Microsoft 365 offers a comprehensive collection of applications such as Word, Excel, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and more, all of which have become essential tools for personal and professional growth. But how does Microsoft keep improving these applications to meet users' needs? The answer lies in the valuable feedback they receive from users like you. Let’s explore how you can provide feedback to enhance your experience with Microsoft’s products and tip the scales in your favor for how you want their apps and services to evolve.
Keeping up with Microsoft 365 feature releases.
Microsoft aligns with continuous improvement, knowing some do resist change. However, it is evident that Microsoft is preparing for the next generation of technologies and improving how we work – today and beyond. Users receive features and security updates based on a release structure methodology for channels and regions. Several resources identify scheduled roll outs, release notes, and resolved issues.
- Microsoft 365 public roadmap: Upcoming features and improvements across Microsoft’s suite of products
- Channel Release Notes: Summaries of the latest updates, bug fixes and enhancements rolled out across Microsoft’s various software channels.
- Product announcements at events: Demonstrations of new Microsoft products and features
- Microsoft 365 admin center: Message Center: Centralized hub for important announcements and alerts for approved administrators
- Microsoft Tech Community forums, blogs, and events: Interactive discussion platform for collaborative knowledge-sharing and troubleshooting.
- Microsoft Learn: A platform containing documentation, training, code samples, videos, credentials, and more, to support Microsoft’s products and services portfolio.
Give Microsoft feedback – It pays back and forward.
Your opinion is valuable because you interact with Microsoft applications daily; one size does not fit all. Your first-hand experience provides unique insights into what works well and what could be improved. By sharing your thoughts, suggestions, feature ideas, and company requirements, you become pivotal in guiding Microsoft's efforts to refine and innovate its products, ensuring they remain relevant and effective for organizations and end users worldwide.
In addition, during the second quarter 2023 earnings release call, Microsoft's CEO and chairman, Satya Nadella, proudly stated, "The age of AI (Artificial Intelligence) is upon us, and Microsoft is powering it" – emphasizing their commitment to incorporating AI growth in our applications. You yourself may have experienced Microsoft’s rebuilding applications from scratch, like with New Outlook for Windows and the New Teams, to accommodate AI expansion and performance improvements.
Here is a look at recent applications updates with a lens their recent AI innovation:
- Microsoft Word: AI-powered features like Editor for grammar and style suggestions, and Smart Compose for predictive text.
- Excel: AI-driven data analysis tools like Ideas and Forecast Sheets that provide insights and trend predictions.
- PowerPoint: AI integration with Designer for automatic slide design suggestions and Speaker Coach for real-time feedback during presentations.
- Outlook: AI-powered Focused Inbox that sorts emails based on importance, and scheduling suggestions for meetings.
- Teams 2.0: Enhanced by AI for features like live captions, transcript generation, and meeting recaps.
- OneDrive: AI-enabled search capabilities that recognize text within images and documents.
- Microsoft To Do, Planner, and Project: AI-based task recommendations and prioritization to improve workflow efficiency.
- OneNote: AI-powered tagging and search that help organize and locate notes based on content recognition.
- Microsoft Loop: AI-driven real-time collaboration tools that dynamically adapt content and tasks.
- SharePoint: AI-enhanced search and content management, improving document retrieval and team collaboration.
- Microsoft Lists: AI suggestions for data categorization and task management, streamlining organization.
- Microsoft Stream: AI-driven automatic transcription and face recognition for video content.
- Clipchamp: AI-powered video editing tools like auto-captions and background removal.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot: A conversational AI assistant that enhances productivity through natural language processing for tasks like generating content and retrieving information.
- Visio: AI-driven diagramming tools that suggest shapes and layouts based on data input.
- Power BI: AI-powered data insights and predictive analytics for deeper business intelligence.
- Microsoft Edge: AI-integrated features like Collections and vertical tabs that enhance web browsing productivity.
- Whiteboard: AI-assisted shape recognition and diagram suggestions to aid in visual collaboration.
- Microsoft Viva: AI-enhanced employee insights and personalized learning recommendations to improve workplace experience.
How to provide Microsoft feedback or report bugs.
Microsoft offers various channels to share your recommendations effectively – where they focus product management resources to routinely review and engage:
- Feedback Button: You can utilize the in-app, built-in feedback button under the Help menu in many Microsoft applications' – within the ribbon – to report bugs or offer suggestions directly to the development team.
- Microsoft Feedback Portal: You can utilize the Microsoft Feedback Portal to provide structured feedback and engage with other users' suggestions by voting for the ones you support.
- Microsoft Feedback Hub App: From the Microsoft store, you can download and install the feedback app onto your computer. Once you sign in, you can track your feedback responses posted on the feedback portal.
- Microsoft Tech Community blog posts: The product teams often announce application or feature rollouts on the Microsoft Tech Community Hub. This forum allows users to review news, discover best practices, ask questions, try out new features, and provide feedback directly – all within a community-powered site where product makers, MVPs, and community members can share and respond.
- Microsoft 365 conferences and events: Microsoft and third-party MS 365 international community groups frequently host knowledge-sharing events, workshops, and conferences where the speakers display application features. These in-person and virtual events are platforms where users can share feedback and engage directly with Microsoft's product teams and speakers. Visit Microsoft Events and CommunityDays.org for locations and dates; aka, find your next event.
