office 365, we can access emails on our mobile devices, through Outlook on our computers, or through Outlook Web Access (OWA) on other public computers or other devices.
Office 365 also gives us the ability to use the Microsoft Office suite not only on our work computers, but also on our personal computers at no additional cost. This is a huge savings, especially for families that have a need for these programs.
With Sky Drive Pro, we are able to store our files online giving us 24-7 access to them and the ability to easily collaborate with each other. My colleague, Steven Holte, describes the Office 365 collaboration features in detail here. We have used these collaboration features to provide quick feedback on deliverables where deadlines were imminent.
Lync, our Unified Communications platform, has proven time and time again why it is undoubtedly our most valuable service. We live and breathe Lync on a daily basis. It is our primary means of communication especially since we are located in different parts of the country. We host daily operational meetings with our clients using Lync video conferencing. We are able to make decisions quickly with the ability to share our desktops with each other. The Lync app and ability to transfer a call from our computer to our cell phone helps us to get on the move without missing a beat. Just the other day, my colleague, Marc Kravitz, was participating in a conference call working on resolving an issue with our team. When he needed to leave the office for another obligation, he transferred the call to his cell phone without disrupting it.
As you can see, our children do not lack shoes at all! We are able to provide our employees with the tools they need to perform at high levels while still providing our customers with the best service possible through the use of Office 365.
How about you? Is your organization suffering because you do not have the resources necessary to focus on your customers and your employees at the same time? Do you have a need to provide the flexibility your employees are longing for? Let us help you provide shoes for your children.
As the Director of Operations and experienced Project Manager, Shanelle can work with your team to develop a detailed project plan that will ensure the smooth and seamless implementation of Office 365 and Lync in to your organization. Contact us at 301-960-0490 for a demo of how these products can help you.
