The 10 Most Important Things to Teach your Outlook ... - Area3LTC

							    The 10 Most Important Things to Teach your Outlook Users

    By Susan Harkins
    Reprinted from TechRepublic Daily
    February 11, 2012, 8:25 AM PST

    Takeaway: Outlook is complex enough to confuse your users and create support headaches. These basic
    concepts will give them a better grasp of how things work.
    Training users on Outlook is often as simple as showing them how to download their mail. But some users
    push Outlook to extremes and need to know quite a bit more than that. If you want well-informed users, be
    sure they understand these key concepts.

    1: Outlook comes in various configurations and flavors
    Users should know that they might encounter different features as they move from one machine to another. For
    instance, when using Outlook or Outlook Web Access at home or offsite, they might be confused or frustrated
    when Exchange-specific features or options aren’t available. In addition, Outlook Express is only a mail client.
    Knowing the differences isn’t necessary — but knowing there are differences should ward off a few support
    calls when favorite features aren’t available.


    2: It’s all too easy to make embarrassing mistakes
    It’s easy to do things wrong, regardless of the email client being used. Perhaps the most common mistake users
    make is to click Reply All when replying to just the sender. (Fortunately, this isn’t as easy to do by mistake in
    Outlook 2010.) Good training is the only way to prevent such errors. You can head off other types of mistakes
    by creating a policy regarding appropriate use of company email. That way, users won’t be confused about
    what they can and can’t do. The following links should help your users avoid potential disasters and use email
    more effectively:

           Nine guidelines for writing effective email messages
           How to avoid an embarrassing mistake in Outlook
           10 email tips for preventing problems and avoiding aggravation
           Eliminate accidental Reply To All in Outlook
           Use a rule in Outlook to delay email messages


    3: It’s essential to protect against viruses, phishing, malware, etc.
    Keeping Outlook users safe from nasties is easier than it used to be, and this is really a job for IT personnel,
    not the users themselves. On the other hand, well-informed users are your first line of defense. If you give
    them the information they need, your job will be easier. Here are a few basic guidelines to share with users:

           Don’t open email from unknown sources.
           Don’t open attachments from unknown sources.
           Don’t enter your company email address on Web sites.
           Don’t turn off your virus protection software.
           Keep your virus protection software updated.
    If you think the first three are impractical, you’re right. In fact, in many organizations, those guidelines would
    be impossible to follow. The more practical approach is to help users recognize and respond to potential threats
    — phishing and malicious email messages that appear to be legitimate — as they arrive.


    4: The interface can be customized
    Outlook has a lot going on: email, contacts, tasks, calendar. Most users will want to tweak the interface to
    work more efficiently, and every user’s needs will be unique. You could spend a lot of time fine-tuning the
    interface for each user, but instead, teach them how to customize the interface themselves. You’ll save time
    and ultimately, your users will be happier.


    5: POP Email is stored locally
    Perhaps the most important thing for your users to remember is that email messages downloaded to an offsite
    system will be saved on that machine; those messages won’t be accessible to other machines. If they need a
    message at work, they can forward it to their work account before logging off. Exchange Server and other mail
    servers have other options, but administrators don’t always support them.


    6: Data files can blow up
    Outlook data files (.pst) are susceptible to corruption if they grow too large. To avoid trouble, train users to
    keep an eye on the size of their data file. The limit is 2GB; users should regularly delete unwanted mail and
    archive old messages long before the .pst file reaches that size.

    7: Data files can be repaired
    When corruption does occur, users can run Inbox Repair Tool to diagnose and repair the error. If that fails,
    users can run the crop tool. Doing so will reduce the size of the data file, resulting in some data loss, but it
    should get Outlook back on track. Exchange users should contact their administrators for help before running
    the crop tool; it might not be necessary. Here are a couple of other useful resources:
            Repair Outlook 2007 Data Files (.pst and .ost)
            How to understand the repair feature in Office 2003 and in Office XP


    8: Data files should be backed up
    Knowing how to regularly back up Outlook data files is the best protection against corruption. When the worst
    happens, your users can still access their backup files. How often depends on the users, but every day isn’t too
    often for users who do a lot of work in Outlook. Show them how to back up everything, including their
    calendar, contacts, journal, and tasks. Exchange users should contact their administrators because the
    administrator may be backing up all files already. If that’s not the case, the administrator can provide specific
    instructions for manually backing up data files.


    9: Archiving is a good practice
    Outlook can archive mail automatically, and most users will probably benefit from this arrangement.
    Determining how often Outlook archives mail will be up to you and your users (or dictated by a department
    policy). They should know how often Outlook is archiving their mail. They also need to know where their
    archived mail is stored and how to recover it if necessary.


    10: There are ways to avoid spam filters
    Users don’t want their messages filtered into spam folders. There are a few dos and don’ts your users can
    practice to avoid triggering these filters:
            Avoid using words and phrases that trigger spam filters. Use the phrase “spam keywords” in your
    favorite search engine to find current lists of problematic text.
           Use plain text and avoid HTML, images, and links when possible.
           Write a detailed subject line.



    Additional help for Outlook users
           How to regain control of your Outlook Inbox in 15 minutes or less
           Some of my favorite Outlook Calendar keyboard shortcuts
           10 timesaving tricks for working with Outlook message templates
           Change Outlook’s startup folder to match your preference
           10 add-ins that make Outlook easier to use
           10 easy steps to customizing an Outlook 2010 form