by Felicien | Oct 31, 2018 | Education
Microsoft Outlook makes it easy. If you are in an email, then click on the Message tab and Reply With Meeting. Then go ahead and update the invitation like you would any other meeting. Don’t forget about adding the attendees, time, location, then Send. It’s as simple as that. But wait! There’s more to meeting requests then reply and send.
What we’ve done is scoured our archives and brought you 13 quick question and answered tips most Outlook users want to know. Our list is not exhaustive. But what we’ve put together for you and your team are the most common meeting requests we hear, and we’d like to share them with you today and test them for yourself.
1) How can I respond to a new meeting request in Outlook?
Open the meeting request and click Accept. Click Send the response now if you wish to respond or select Do not send a response. Then click OK. You may want to choose Edit the answer before sending to include a comment such as: “I will be arriving late.”
2) How can I see who has accepted a meeting in Outlook?
When you need to review, who accepted or declined your meeting invite, in Microsoft Outlook here’s what you do:
Choose the “Calendar” icon in the “Navigation Pane“
Double-click the meeting you want to review
Under the “Meeting Occurrence” tab, select the “Tracking” button
3) How do I accept a declined meeting in Outlook?
This is for Outlook 2016 for Mac or Outlook 2016/2013 for Windows
Open the meeting request from the Deleted Items folder, and then click Accept or Tentative. If the Deleted Items folder got emptied, this option is not available.
Request the meeting organizer resend you a new meeting request update.
4) How do you send a meeting update without response required?
When you initially send the meeting request, if you didn’t turn off the response option, you can change the option at any time.
Open the meeting
On the Meeting Ribbon
In the Attendees group, click Responses
Uncheck Request Responses
5) How do I accept a meeting in Outlook that I declined?
Go ahead and open the Deleted Items folder and find the declined meeting request you refused.
Now go ahead and double-click to open the meeting request. Next, click the Accept button in the Respond group under the Meeting tab.
When the prompt box pops up, choose an option you want, and then click the OK button.
6) How do I accept a meeting in Outlook?
Here you will double-click the meeting request to open. Now click one of the buttons in the “Respond” button group, on the “Meeting” tab on the Ribbon. You can click either the Decline, Tentative or Accept or if allowed by your meeting organizer, “Propose New Time” buttons.
7) How do I see who is not attending a meeting in Outlook?
If you want to review who declined your meeting invite in Outlook, here’s what to do.
Choose the “Calendar” icon in the “Navigation Pane“
Double-click the meeting you want to check
Under the “Meeting Occurrence” tab, select the “Tracking” button
Can you recall meeting invite outlook?
When you want to cancel your meeting, open Outlook, then locate the event in your calendar. Choose the meeting, but do not open the meeting details. Choose the “Meeting” icon in the top navigation ribbon, then click the “Cancel Meeting” option. Type an optional message, then click “Send Cancellation.”
8) Can you un-decline a meeting in Outlook?
Show a declined meeting on my calendar. If a meeting request gets refused, the session does not get saved to your schedule, and the meeting request message gets moved to the Deleted Items folder. You can only show accepted or tentative meetings on your calendar. To request this feature, go to Outlook UserVoice.
9) How do I view Cancelled meetings in Outlook?
To hide or don’t show canceled meetings in your Calendar in Outlook, do this:
Step 1: Move to the Calendar view, and open the Calendar that you want to hide canceled meetings Step 2: Click the View Settings button on the View tab
Step 3: In the popping up dialog box, please click the Filter button
Step 4: Then the Filter dialog box comes out. Please go to the Advanced tab, and:
(a) Click the Field > All Appointment fields > Subject;
(b) Click the Condition box and select the doesn’t contain from the drop-down list
(c) Enter the text of “Canceled:” in the Value box;
(d) Click the Add to List button
Step 5: Click both OK buttons in two dialog boxes.
10) How do I send a meeting update in Outlook?
Update a recurring meeting is easy
Go ahead and double-click the meeting on your calendar. It will open. To update all instances of a recurring meeting, on the Organizer Meeting or Meeting Series tab, click Edit Series.
Change the options that you want.
On the Organizer Meeting or Meeting tab, click Send Update.
