How to Automate Microsoft Outlook Email Responses

by Felicien | Sep 16, 2019 | Education

Automate Email Replies in Four Ways to Share Information Better
Learn how to use four powerful tools to automate Microsoft Outlook email responses, including Automatic Replies, Quick Parts, Signatures and Templates  
Managing email responses, especially if you are a busy executive looking to keep in touch with clients, colleagues, investors and partners.
Watch the video below or click here to view on YouTube.
 
With Microsoft Outlook, you have multiple opportunities to automate your email responses. Here’s a look at four of the most effective ways to automate your email responses.
How Can I Use Templates to Automate Email Responses?
Templates are a simple way to create automated messages.
You can start with templates by creating a new message or replying to one.
On the ribbon, click on the View Templates button. This will bring up a new window with a section called My Templates, with a few common responses listed.
You can edit or remove these templates or create your own. For each template, you can give it a title and in the text box enter in any standardized response you choose, including copying and pasting from other documents.
Once you have your templates selected, you can add them to a new email or response quickly and edit them within the body of the message. For frequent phrasing and responses, the templates option helps to accelerate your communication.
The advantage of templates is that they are very easy to use, edit, update and delete. The downside is that they are very basic and include no formatting options within the template itself.
How Can Signatures Be Automated?
Preset signatures can help create various messages for different situations. In most cases, a default signature will be applied to all your outgoing messages. These signatures typically contain the following:

Full name
Title
Phone numbers
Website
Social media links

Often these signatures are standardized throughout an organization or division, and often contain specific marketing or legal language.
Signatures are highly formattable and can contain graphics or photos to convey further messages.
You can use signatures to be more productive and create messaging that varies based on the email recipient or whether the email is for business or personal reasons.
To create, modify or delete signatures, there are several ways to proceed. If you’re in a new message, go to the Message tab and click on the Signature button. This will bring up any existing signatures already in your account. To create a new one, click on the Signatures … selection at the bottom of the menu.
Another way to access the Signatures functionality is to use the File menu, clicking on Options, then Mail then Signatures.
No matter which option you choose, you’ll reach a new screen where you can select an existing signature to edit, rename or delete, or create a new signature. In the bottom box, you can:

Add text and images
Adjust the font and size
Insert hyperlinks
Set the signature’s alignment

Signatures are listed alphabetically, so naming conventions are important, especially for employees managing emails for other people or corporate accounts.
The top right section of the Signatures screen allows you to choose the email account to use and the default signature to use for new messages and replies or forwards.
Signatures have additional functionality. For messages that are sent repeatedly, the Signatures tool helps automate communication. The signature box can be used to include copy that is used for regular messages — a much faster option than saving text to a draft message or copying and pasting from a Word document. You can create multiple response signatures for typical inquiries.
What Are Quick Parts?
Quick Parts, formerly known as Building Blocks and Auto Text, helps you copy and save repeated boilerplate text blocks that can be inserted into an email. This is helpful for messages that include requests for information or other repetitive content.
To create a new Quick Part, reply to a message or create a new one. Type new text or highlight and copy existing text that you want to retain. Formatting will remain. In the ribbon, under the Text group, click on the Quick Parts button. This action brings up a list of existing Quick Parts, sorted by category, and allows you to create a new entry. A new window appears, where you can create a name, gallery category and description for the entry. (You can create new categories from this screen, too.)
Finally, you can determine in what email template you want the Quick Part available and some options for insertion.
Once saved, the Quick Part is now available for use. Create a new message, click on the Insert button and then the Quick Parts option to see a list of options for you to insert.
Quick Parts has several advantages. It allows for the inclusion of long entries with retained formatting for text and graphics. It also allows you to add multiple Quick Parts to the same message.
Right-clicking on any of the Quick Parts pops open options for where to insert the quick part, edit its properties or organize your available items. Quick Parts can also be inserted into Calendar entries or Tasks.
How Do Automatic Replies Work?
Automatic Replies are a standard staple in most offices. It’s an excellent time-management tool that quickly lets those within and outside your organization know your status.
To use Automatic Replies, you’ll need to be using an Outlook version that includes Microsoft Exchange server account or Exchange Online through Office 365. Standalone versions of Outlook do not support this feature.
Access Automatic Replies by going to the File tab and choosing Automatic Replies (Out of Office) from the Info tab. Select the Send automatic replies button and if you prefer, enter the dates and times you want the feature to be used in response to incoming messages.
The window defaults to the message you want sent inside your organization. You can add the text you need and apply basic formatting (font, size, effect, bullets or numeration, and indentation.
Remember to review the content so you don’t use an old message.
You can also opt to have a different message for those outside the organization. You can cut and paste between the two audience windows to create customized communications options.
The basic information to include in an Automatic Reply message is:

