Office 365 helps put the personal in personal stylist

Microsoft spoke at length about the new features that it has planned for its Office 365 platform in the coming months during its Build 2016 conference, but it’s people such as Constance Turman who are most affected by the company’s plans as an everyday user of the productivity suite.

The owner of The Constant Stylist, Constance is a personal fashion and style consultant living in the greater Seattle, using Office 365 to help her stay nimble, available, and professional when dealing with her clients, partnering businesses and company goals.

I wanted to be known for constant availability and dedication to my clients, and I knew from the beginning that I would need the right technology. I have to collaborate with clients, vendors, shop owners and event teams every day. I’m out of the office at least half the time—shopping, meetings and traveling. I needed a solution that would allow me to stay connected and productive on the go, but I wanted to focus on my clients and my business, not worry about how to manage all kinds of technology. I began with Outlook.com, but quickly switched to the full suite of cloud services in Office 365.”

The notion that Office 365 can be a Swiss army knife that very few people properly utilize without an overbearing IT Pro has been partially dispelled in Constance’s case as she managed the productivity suite for her company single-handily, albeit a personal small business.

I implemented Office 365 myself. I felt like an IT pro. Once I set it up, I didn’t have to learn anything new, and the transition was super easy. Now, I have no infrastructure to maintain and just one environment to manage.”

As Microsoft continues to transition Office 365 into more of a serviceable platform versus a one-and-done product install, the company is also attempting to streamline its engagement. Ideally, Microsoft would like everyone from personal business owners to Fortune 500 companies using Office 365 to varying degrees. With Office 365, Microsoft’s scalable approach pitch is becoming a reality for those interested.