Digital workflows, AI assistants and collaboration tools; keeping up with the best and newest is almost a full-time job in itself.
There are many different workplace applications in use, each with their strengths and weaknesses, and each competing for business. The good news is that some of the most common tools are user-friendly, and for many graduates entering the workplace, it won’t be your first brush with the technology.
Here are a few you may come across.
Microsoft 365 CoPilot
You might be familiar with Microsoft Office 365 from various pieces of school and college work over the years. Be prepared for the fully AI-ed up version, which brings a digital assistant into the mix.
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Most new Windows computers come with a CoPilot button, thanks to Microsoft’s decision to go all-in on AI. You will likely access this several times a day, and about 75 per cent will be an accidental press.
Still, the CoPilots in Office 365 can help you out quite a bit. They know everything there is to know about the software, for a start, so if you can’t find a setting, CoPilot can point the way.
If your workplace has allow CoPilot access email, it can help you organise your inbox, plan out your day and alert you to the important messages that you need to address. Even if things are a bit more limited in what the AI can access, you can use CoPilot to review your messages, draft documents and sharpen up your writing.
Teams
Once upon a time, there was email, and there was Slack. The tech start-up had an idea that it could somehow create a better workplace collaboration tool, one that would work better than email and other instant messaging tools out there.
Then Microsoft decided to get in on the act, with Teams. Slack initially welcomed the challenger – it even took out a full-page ad in The New York Times to say so – but nine years later, Teams has overtaken it in terms of users. It is also competing with video platform Zoom, which had a Covid-fuelled bump in popularity.
While all these platforms are fast becoming the PowerPoint of the modern office, Teams has some advantages.
Teams offers collaboration tools, integrated into Microsoft’s productivity software, so you can call, chat, hold video meetings, share files and integrate other applications in a unified workspace. You can share screens during calls – be careful with that one – and swap files with coworkers. Teams even has CoPilot capabilities, if your company supports it, so not only can you catch up quickly on Teams meetings, you can even send a digital assistant to attend the meeting on your behalf, take notes, and summarise the key points for you.
If your workplace uses Office 365, there is a good chance that they are also on board the Teams train. So get used to it.
Miro
With talk of “innovation workspaces” and unleashing “AI superpowers”, Miro is certainly hitting all the right buzzwords. The workplace platform is built for collaboration, offering an unlimited whiteboard for colleagues to collaborate on ideas.
It also includes some AI features that will cut out the less interesting tasks, creating automated summaries of updates or comments on projects, and help transform your ideas into project briefs.
It will also help get you up to speed on some of the jargon. Need an empathy map? Miro has a template for it. Need to get up to speed with Kanban boards and sprint planning? Miro has it covered. Pre-built templates cover everything you need, and some of the things you didn’t even realise existed.
Oodo
Oodo isn’t just one tool; it is a whole suite of tools. From billing and sales management to manufacturing, ecommerce and HR management, the platform offers a full range of tools that could fit almost any business’s needs.
You can start out with the core business tools, on a free open-source version, and add more as the business and its needs grow. Larger workplaces may have adopted the Odoo Enterprise platform, which is proprietary and paid for, with more advanced tools at its disposal.
Asana
Another project management tool, Asana is designed to help teams manage their work, tracking who has been assigned what tasks and keeping everyone in the loop about who is responsible.
It has hit the right note with businesses; Amazon, PayPal and Spotify are all customers. It might be the collaboration features, which allow team members to track projects in real-time and share files. That means (in theory) fewer emails flying about, and a reduction in the number of meetings people are forced to sit through.
Figma
Figma is another collaboration tool, but with an emphasis on design. It is mainly used for creating user interfaces, or in the mobile world, user experience.
Think of it like Google Docs, but for design. That means multiple people can work on the files at once, with all the changes being made in real time. No large files need to be sent between designers, making the whole process more efficient. And you can create interactive prototypes with the software, so you can see how it all fits together and how a finished product might work before you even start writing the code.
Figma is browser based, so it can run on almost any system, regardless of whether you are using Apple, Linux or Windows. And you don’t have lengthy waits for software installations or updates at inopportune moments.
Canva
If you have done any kind of graphic design work, you might be already familiar with Canva. The Australian company offers a free version of its editing software that will allow users to edit photos and videos, create presentations and reports, and design social media posts. But it also offers a subscription-based Pro and Team Pro version that can be used in businesses.
That means you have access to more templates and content than the free version, plus a few extra features. There is also the obligatory AI tie-in – who doesn’t have one these days? – to help you compose your content to hit all the right notes with your audience, whether it is a business presentation or a social media blast.
