Outlook 2013 has now been available for preview to consumers for some time and. We have been testing various features for the last few months. Here’s one we like.
Microsoft has implemented a new feature in Outlook 2013 called Quick Response. This feature lets you respond to your emails without leaving your Inbox or opening a new reply window to compose and send your emails.
With the new Quick Response feature, your reading pane itself converts to a compose area and you can perform all the normal functions right there like formatting, adding attachments, CC/BCC etc… and even send the email. However you also have the option to open the normal reply window simply by clicking on Pop Out.
Another new feature is the [Draft] Indicator. Say for example you started typing an email and left it incomplete, maybe you had to rush of to an urgent meeting or reply to another urgent email.
You will now have a draft indicator (as shown above) indicating that this email is not complete or not responded to yet. Once you return and select one of the emails with the Draft indicator, you can start typing your response again from where you left off.
So how are this features useful?
Well it depends on how you work in Outlook and the benefit may vary from person to person but personally Quick Response feature is handy because:
- I get to respond to my emails much quicker , which is obvious because that is what this feature is meant to do.
- Saves a few extra clicks especially for those who do not have the option to Automatically close the Reply windows enabled (in older versions of Outlook)
- I can easily spot emails that are incomplete i.e. I started typing the respond but didn’t complete it. This can be viewed right in your Inbox rather than having to jump back and forth between the inbox and drafts folder.
What are your views on the new Outlook 2013 and its features?
Let us know by leaving a comment below.
I just got Outlook 2013 & the ribbon is huge at the top, & it appears from searching there isn’t any way to reduce this size. However, it also appears that when I have the preview pane on I should be able Reply right within the message with shortcuts at the top of the page, but they don’t show up? I do have the buttons for delete, mark as unread, flag, move respond, previous item, & next on the right hand side of my screen. I can’t find any setting as to how to get it in the preview pane, & remove it on the right side of the screen. Any ideas?