The length of your absence
When you will return
Who to contact for urgent matters

The Automatic Reply message is also a great way to share other information, such as social media links, news or other high-value content.
You can also set rules regarding your messages, such as whether to alert or copy a coworker regarding messages from specific senders or to reply with a specific template.
Once turned on, you’ll see a message bar in yellow at the top of your Inbox reminding you that Automatic Replies are turned on, along with an option for turning them off.
Automation is a powerful way to save time, deliver important messages and improve communication in your email responses. Using the four featured solutions here, either independently or together, can keep projects moving and share information.

September’s Free Online Microsoft Training

by Felicien | Sep 16, 2019 | Education

Every month, we host Microsoft Office and other technology training sessions. Our training sessions are completely free of charge and are available “on-demand”.  Yes, you can tune-in whenever and wherever you like.
 
This month’s training session: 4 Ways To Use Microsoft Outlook Efficiently.
Our in-house Microsoft training specialist, Dawn, will guide you through some very important tips and tricks, such as:

Quick Parts
Templates
Automated Responses
Signatures

Tune into this month’s training by clicking here.

The Evolution of MSPs and the Benefits of Using Them

by Felicien | Sep 15, 2019 | Education

MSPs and How They Developed Over Time
MSPs provide specialized services to small businesses who may not be able to hire a full staff of professionals.  

Small business owners with limited resources can’t always afford to hire the professionals they need to help manage their business. They have the same basic needs as larger companies, just on a smaller scale. The problem is that, unlike their larger counterparts, they don’t have the budget or the resources to allow for such extravagances. In an attempt to fill these needs, MSPs were formed.
What Is an MSP?
An MSP, or managed service provider, is a company or team of professionals that offers specialized services to small business. They can be hired on contract or to perform specific jobs. MSPs are made up of professionals who have the advanced training needed to provide a variety of services that fall within their industry. There are MSPs in almost every industry. Professional service providers from each MSP can be hired one at a time or as a team to ensure the right people are selected for each job.
Different Types of MSPs
There are several different types of MSPs. IT and security management are two of the most common. There are also MSPs that deal with digital marketing and data analytics that help small companies reach larger audiences with strategically targeted marketing plans. IT companies help small businesses by setting up their digital network and making sure it runs efficiently. While the IT professionals work to protect the company’s information, security management MSPs help to protect the outside. They can install security systems and provide video surveillance cameras that allow the owners to see their property day or night.
The Reason Behind Their Growth
The main reason behind the explosion of growth that MSPs are experiencing has to do with filling a niche. MSPs provide specialized services for an affordable price. The owner of the small business only has to pay for the amount of time used or the services that are provided. With little money in the budget for hiring someone full time, using an MSP allows for the business owner to get the services they need at a manageable cost.
Why They Are Needed
One of the main benefits of hiring an MSP to perform specific tasks is that allows the owner to do what they do best. Manage their business. By focusing all of their attention on their business, they are able to maintain continued growth. Many small business owners don’t have the knowledge or experience to handle certain parts of their business. Hiring an MSP team of professionals allows them to hire someone with the knowledge and experience they need only for as long as they need them. This means better control of their business and not worrying about going over their already tight budget.
MSPs have grown considerably over the last few decades. Small business owners no longer have to worry about their lack of experience costing them money. Now they can turn to the professionals they need to take care of the tasks that sometimes went overlooked in the past.