11) How do you delete a meeting in Outlook without sending a cancellation?
Option 2
Choose the “Send/Receive” tab
Now the “Work Offline” button
Make your changes or delete your calendar appointment
Now choose to Send cancellation
Head over to the “Outbox” and delete all of the cancellation messages
Now go back to “Send/Receive” and choose “Work Offline” again to turn it off
12. How do you change a meeting response in Outlook?
Change meeting request: Outlook 2010 and 2013
In your calendar double click on the meeting to open the Meeting dialogue window. Note: You have two options of opening: one occurrence or the entire series if you are changing a recurring meeting.
In the main Meeting dialogue window, make your meeting changes. When you get finished, click on the Send Update icon.
13. How do I recover a deleted meeting in Outlook?
Recovering deleted mail items: Outlook 2010 and 2013
Choose the folder where you want to retrieve the missing item.
Click on the Folder tab, and then click Recover Deleted Items.
In the Recover Deleted Items dialog box, select the item(s) you would like to restore.
Click Recover Selected Items.
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by Felicien | Oct 31, 2018 | Education
Productivity is key for any business in today’s competitive market. Even the largest companies can fall victim to dips in productivity, and this can happen for many reasons. Whether there are distractions in the workplace, too much work to do with not enough employees, or simply a lack of effort from a few bad eggs, productivity loss is costing businesses…big time.
Businesses are looking to new, innovative ways to encourage and maintain optimal productivity, and much of this begins with communication. While email still reigns supreme for team communication, productivity apps are gaining traction, especially with the new and improved variations available today.
Project managers are faced with many tasks on a daily basis. From calls and meetings to daily project evaluation, there isn’t always enough time in the day to complete everything efficiently. Productivity tools help cut down on some of the grunt work, making team communication and project management easier than ever before. Where some businesses may spend thousands, or even millions of dollars in search of tools to encourage productivity, many of today’s free apps are just as effective. Apps like these can help your team with all types of projects and issues.
Accountability
In addition to streamlining communication across projects, productivity apps are also useful in maintaining accountability among team members. Assigning tasks for the whole team to see makes it easier to determine where the ball has dropped. This is particularly important when identifying opportunities.
Multi-Tasking
Given that the modern worker has become accustomed to multi-tasking, it’s important to keep organized to reduce the chances of important files becoming lost or misplaced.
Easy Communication
With a growing number of remote workers now taking to the workforce, implementing simple methods of communication are important as ever. Today’s productivity apps are helping businesses do more with less.
Productivity apps allow team members to communicate openly, with the ability to share files and other important documents in real time. They’re one of the many tools businesses are using to keep employees focused on the tasks ahead. They can help to keep up with work easier, more balanced, and they can help employees maintain better control of their time.
Here are a few of today’s most popular productivity apps:
Trello
Trello is one of the most popular productivity apps, and for good reason. There are seemingly endless possibilities when utilizing Trello for business. This free app is designed for both solo and group work, so whether you’re a team of one or many, organization is well within reach.
Trello distinguishes itself from other apps in that it’s centered around boards. By unloading your ideas in a uniform space, you can move on to priority tasks and tackle them individually. This makes it easier to visualize tasks and keep team members on the same page. It also offers users the ability to set clear deadlines for tasks, ensuring accountability. From creating to-do lists to tracking projects and managing editorial calendars, Trello is filled with a range of tools that makes it well worth the download.
Asana
Asana is one other productivity app businesses are flocking to for organization, and it’s a quite effective one at that. Emailing between team members and searching for project materials internally can waste time and cause added stress for employees. Productivity apps like Asana let team members know who is doing what, with project deadlines and materials easily visible for optimal efficiency. Less visual than Trello, but still heavy on communication and organization, Asana is a way to break down large projects into small tasks. This has many benefits for big businesses with many departments, each responsible for their own unique work flow.
Basecamp
While many productivity apps are similar in function, their interfaces are what set them apart from others. Basecamp is a popular productivity app helping organizations work better together and is one of the easiest to use. Team members are able to view comments and discussions at a glance, which is extremely useful when there are multiple projects in the works. Streamlined communication can help minimize the need for meetings. Members are able to chime in on Basecamp discussions without missing a beat, and with real-time updates, accountability is easier than ever.
