Microsoft Outlook - love it or hate it no one can argue that MS Outlook is not the most widely used business email client.

It's faults are many but it is also true that most users of this software do not get the best out of it simply because they do not know about the depth of features it offers. We have put together some tips to help you get more out of your Microsoft Outlook application.

1. Use Outlook Web Access to keep in touch when away from your PC. The web version of Outlook has almost exactly the same functionality as the desktop application, and in some cases is faster and more convenient.

2. Make sure your IT department configures Outlook Anyware correctly. This feature will allow you to access your mailbox using a notebook without having to worry about different types of connection (ie network, VPN).

3. Use Outlook rules to automate the sorting and even acting on emails. The rules facility can be customized to automate almost any manual action relating to your inbox.

4. Archive your emails - while the ideal solution is for your server to archive all email so you can delete emails knowing they can be recovered, a good compromise is to simply move unimportant emails  that you feel you just might need to an Outlook Data File (also called a PST file). If you don't want to do this manually, Outlook provides a built in archiving function that will automate the process for you.

5. Use the built in SPAM feature. Your external filters should eliminate the bulk of spam emails, but for any that come through, or for nuisance emails that are not technically spam, the built in filter in Outlook can be trained to treat an unwanted email, or sender, as spam.

6. Use the free SMS add-in to send SMS messages from within Outlook. Microsoft offers a free SMS add-in module for Outlook that, when used with a suitable and connected mobile phone, can send SMS messages from Outlook alongside sending of normal emails. You can download this from Microsoft here.