Outlook already provides so much functionality to even the average user that it is a strong favorite in many offices. Not just handling email, but calendars, events, tasks, goals and so much more. Here are three of those “much more” elements that help you squeeze Outlook for just a little more.
Quick Steps
As the name suggests it, Quick Steps are one-click commands that speed up the completion of common or repetitive tasks in Outlook. If for example, you often move messages to a specific mail folder, you can complete this task using an option set up in the Quick Steps menu. Or, if you frequently email your assistant or colleague, you can create a Quick Step email template for them. The Quick Steps box is located in the Home ribbon and comes with default steps that can be modified or deleted. To create a new Quick Step, expand the Quick Steps box, click on “New Quick Step”, and follow the wizard.
Email Conversation View
This is a very handy feature particularly when you want to see all emails from the same conversation, regardless of those emails locations. This new feature is turned off by default and few people use it. To turn on the Conversations feature, all you have to do is click on the View tab and check the “Show as Conversations” checkbox.
Search Folders
Search Folders display the results of previously defined search queries. The e-mail messages shown remain stored in one or more Outlook folders.
When you create a Search Folder, you have a number of options, such as “Mail with attachments” or “Mail from specific people.” You can also create your own custom Search Folders, defining specific search criteria that e-mail messages must meet to be displayed in the Search Folder. Each Search Folder is a saved search that is kept up-to-date; monitoring all of your folders for any item that matches the search criteria of the Search Folder.
To create a custom search folder, click on the Folder tab and click on New Search Folder. In the Customize Search Folder window select the criteria for the Search Folder.
