Your business may use Microsoft Office programs every day, but how well do you and your employees know how to use them? The Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification is one way to answer that question. MOS certifications are available for each specific program within the Microsoft Office Suite.

Because the suite comes with most personal computers, many employees bring basic Word, PowerPoint, and even Outlook skills to their jobs. However, these programs are full of potential that many people never tap into, including features and functions that were designed to maximize productivity.

When employees know how to make the most of software like Excel and Outlook, it helps improve turnaround times for everything from simple office tasks to ongoing projects and processes. In fact, Microsoft estimates that entry-level employees could generate up to $16,000 more than peers who don’t have an MOS certification. But why should you invest in specialist training or certification?

Here are some of the most valuable reasons to make sure employees earn their MOS certifications in one or more Microsoft Office programs:

Communicate More Clearly and Professionally with Word

Your business only looks as professional as its communication. From correspondence on corporate letterhead to sales flyers in store windows, every Word document is an opportunity to communicate something important. Well-made documents keep your branding consistent and show that you put time, effort, and thought into your content. However, overly simple documents – or the wrong formatting, font, or layout choices – might make a different statement.

Whether you mail professional letters or print brochures, invitations, newsletters, and other multimedia content, Microsoft Word is one way to handle the task without outsourcing your print publications. Employees who know the program backwards and forwards can help create the look you want without turning to additional programs. Of course, even if you largely use Word documents for in-house communications, its formatting tools and shortcuts reduce the need for many manual changes and adjustments.

Make Sense of Your Data & Keep Accurate Records with Excel & Access

Microsoft Excel and its more sophisticated cousin, Microsoft Access, are database programs that do a lot more than just collect information. Modern-day employers rely on these programs for in-house budgeting and accounting tasks, but many also depend on them to analyze and interpret much more sophisticated data. No matter what role spreadsheets play in your everyday operations, Excel and Access were designed to make managing your data much easier.

Of course, that’s only possible when you take advantage of all their features. Even the most basic tasks, such as entering data or creating tables, is much, much faster when you use Microsoft’s proprietary keyboard shortcuts, formulas, and features like autofill.

Stay on Schedule and Organize Your Emails with Outlook

Modern-day workplaces revolve around their email exchanges, but many only see Outlook as the program used to send and receive them. Microsoft Outlook is actually packed with features that make it easy to customize your email experience and coordinate your schedules, which are only helpful when a group of Outlook users know how to utilize them.

For example, Outlook alerts keep everyone on time for meetings and aware of important updates, while Outlook automation features make it possible to color-code and pre-sort emails. Constant emails and event invitations can create overwhelming distractions for office workers, but productivity is easier when they know how to tell their email client how to manage these messages for them.

Create Professional Presentations with Microsoft PowerPoint

If you’ve ever watched a slideshow presentation with hard-to-read text or distracting transitions and animations, you know that Microsoft PowerPoint is a tool that can be used or abused. This omnipresent slideshow software has the potential to make facts and data more visually appealing. With the right formatting choices and a good command of its customization options, it can turn a boring outline into a fun and memorable experience. However, if you don’t know how to use it properly, it can become a distraction and time-waster.

Basic rundowns at employee meetings may not require visual finesse, especially if you only show the occasional PowerPoint and don’t depend on the program for training purposes. But what if your slideshows are intended for clients, shareholders, customers, or conference attendees? If you use PowerPoint to relay important information to important people — read: people whose support you need in order to succeed — then it makes sense to invest in thorough training.

Do you Want More Productivity and Creativity in Your Company?

Knowing exactly how to use Microsoft Office programs — and just how much you can do with them — can save hours of labor by expediting everyday tasks and making ongoing projects and processes more efficient. At Infotec, we help professionals master these programs and prepare for Microsoft exams. Contact us to learn more about our Microsoft Office certification training, including program-specific training for the MOS certification.