Zoho
Zoho does more than the typical productivity app, and while it may be more useful for larger businesses, small organizations can still find some use here with team collaboration and pipeline management. From performance analytics, to customizations, Zoho is built to help teams get it all done through one platform. Its team collaboration tools include things like a document library, calendar and feeds so employees are all on the same page.
Wrap Up
Productivity apps aren’t just a means for improving your daily workload. They’re a way to minimize the unnecessary stress that comes with managing and working on multiple projects. Businesses both big and small are reaping the benefits of productivity apps, and it’s doing big things for their bottom line. Will your company be next?
by Felicien | Oct 30, 2018 | Education
At the beginning of October 2018, Tabs3 Software announced that it had acquired CosmoLex. This makes it the most complete offering of its kind.
“We are thrilled to welcome CosmoLex to the Tabs3 family as we continue to build the leading platform for practice and financial management software for solo to midsized law firms,” President and CEO of Tabs3, Dan Berlin stated. “CosmoLex plays a significant role in our vision to be the software partner of choice for every solo to midsized law firm in the United States and Canada, whether they desire cloud, desktop, or hosted desktop software.”
Legal professionals unfamiliar with either the award-winning Tabs3 or the innovative CosmoLex may wonder the following: “What are they?” and “How can I use them to improve upon my existing legal business practices?”
Understanding what they are independently will help clarify what they can accomplish combined.
What Is Tabs3 Software?
Tabs3 is Windows-only software designed specifically for law offices. Among other things, it performs timekeeping and billing on desktops. It can be paired with certain add-ons to work with the Legal Electronic Data Exchange Standard (LEDES). This specifies the file formats used to facilitate the safe transmission of electronic data in the legal industry. These help keep a firm compliant.
Although Tabs3 is fully-customizable, it is not portable, and it is a bit complicated. Generally, it works well for partnerships or firms that have onsite IT assistance. It is user-friendly, but can be a bit difficult to set up.
Some of its key functions are as follows:
Billing options that include standard hourly, contingency, flat fee, retainer, split fee, and task-based methods
Conversion tool to transfer information from Timeslips and other software to Tabs3
Extensive report capabilities
Security options that are tiered for user preference, and may include encryption for ultimate protection
Additionally, Tabs3 Billing provides seamless integration with other Tabs3 products like the accounting, financial, and report-writing software. It integrates with Quickbooks, Tabs3 Cost Recovery, Tabs3 General Ledger, Tabs3 Trust Accounting, and Practice Master, which is the law practice manager software.
It does not have an Android or iOS application at this time. An easy upgrade to Tabs3 Premium and the mobile interface Tabs3 Connect, however, allows users to access the programs on their smartphones or tablets.
What Is CosmoLex Software?
CosmoLex is one of the fastest-growing cloud-based platforms. It is very popular with solo practitioners and in small offices. As of 2018, it is used by thousands of law firms. Over 20 State Bar Associations endorse it, as well.
CosmoLex provides a comprehensive law practice management system. It offers the convenience and security of legal time and online retainer and invoice payments. The built-in accounting feature (LawPayTM) takes care of the bookkeeping for every credit card transaction. CosmoLex also ensures that law office accounting is fully compliant.
There is no contract required for CosmoLex. For a small pay-as-you-go monthly fee, firms receive access to all of its features. For no additional charge, they also receive all of the newest features as soon as they are added. Plus, customer onboarding, training, and support are provided by CosmoLex’s in-house team free of charge.
Since it is cloud-based, it can be used with an app on iOS and Android. This allows attorneys to handle the business end of their practice anytime, anywhere.
How Will the Acquisition of CosmoLex by Tabs3 Benefit Law Offices?
Now that Tabs3 Software has acquired CosmoLex, what does that mean for the legal field and individual firms? With the existing customer-base of each, together they will be serving over 100,000 lawyers with locations in Canada, as well as the United States.
Combined, this becomes one of the most versatile legal practice management options available. It offers both cloud and desktop software solutions. This makes it ideal for solitary legal professionals, as well as small and mid-sized offices.
