Outlook® Add-in for Resource Central and Microsoft365

What can the Outlook Add-in do?

Designed with a more modern and user-friendly interface, the new version of the add-in can help you get a more comprehensive view of resources, make it easier to find colleagues, and customize various settings for a more effective, personalized fit.

Some of the other new things the Outlook Add-in, which by the way works in both the old and new Outlook®, can do include:

1. Ordering services before sending a meeting invite using just one form to book extra services or order just the selected number of services or items
2. View, select, and book Virtual Resources like normal resources
3. ‘Find colleagues’ feature lets you easily find coworkers or other employees and book resources near colleagues’ workspaces
4. Use the Shared Calendar feature to be able to add or modify resources and orders to meetings and appointments on the shared calendar

• View selected resources and invited meeting attendees quicker from the Home section
• View more information about resources, attendees, colleagues’ meetings and events, and workspaces directly from four new main sections
• Find listed resources and floor plans based on location, resource type, and capacity
• Find colleagues’ meetings and events
• Book a workspace near a colleague faster and easier
• Customize basic settings including display, notification language, assistant organizer, date/time format, default location, and default categories
• Use color-coded floor plans and expanded views to help find the right resources
• Locate meeting rooms and select a workspace from a selection of rooms that the Outlook Add-in automatically adjusts based on the number of attendees
• Set up recurring meetings
• Book alternative resources for recurring meetings
• Create meetings with Pooled Resources

Benefits and Advantages of the new Resource Central Outlook Add-in

The Outlook add-in makes it easier for employees to be connected to each other and to streamline the booking of meetings, conferences, and ordering related resources. By enabling this, the add-in will make it easier and faster to book necessary workspaces, meetings, and resources.

Another key benefit will be the more comprehensive understanding of resources viewable by location, type, and capacity. This will help with resource management and ensure necessary technical, and other shared office resources, are selected for the appropriate time ranges without accidental double-booking. The new Resource main tab in the add-in will also help organizations be more proactive about identifying and solving resource insufficiencies. Finally, the new find colleague functionality and reactivation of the Shared Calendar feature will drive greater collaboration and connectivity within and across teams. This will also help optimize resource usage and management, as well as productivity, but helping employees to leverage spaces and resources near colleagues they need to work with.

What does the new Resource Central Outlook Add-in look like?

One of the benefits of the new version of the Outlook Add-in is its updated design. A more user-friendly interface featuring four main tabs provides important information about resources and colleagues up-front with faster navigation.

The four new main tabs include: Home, Resources, Find Colleague (Optional), and Settings.

Additionally, the add-in leverages a clean, simple color scheme with buttons, check boxes, and visual display elements to guide users to find colleagues, select resources, determine quantity, time, and other key elements that will help expedite bookings and resource ordering.