Google Docs Being Used to Attack Users With TrickBot Banking Trojan

by Felicien | Sep 14, 2019 | Education

Watch Your Google Docs: Program Being Used to Disseminate TrickBot Malware
Beware of any Google Doc emails you receive. Cyber attackers are using the word processing program for a phishing scam that disseminates TrickBot malware.  

Take extra caution if you receive a Google Docs document sharing email in the near future — it may be a phishing email.
Cofense, a computer and network security company that specializes in phishing scams and data protection, has recently revealed a new cyberattack, which uses Google Docs as its “Trojan horse.”
The scam plays out like this:
1. A user receives a Google Docs document sharing email. The document looks legitimate, and indeed, it is legitimate. Google Docs generates such emails when one user wants to share a Google Docs file with another user.
The text in the email states:
“Have you already received documentation I’ve directed you recently? I am sending them over again.”
2. The email also receives a new button (added by the attackers), which says “Open in Docs.” This button, when clicked on, redirects the user to a new Google Docs landing page.
3. Once the user has arrived on the landing page, they’ll see an error message. This message is fake and says “404 error.”
The idea is to get the user to believe that there was an initial error with the document download and to have them click on a malicious download link — one created by the attackers.
4. The user will click on this link, which is actually the payload of the malware. It’s the malicious software, which will corrupt the computer once downloaded.
The download link appears to be legitimate. In fact, it looks like a PDF document and even has an extension of “.pdf” like a legitimate file. The attackers engineered this extension by taking advantage of the fact that known file type extensions are hidden in Windows (as a default measure). Furthermore, they use a PDF icon as the malware program’s icon, even though the program is not a PDF at all.
5. Once the file has been clicked on and downloaded, the malicious software will begin doing its dirty work on the target’s computer. In this case, the malware is called TrickBot, and it’s an extremely popular and dangerous banking Trojan.
As soon as its executed, TrickBot gets to work and continues being highly active at corrupting its host device. It will begin to copy itself repeatedly onto the device — once every 11 minutes for 414 days. If allowed to run, it will also begin launching an increasing number of Svchost processes.
What Is TrickBot?
TrickBot is a type of malicious software and also goes by the name of TheTrick, TrickLoader, and Trickster.
Discovered in October of 2016, TrickBot is ever-evolving. It has been updated and upgraded continually over the past several years and continues to be a menace used in phishing scams.
TrickBot was originally a type of banking Trojan, and it still is, but it now also has the ability to drop additional malware wherever it lands. As a type of banking Trojan, the main goal of TrickBot has been to obtain sensitive financial information from host devices.
Basically, anything sensitive would be sucked up by TrickBot and delivered back to the source who disseminated it. When TrickBot is on your devices, it can obtain things such as login information for the financial institutions you visit online and drop additional malware such as the equally popular Emotet.
TrickBot can even drop ransomware onto a device. If this occurs, sensitive data and system access may be locked up and/or blocked off. A message will be sent to the device user that their data and/or system access is being held for ransom. Unless the user pays a large sum of money, their data will be lost forever.
How Can You Avoid Falling Victim to This Google Docs Phishing Scam and Others?
Phishing scams remain the chief way that cyber attackers corrupt files, filch information, and steal finances. A phishing scam almost always comes in the form of an email (although such scams can also be operated over the phone).
The goal of a phishing email is to first get the recipient to believe it is legitimate. Therefore, it will be appear to be from a source such as Google Docs, a bank, the IRS, or even a co-worker. The next step is to get the recipient to click on a link, download an attachment, or take another such action, which will inevitably lead to the launch of malicious software.
The best way to protect yourself and your company from phishing scams is to have the appropriate security software and hardware measures in place. Additionally, all employees must be continually educated on how to avoid falling victim to a phishing scam and on trending phishing attacks.