It offers the advanced features, control, and security of an established desktop product, and adds to that the lower-priced billing of a cloud-based product. Accounting, billing, practice management, and seamless integration are the key aspects that CosmoLex and Tabs3 together supply. In fact, that is what will make this a total solution for many law firms.
In Conclusion
With so much at stake in the legal sector, attorneys can expect more procurements, such as Tabs3 acquiring CosmoLex, to take place. Not only do these actions benefit both of the companies, but they make things easier for their customers as well.
“The combination of Tabs3 and CosmoLex brings together the market-leading desktop platform with the fastest-growing cloud platform in the legal billing, financial and practice management markets;” founder and CEO of CosmoLex, Rick Kabra stated. “We are now much better positioned to serve existing and new clients as law firms continue to embrace cloud technology.”
by Felicien | Oct 30, 2018 | Education
Trying to track your mileage for reimbursement and tax purposes can be a hassle for people who are naturally organized, and is even for worse for those of us who aren’t. If you have a smartphone, it has built-in GPS technology that can make the tracking process easier and automatic – but only if you have the right kind of app.
There are a host of apps out there that promise to help you with the process. However, if you are an Office 365 premium business subscriber, MileIQ can help you log, classify, and report on unlimited trips through their free app.
What Is MileIQ?
If you haven’t heard of it yet, MileIQ is a popular app for automatically tracking mileage. This app is available on both Android and iPhones – and, as mentioned, is included with Office 365 Business Premium subscriptions. It runs in the background of your mobile device and provides you with accurate, easy to classify mileage records. It automatically logs all your miles into individual trips which it refers to as Drives. You will be notified after a Drive to classify it as business or private. The app then creates an accurate record for reimbursable mileage and tax deductions and can generate customized reports for you.
Setting Up MileIQ
To set up MileIQ, begin by downloading and installing it on your device. Once the app is installed, open it. You will be prompted to log in or create an account.
Assuming you have not created an account, you would need to provide the email address you would like to use and password to secure your account. You do not have to use a business email address; in fact, the app suggests you use a more permanent personal address.
When that is complete, click on Sign Up. The email address you provide in this step will be the one where all reports and updates will be sent. As with most apps, you will need to verify your email address. After you have received and reviewed the verification email, the installation will be finished.
Device Permissions
In order to run properly, MileIQ will need certain device permissions, including access to your location. Without being able to access your location, the app will not work. When prompted for that permission, select Always Allow if you have an iOS device or Always if you have an Android device. Some people may be concerned that if they provide a business email address to the app that their employer will be able to track them. The app will not provide information to your employer unless you share your login information with them or mail them copies of your reports.
You will also be prompted concerning permission for reminders/notifications. The purpose of reminders is to help you classify a trip as business or personal while that information is fresh in your mind. It is recommended that you allow reminders on your device. It will make the process of classifying your trips much easier.
Accessing Premium Features through Office 365
After creating or signing in to your MileIQ account, you will be prompted for a work email to verify your company’s Office 365 subscription. Note that you do not have to use your work email as your MileIQ email. Once you have been approved as an eligible Office 365 subscriber, you will have access to a premium account that allows you to log unlimited Drives.
Classifying Drives
To classify a Drive as business, you swipe right. To classify it as personal, swipe left. You can also add any details that you need, such as toll or parking charges. Note that after classifying trips for a while, the system will be able to automatically classify your most frequent routes (e.g., to and from the main office or a workspace).
Drive and Mileage Reports
You can receive a report on your Drives at your convenience. The default is a weekly report, but reports can be generated at any time. In addition, the reports are highly customizable through the MileIQ dashboard. The dashboard for MileIQ can be accessed from just about any device you own – tablets, smartphones, laptops, and even in the cloud.
Conclusion
There are many people out there who are struggling with trying to track mileage, filling out stacks of reimbursement forms, hoping their mileage information is backed up, and working hard to classify business and personal travel separately. There are so many apps to choose from to help with tracking mileage than trying to select one can be a major challenge in itself. However, the only mileage tracking app that offers a premium subscription to Office 365 business subscribers is MileIQ. Fortunately, MileIQ is easy to set up and use, and it provides a great deal of supporting information on the MileIQ website.
by Felicien | Oct 30, 2018 | Education
In the past, the proposal management process has been plagued by different data sources, manual methods, and a lack of collaboration across groups, despite the rise of industrial lending. Microsoft has built a solution for the Microsoft 365 platform known as Proposal Manager. Proposal Manager has advanced features, functions, and custom apps, which permits the streamlining of the corporate lending loan origination process.
