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Insights, Tips & Hacks
More than Emails: 6 Quick Tips to Use Microsoft Outlook for More than Messages
Enhance The Way Your Law Office Manages Its Legal Correspondence
Send an email. Receive an email. Many lawyers seem to use Microsoft Outlook solely for those two common functions. However, the abundance of features and functions built into this program – including how easily it integrates with other programs within the Microsoft Office Suite – makes Microsoft Outlook an undiscovered treasure chest for several in the law profession. Here are six quick tips that will allow you to tap into that treasure and use Microsoft Outlook for much more than just sending and receiving legal correspondence.
1. Create and Edit Your Contacts on the Go
From clients to courtroom officials, you are bombarded with contact information almost daily. Whether it is a professional passing you his or her business card, a potential client giving you their cell phone number or a fellow colleague that wants to schedule a meeting, it is important to have an efficient way of creating, editing and even sharing your contact information on the go.
Working with your growing contact directory is just one of the many benefits of Microsoft Outlook that you can use to improve your efficiency, productivity and save a considerable amount of time in the long run. By doing so, you will be able to build a solid directory for personal and/or professional contacts that is not solely governed by the contacts saved to your smartphone or in your traditional contact book.
When sending legal correspondence over your mobile device, there are certain rules you should always keep in mind. Please read our article “5 Simple Rules For Sending Legal Correspondence Over Mobile Devices”
2. Record and Save Your Quick Notes
As you sit in front of your computer each day, the need to make a quick note will typically pop up at the most inconvenient times. Some people pull out a notebook or steno pad to physically handwrite the quick note before it slips their minds. Others may open Microsoft Word to create and save a full document just for a quick note. However, the common problem between both of these options is the lack of quick access.
Instead of flipping through your notebooks or searching through your saved legal documents, you can save a quick note directly in Microsoft Outlook. You could access your important notes and reminders in Outlook even faster by dragging them onto your desktop or into a Windows folder. By doing so, those quick notes will be just a click or keystroke away.
3. Schedule Your Day and “To-Do List” Items
In addition to saving notes, you can also save your schedule and “to-do” list items within your Outlook calendar. You may already use the Outlook calendar to remind yourself of upcoming court dates and client appointments. What you may not realize, though, is that you can schedule tasks and to-do list items as well within the same calendar.
It may seem a little odd to develop them as “new appointments” in Microsoft Outlook, but doing so will help you to block out your day and increase your efficiency both personally and professionally. You will also be able to schedule reminders and notifications to keep you informed throughout the day, week and even monthabout your upcoming tasks and scheduled events.
Sending legal correspondence is less laborious when you set yourself up properly. Read our article on how you can better manage your inbox for time savings.
4. Send Out Meeting Invitations
Not only does your Outlook calendar allow you to schedule meetings and appointments, but you can also send out invitations to others who either may attend the meeting themselves or need to know about it. The “Invite Attendees” button is found within the same ribbon at the top of the window when you are creating a new appointment. Whether it is an associate or colleague from your firm, a client or even the opposing attorney, you can get everyone on the same page with the same scheduled item by sending your invitations through Microsoft Outlook. This will also help you to keep track of who has accepted, declined or even overlooked your invitation so you can perhaps follow up with them offline to remind them about the meeting.
5. Provide Access to Resources Needed for Appointments
Have you ever forgotten to bring a document, presentation or any other printable resource to a meeting? The embarrassment that comes along with this type of mishap speaks volumes by itself. However, it could also throw a wedge into the structure and overall success of your scheduled appointment. In extreme scenarios, you may have to reschedule or even cancel the meeting. At the very least, the appointment may require more time unexpectedly from those in attendance since you would essentially have to spend time developing emergency backup plans.
Fortunately, Microsoft Outlook allows you to stay one step ahead. You can use the scheduled calendar appointment to store your backup documentation, meeting agenda, presentations and any other resources needed for the event as attachments. You can save the items that you personally need in your own inbox and send the items that your attendees would need through their emailed invitations. By doing so, even if you forget to bring the printed versions of those items to the meetings, you can still access them directly through your computer or mobile device without jeopardizing the structure, success or timeliness of your appointment.
6. Collaborate on Creating Correspondence
Sharing access to your inbox through Microsoft Outlook creates a wave of opportunities for collaboration and teamwork – especially when it comes to drafting legal correspondence. Within the average law firm, a vast number of emails are created and sent on a daily basis. From clients and opposing counsel to courtroom staff members and law enforcement officials, you will more than likely send and receive more messages each day than you would like to admit. Instead of bearing the load of composing new messages and drafting responses from scratch by yourself, shared access allows you to take advantage of interoffice teamwork.
For instance, if you have an assistant, secretary or even a helpful colleague, you could grant that individual access to your inbox. By doing so, he or she will be able to compose new messages and responses or perhaps edit the messages that you have already started and saved in your Outlook as drafts. This will also help you by adding another set of eyes to reviewing important legal correspondence – checking for grammatical errors, misspelled words or even inaccurate statements or references that you may have overlooked.
How long does your law firm spend drafting emails, memos, and other everyday items? When you agree on a set of legal correspondence templates, you can cut the time it takes to complete those everyday tasks down significantly.
Is your law firm taking advantage of the time-saving benefits of your software? Read the Infoware blog for more information on correspondence templates for law firms, legal document software, and other simple keyword hacks that can streamline your workflow for maximum efficiency.