{"id":57530,"date":"2023-12-08T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wamsinc.com\/?p=57530"},"modified":"2023-12-08T03:18:26","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T11:18:26","slug":"beware-the-4-most-dangerous-outlook-features","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wamsinc.com\/beware-the-4-most-dangerous-outlook-features\/","title":{"rendered":"Beware the 4 Most Dangerous Outlook Features"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Of all the Microsoft Office applications in law offices, Outlook is hands-down the most frequently used. After all, who doesn\u2019t need to handle email every day? Here are four features that trip up even seasoned Microsoft Outlook users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You probably use the Auto-Complete feature every day, and take it totally for granted. The moment you put your cursor in the To: field of an email and start typing, Outlook tries to predict the email address you want. It\u2019s been tracking your email habits and building a list of names and addresses from the messages you send. So, the moment you type \u201cb\u201d in the To: field, it suggests several past addressees whose names begin with \u201cb.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But with an inadvertent slip of the mouse, that email you think<\/em> you\u2019re sending to law partner Barbara could instead be going to opposing counsel Barry. And if the message contains sensitive information about a client, you\u2019ve just breached confidentiality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To be 100% safe, you\u2019ll want to disable Auto-Complete altogether<\/a>. To do that, go to File > Options within Outlook, then click Mail on the left and scroll down to the Send Messages section. You can clear the Auto-Complete list with the Empty Auto-Complete List button and start fresh. To disable Auto-Complete altogether, be sure to uncheck the box next to \u201cUse Auto-Complete to suggest names\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But if you\u2019re too addicted to its convenience to ditch it, be sure you do these things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re getting ready to leave the office on vacation or for an out-of-town continuing education program. Did you give your assistant your itinerary? Check. Turn on your alternate voice-mail greeting? Check. Turn on Outlook\u2019s Out of Office (aka Automatic Replies) feature? Check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before you go, double-check that Out of Office auto-reply. Do you really want to advertise to the world that your home is unoccupied, or which hotel you\u2019re staying in?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You want your Out of Office message to reach the people you regularly do business with and give them only the information they need. Limit the reach of Outlook\u2019s auto-replies to those inside your office and, if necessary, to outside recipients who are already in your Contacts list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
2. Out of Office<\/h2>\n\n\n\n