What Else is in Microsoft 365
Beyond Outlook, Teams and OneDrive, your Council account includes several apps you may not have opened. All of them are at m365.cloud.microsoft.
Word
A word processor for documents, reports, letters and forms.
- Use templates for reports, letters and meeting notes
- Turn on Read Aloud to hear your writing back — useful for catching awkward sentences before something goes to a resident
- Use Editor on the Review tab for spelling, grammar and clarity suggestions
- Use the Accessibility Checker on the Review tab before you publish anything or send it externally
Excel
Spreadsheets for tracking, calculating and making sense of data.
- Use tables to organise a list so it sorts and filters properly
- AutoSum for quick totals
- Filters to find what you need in a long list
- Freeze panes to keep headings visible as you scroll
PowerPoint
Slides, posters and visual material.
- Designer suggests layouts as you add content
- Add images, icons and SmartArt to make a point visually
- Record a voiceover for something people will watch in their own time
Forms
Surveys, feedback and registrations, with results collected automatically.
Useful for internal feedback, event registrations, training sign-ups and quick polls. Responses appear in a summary you can open in Excel.
Before you use Forms to collect information from the public, talk to us or to Governance. A form that gathers names, addresses or opinions from residents is collecting personal information on the Council's behalf, and where it is stored and how long it is kept both matter. Internal use is straightforward; public-facing use needs a moment's thought first.
Planner
A visual task board for a project or a team.
- Create a plan for a project or a piece of work
- Add buckets for stages — To do, In progress, Done
- Assign tasks with due dates and checklists
Works well alongside a Teams channel, where you can add the plan as a tab so it sits with the team's conversations.
Copilot
Microsoft 365 Copilot is the Council's approved AI assistant and works inside these apps. See Using Microsoft 365 Copilot.