- Join the Windows Insider Program: The Windows Insider Program allows users to evaluate and use preview versions of Windows’ features. It also enables users to assess and advise on these versions, giving them a glimpse of what's to come and allowing them to have a say in their development.
- User Groups: Many (Microsoft’s Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) and IT professionals hold regular meetups on social media platforms like LinkedIn and Eventbrite. Sometimes, a Microsoft Staff member may follow or speak at the session and capture the end user's feedback.
- Microsoft Learn: A Microsoft-managed website that provides resources for products and features. The content is created and updated by various contributors, and readers can vote up or down and give feedback to ensure the content is correct and current. You, too, will find ‘learning paths’ for various product to learn more at your pace in a structured fashion.
- MVPs attend Product Group Interactions (PGI) events or Other Microsoft 365 events: Microsoft's Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) often have the privilege of attending non-disclosure (NDA) PGIs where Microsoft shares what's in the pipeline and solicit feedback from this prestigious global community of three thousand plus.
The big question: Does Microsoft review customer feedback?
Of course, they do. Upon submitting your feedback, each Microsoft product team meticulously analyzes, categorizes, and prioritizes the suggestions based on user demand and potential impact on the overall user experience. For these reasons, a team member may enact with you to gather more information.
And I can personally attest: Before becoming an MVP, a product manager contacted me for more clarity and in-depth details about a bug discovery and feedback that I gave. He also asked my opinion regarding a potential feature upgrade they were considering. I learned that it is a two-way engagement and do need our help and guidance.
Examples of Feedback in Action
Here are examples illustrating how Microsoft has utilized user feedback to enhance its applications:
- Improved collaboration tools: Following users’ complaints about poor app performance in Microsoft Teams, the product group worked hard to rebuild and deliver “New Teams” - a faster, simpler, and more flexible collaborative application.
- Accessibility features: Microsoft's products have become more inclusive and accessible to people with disabilities thanks to user engagement and feedback. Various features like screen reader compatibility and keyboard shortcuts have been added to these products based on voicing your needs.
- Improved results: Microsoft 365 Copilot, a product designed to reduce work efforts, is in the "refining” stage. Users’ engagement will help the product development teams with real-life scenarios for better prompting, navigation, and data accuracy.
Tips for providing effective feedback.
To make sure your feedback is clear and helpful, avoid vague comments that could cause misunderstanding of your expectations. Use these suggestions to make your message effective and actionable:
- Be Specific: Clearly articulate the issue or feature you're addressing, providing specific details, and mentioning the operating system (PC or Mac), and version you're using.
- Provide Context: Explain how the issue or feature affects you, your team, and department’s workflow or productivity.
- Offer Suggestions: Instead of merely identifying problems, propose potential solutions or improvements, enriching the feedback process.
- Be Respectful: Recognize the dedication of the developers behind the products and offer constructive feedback, fostering a collaborative environment conducive to meaningful improvement.
- Be visual: Microsoft engineers work best with visual clarity when you can provide it – in the form of screenshots, repo steps, and short videos.
Here is a sample guide you can use:
- Application & Feature: [Teams – Green Screen]
- License: [Free Version, Personal/Family Plans, Business, or Enterprise plans]
- Operating System: [PC, Mac]
- Version: Here are the instructions for finding the app version.
For Office Desktop Apps, you can select File | Account | About App.
For Microsoft Office desktop apps, you can select File > Account > About App.
For the web applications, you select the File tab and choose About.
For the web applications, you select the File tab and choose About.
- Current Behavior: [State current bug or inefficiency. Include screenshots when possible.]
- Impact: [Minimum Users, Department, Organization, Compliance Requirements]
- Suggestions/Improvements/Benefits: [Provide expectations, suggestions, and benefits. Include screenshots when possible.]
And now, my feedback to you, fellow Microsoft 365 user.
Don’t think your feedback goes unheard, even if you don’t get a response from Microsoft. Keep in mind, Microsoft has an estimate of 300 million users. Microsoft reviews and values your suggestions. Like any other company, they track and report bugs, resolutions, and feedback metrics to the leadership teams. They have OKRs like the rest of us, and the more data they can chew on, report out, and make informed decisions on, the better.
The next time you encounter a feature that could be better or have an idea to enhance your workflow, don't hesitate to speak up. Your voice matters, and Microsoft is listening. Together, we can (and will) make Microsoft 365 (continuously) better for the next generation.
You influence change. Be a change maker!
Thanks for reading. And let me know what you think in the comments below.
- Teresa Cyrus, Fellow feedback giver
About Teresa
Teresa B. Cyrus is the founder and CEO of TRACCreations4e, a company that provides customized training and coaching solutions for individuals and organizations. She is passionate about helping people optimize their daily routines, enhance their skills, and achieve their full potential.
She has over 30 years of experience in technology. She holds several certifications in Microsoft Office applications and is a Microsoft Valuable Professional (MVP). She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband and two children. You can visit her website at https://TracCreations4e.com or email her at info@traccreations4e.com.
Teresa B. Cyrus, MVP | TRACCreations4e, LLC | Certified Instructional Trainer.
