What is Microsoft Productivity Score & How Do I Use It?
/
All-in-One platforms like Microsoft 365 are more than just a set of office software tools, they’re designed to help teams connect, collaborate, and improve workflow efficiency.
For example, just adding the ability to share files stored in a cloud environment through a link instead of having to attach files to email can save each employee up to 100 minutes per week (over 6.5 hours per month).
But how do you know if your team is using your office technology in the most productive ways? Maybe they’re still emailing file attachments instead of sharing files by link.
One of the tools developed to grade the productivity of your team in Microsoft 365 is Microsoft Productivity Score. Using this tool allows you to gain valuable insights into how your team is using multiple applications, how well they’re collaborating, and more.
You can even gain security and network insights as well that can help you improve overall office performance.
How Does Microsoft Productivity Score Work?
Productivity Score looks at eight areas of productivity within the platform, five of them are termed “people experiences” and three of them are “technology experiences.”
For each of these, your team can score 100 points, for a total of 800 points altogether if they’re fully optimized in their use of Microsoft 365.
You can access the Microsoft Productivity Score tool from inside the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. The main dashboard will show you your organization’s overall score and allow you to click into each of the eight different areas for further insights.
Image Credit: Microsoft
The tool uses research on best practices for productivity (such as the 100-minute stat mentioned above) to grade how your employees are doing and give you recommendations for improving your team’s overall productivity. You can also view your score against peer benchmarks.
Here are the types of insights you’ll find in the tool that you can then use to inform more productive workflows.
Content Collaboration
Learn how your team is sharing files, how easy your cloud files are to access, and general collaboration efficiency using OneDrive, SharePoint, and Exchange Online.
Some of the insights include how often people are reading, creating, and sharing files online, which would point to higher productivity. You can see exactly how many people are collaborating well and the trend over time.
Communication
Apps that are analyzed in the communication metric are Microsoft Teams, Yammer, and Exchange online. The score looks are whether people are using just one mode to communicate or fully utilizing all available methods.
You also get a detail of how people are communicating the most:
Sending emails
Sending messages in MS Teams
Posting in communities
Meetings
How effective are your meetings? This is a question that the meetings metric of Productivity Score attempts to answer. It compares best practices for effective meetings – such as having everyone engaged and sending follow up materials afterwards – against how your team is doing.
Mobility
Being able to work flexibly from any location and any device is proven to improve productivity. This metric examines how many people in your organization are using Microsoft 365 products, such as Outlook, on more than one device.
Teamwork
Collaborating in apps like Teams and SharePoint illustrate a dynamic team that is communicating well and utilizing shared knowledge. This area of the tool evaluates how many team members are contributing to shared workspaces.
Microsoft 365 Apps Health
This metric looks at the Microsoft 365 apps themselves that are stored on employee devices. It gives you cues into how many are using the most recent version and how many are being updated regularly. This is an important metric for both security and productivity.
Photo Credit: Microsoft
Network Connectivity
In the cloud world, network connectivity plays a big part in productivity. If employees are having to wait on slow networks, it can take much longer to do their work.
This area of Productivity Score identifies any network problem areas your team may have and provides you with recommended solutions.
Endpoint Analytics
Another important aspect of productivity is endpoint health. How well are the computers and mobile devices performing that your team is using to access Microsoft 365 apps? This metric looks at both hardware and software health and performance.
Special Report – Business Continuity
There is one additional special report in Productivity Score that is specifically designed for the post-pandemic world we live in. The Business Continuity report looks at how your organization is handling a shift from in-office to remote working.
Get Help Navigating the Modern Workplace!
BrainStomp can help your business take full advantage of digital tools like Microsoft 365 as well as implement security and workflow solutions to keep you ahead of the curve.
Schedule a free cloud consultation today! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.
