Microsoft's New Outlook represents a significant evolution in email management, offering enhanced speed, modern design, and improved integration. For legal firms, where email serves as a critical tool for client communication and case management, understanding the differences between traditional applications and web-based solutions—as well as COM add-ins versus web add-ins—is essential before making the switch. Let’s explore these distinctions, along with considerations for adoption, and tips to maximize productivity with New Outlook.
Web Applications vs Traditional Applications
The New Outlook is designed to unify the user experience across platforms, resembling a web application wrapped in a desktop interface. Here are the primary differences:
• Accessibility: Web applications like New Outlook rely on cloud connectivity, enabling access from any device with an internet connection. Traditional applications are locally installed and tied to specific devices. Despite being a Web Application, New Outlook can operate in “Offline Access” mode, which allows users to view and manage emails, calendar events and contacts even when they’re not connected to the internet.
• Updates: Web applications are updated automatically by the provider, ensuring users always have access to the latest features. Traditional apps often require manual updates.
• Performance: New Outlook emphasizes speed and efficiency with real-time search powered by AI. Classic Outlook may lag in performance, especially when handling large mailboxes or PST files.
• Built for Copilot: For those with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, Microsoft has deeply embedded Copilot features in New Outlook. Copilot can identify high-priority emails requiring urgent attention, provide meeting insights, and help draft messages.
• Customization: Traditional Outlook allows extensive personalization of views and layouts, while New Outlook offers limited customization to maintain consistency across platforms.
For legal professionals accustomed to traditional applications, the shift to a more streamlined but less customizable interface may require adjustment.
Web Add-ins vs COM Add-ins
Microsoft has transitioned from COM add-ins to web add-ins in New Outlook. As a result, current COM add-ins will not work in New Outlook, and there are no plans to add this functionality to New Outlook in the future. Microsoft is asking vendor partners and customers to align themselves with this new direction and develop web add-ins compatible with New Outlook. It is important to understand the differences between add-in types, and how this change can affect your firm’s technology strategy.
• COM Add-ins: Supported by classic Outlook, COM add-ins offer deep integration capabilities but can lead to instability and crashes due to their ability to manipulate the application directly.
• Web Add-ins: These operate in a sandbox environment, ensuring stability and security. They are compatible across platforms (Windows, Mac, mobile, and web), making them ideal for modern workflows.
Considerations Before Switching
The fundamental architectural redesign of New Outlook requires IT teams to carefully evaluate several key elements before deciding to allow users to adopt New Outlook:
• Control the Change: In a law firm, efficiency equals billing. Email is key to the successful daily operation of any law firm, and if your attorneys and staff are suddenly forced to adapt to a new system without proper training or due diligence being performed, a price will be paid in productivity that could very well be avoided.
• Evaluate critical integrations: Evaluate third-party applications using Outlook for compatibility with web-based add-ins.
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Select a group of test-users who represent your larger user base. Work with them to create a step-by-step testing plan that will run New Outlook through its paces, then have these users sign off on the results of their testing.
• Develop a Training Plan: Based on feedback from UAT, develop a training plan that not only familiarizes users with New Outlook’s user interface, but also helps them anticipate potential frustrations uncovered through testing. Properly prepared users will confidently confront these changes with minimal impact on productivity.
Tips and Tricks for Maximizing Productivity
The web-based nature of New Outlook makes possible new features that can improve productivity and collaboration within your firm.
• Cloud-synchronized email signatures: Email signatures in New Outlook are stored in Microsoft’s cloud and synchronized across devices.
• “Bookings with Me” is a powerful scheduling tool: Users can create a personal booking page allowing others to book meetings from availability windows specified by the user. A link to the booking page is easily added to a signature, effectively minimizing the “can you give me a few meeting windows next week” back and forth emails.
• Real-time Polls: In New Outlook, users can send polls via email, and responses are gathered in real time. This is a great feature for soliciting feedback from a group without needing to schedule a meeting in the first place.
• M365 Integration: New Outlook integrates seamlessly with other M365 applications such as Teams, To Do, and Loop. Loops can be interacted with in real time from within email messages, and Teams functionality such as chats and calling can be accessed directly from Outlook.
• Email Reactions: Ever want to let someone know you’ve read and received their email without sending an email just to say so? Reactions check this box by allowing users react to the emails with an emoticon.
Conclusion
Switching to Microsoft’s New Outlook offers legal firms a modernized email experience with enhanced speed, security, and integrations. However, careful planning is essential — firms must evaluate compatibility with existing workflows, train users on new features, and ensure seamless data migration. By leveraging Microsoft’s tools for IT admins and adopting productivity-enhancing tips tailored for lawyers, firms can make a smooth transition while optimizing their email management practices.
For legal professionals navigating this change, embracing New Outlook’s capabilities can streamline communication and boost efficiency for improved productivity.