Do More Than Create Simple Jira Tickets from Outlook!

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Did you know that Microsoft Office 365 controls nearly half of the office productivity software market? With that in mind, it makes sense that many businesses worldwide are relying on it to improve their productivity and optimize their workflows. Especially in terms of email! So it comes as no surprise that this would translate to using it in agile fields with the perfect Jira Outlook plugins.

What are the benefits for companies using Microsoft Outlook with Jira?

The benefits a company can reap from a Jira Outlook plugin are plentiful! Here are some of the potential advantages they can gain:

• Improve team collaboration: Integrating Jira with Outlook can help your teams collaborate more efficiently. Each member will be able to receive notifications, updates, and comments on Jira issues directly in their Outlook inbox. This will help them all stay informed and up-to-date on project progress without having to switch between different platforms.
• Save time: A Jira Outlook integration can help a company save time and effort by automating some manual processes involved in tracking and managing issues. For instance, users can create Jira issues directly from their Outlook inbox, without having to log in to Jira separately. They can also update an issue's status and comments without leaving their email.
• Increase company productivity: By integrating Jira with Outlook, users can reduce all the time wasted in switching between platforms and work interruptions that can derail their focus and productivity. They will be able to work on Jira issues directly from their inbox and respond to comments and updates without having to switch back and forth between applications.
• Gain better visibility: A Jira Outlook integration can provide better visibility into a project's progress and status. Users can view Jira issues, comments, and updates directly from their Outlook inbox, without having to log in to Jira separately. This can help everyone stay aware of what is happening and make informed decisions based on real-time data.
• Customize the integration: Another great perk is this integration's ability to be customized to meet each team's specific needs. Users can choose which Jira issues to receive notifications for, set up custom filters, and define specific actions to take based on certain triggers.

Normal Jira Outlook plugins allow teams to do basic Jira functions such as creating and editing Jira issues, viewing related issues, commenting on issues, creating tasks and sub-tasks, and include attachments and files to Jira issues.

What new things can a company gain from an Outlook to Jira Plugin?

Now that we know the basics of what can be done with this integration, let's explore some unique features that can be found on an app such as Microsoft Outlook for Jira that might not be available on similar integrations.

1. Log work with Tempo fields

If your team relies heavily on Tempo when logging work, this feature will be considered a godsend! It allows you to utilize the Tempo fields you have in place and fill them in while logging work from Outlook. Not only that, whatever parameters your admin has in place for Tempo on Jira will be automatically applied here as well.  In addition to that, you can now create custom work attribute fields in Tempo, such as categorizing types of work on multiple projects, and view them through the add-on.

2. Give customers access to your Jira Service Management portal

One of the biggest developments in facilitating an integration from Jira to Outlook would be the ability to give your customers access to your Jira Service Management portal through Outlook. This plays a huge role in allowing customers to create tickets and track their status from Outlook with their own access credentials.

3. Display Insight fields inside Outlook

As most Jira users know, Insight helps teams tie assets and configuration items to service requests, among other things. With this Jira Outlook integration, you will be able to display these Insight fields in Outlook when you create a new issue.

4. Switch between Jira ticket creation views

When creating a new Jira issue, you won't be limited to the standard Jira 'Create Issue' view. You can now show a service desk portal screen to create a customer request. This can be particularly handy if you have team members on Outlook that deal with customer issues through email.

5. Include mentions in descriptions and comments

As with most Jira apps, including 'Mentions' of colleagues is now possible even when creating Jira issues through Outlook. You can now mention teammates both in ticket descriptions and within comments to facilitate overall communication.

6. Preview and rename attachments

When it comes to attaching files and images to a Jira issue, it can get confusing trying to figure out what was included, especially with so many issues being created at the same time. Now you'll be able to not only preview attachments on the ticket, you'll also have the option to rename them, which is quite useful when it comes to different version of a specific file.

Conclusion

It's safe to say that a Jira Outlook plugin has the potential to play a great role in changing how your company does things. It can help teams streamline their workflows, improve collaboration, and increase productivity! And with the added features that Microsoft Outlook for Jira offers to expand how this integration works? You'll create a much better work process for both your teams and your customers.