By Nancy Sánchez Koppy
Do you use Quick Steps? Quick Steps are a great way to automate repetitive email tasks to save time. I'll give you some examples on how you can use this feature.
Let's say you routinely receive requests for certain tasks but you don't want a cluttered email box. You want to look at each email and determine what needs to be done with it. You might have folders in your Outlook to keep you organized--perhaps a "Docs for Recording," or "Phone Follow-ups" or "Filing," or "Research Projects." Likely, the folders that require more immediate action, you have added to your Favorites section so they stay at the top of your email box.
Now, you scan the list of emails. You determine that the first email has instructions to record a document. With the email selected in your email box, you simply click on the previously created "To Record" Quick Step button and it moves the email over to your "To Record" folder. However, this email move can be accompanied by several more steps.
Your "To Record" Quick Step can be set to move the email envelope to the correct folder, but also mark it "unread" so that it tracks your pending items in that folder. At this point, people think, "but, the Rules feature does that automatically." Yes, you are correct. The difference, however, is that with Steps you lay eyes on the message first, scan it for any nuances required of the task, and then click to move. As you know, in the legal field, automation needs to be conscientious.
Also, with Quick Steps, you can add on several more steps to that same one-click action! It operates like a macro for your email! Are people still using macros?
Look it all of these steps:
Taking it a "Step" further:
If your task requires a return email to a group of people, you can have Quick Steps, with your same single-click, move your email envelope to the specific folder, mark it not read, open up an email message with populated information and text (maybe do some quick personalization on the message), and send!
You can be quite creative and efficient with Quick Steps!
Comment below:
- Do you still use macros?
- What are some of your favorite Quick Steps?
Resources:
Here are great resources about Quick Steps. If I find others I will update this resource list:
Link to Video: How to Use Quick Steps in Outlook
By Hong Dao
Professional Liability Fund
Link to Page: Automate common or repetitive tasks with Quick Steps in Outlook
By Microsoft
YouTube Link: Getting Answers to Your Outlook Online Quick Steps Feature Questions
By Teresa B. Cyrus
TRACCreations4E