What Makes Microsoft Proposal Manager Different?
Lenders who are struggling with their loan processes wind up with missed lending opportunities, dissatisfied customers, and employees burdened by highly manual and frequentative methods. Without digitization, banking executives estimate that their staff still spends more of their time on repetitive and manual tasks.
A recent Capgemini study confirms that back-office commercial bank employees do spend about 80 percent of their time on manual and repetitive tasks. That same study also cites that by automating data-intensive and repetitive tasks, automation will provide more than 25 percent in expenditure savings. With automating, your employees would have their time freed up to tackle other revenue-generating projects.
Microsoft’s Proposal Manager is the solution that helps kick-start the transformation lenders, like you, need to complete more lending cycles, without compromising on risk assessments, and to remain disciplined in a competitive market. Built on Microsoft 365, Proposal Manager is fully customizable, so lending teams can easily create professional winning proposals, streamline and accelerate the process, and improve productivity and teamwork.
How Does Microsoft Proposal Manager Work?
Let’s assume you are a loan officer for a corporate or commercial bank. And you are using the Proposal Manager to assemble and collaborate with your deal team, and you want to create a proposal for a prospective client.
With the proposal manager, you can guarantee the deal team captures client needs, even if they are on the go. That keeps the proposal moving forward from anywhere by incorporating:
Team members who have a deep understanding of the client and Legal and Compliance teams can still manage risk and compliance processes
You can quickly engage people with the right expertise. You can build a detailed workflow with vital tasks for content owners. You can then schedule built-in tracking and notifications. That makes it easy to keep the proposal progress moving seamlessly. As for meeting tight deadlines; risk and compliance approval processes are simplified with the pre-built workflows checklists. You also can now link document repositories to the to-do items.
Is It Possible To Collaborate or Co-Author The Proposal Draft?
Yes. In the past, proposal manager data fragmentation made it very difficult for loan officers and their teams to be agile, accurate, and compliant. But now, they can secure final sign-offs to present the formal commitment letter, and record the client’s decision.
It is easier to collaborate and co-author the draft proposal. You would assign sections of content to the expert on the team ensuring essential tasks are completed on time and securely. They can seamlessly edit, iterate, and track proposal content across the group while providing the completeness and consistency of the documentation.
With pricing, risk, and proposal terms and conditions, the proposal drafting process harnesses disparate data through links to external sources such as market data so that the content in the document is always up to date.
Is Proposal Manager Customizable?
Yes. Microsoft’s Proposal Manager solution comes customizable. It is adaptable for your enterprise development team, so your lending team can:
Create professional, winning proposals easily — You can save time, present professional commitment letters, and sharpen creativity, to improve credit risk management and increase win rates.
Streamline proposal management—Simplify the corporate and commercial loan origination process. Using automated, integrated, and secure tools for document management; allowing you to direct, team collaboration and workflows. Bank managers can facilitate frequentative proposal negotiations. They can help expedite credit committee approvals, empower relationship managers on the go, and guarantee version consistency.
Improve collaboration and teamwork—Respond to proposals collaboratively and quickly with connected, company-wide communications and collaboration tools. Keep the proposal process moving seamlessly by collaborating and sharing in real-time, while meeting tight deadlines. Lead whiteboarding sessions and proposal reviews with enterprise-class video, voice, and email.
Final Thoughts
Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 customers now have access to Microsoft Proposal Manager solution. It’s integrated across existing Microsoft 365 workloads. It helps you transform your proposal process into a secure, collaborative, agile, and client-centered process without requiring significant IT involvement for deployment.
If you are a loan officer or sales manager, you can download the Proposal Manager brochure. After you’ve downloaded the material, get with your IT support and development team in understanding more about how the solution can help you and your team. The impact Proposal Manager would have for your firm is significant.
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