It wouldn't be wrong to say that MS Outlook is one of the most powerful email management programs around. However, people have the wrong perception that Microsoft Outlook is strictly an email client.

Even though email is an important component of MS Outlook, the app can actually do much more in helping you boost your productivity. Aside from its email component, you can create appointment and tasks, schedule meetings, store contact data, manage calendar, make notes, and more.

While the app is quite easy to learn, it is when it's not being handled properly that it may cause headache to users.

These are some tips to keep your MS Outlook running flawlessly.

• One of the most important things to do if you use Outlook is to create back-ups of your PST and OST files. This is a great way to ensure that you have all your email and data intact if Outlook somehow crashes. It's always recommended to have a copy or two of the files – placed in different folders – in case the original gets corrupted.
• A simpler approach is to use a free add-in that Microsoft has created for Outlook program that helps you locate the PST files and have you pick a new location for the back-up file.
• To avoid any crashes, you should always remember to close the Outlook application before shutting down the computer. Note that applications will not close by themselves and you risk causing future problems.
• To improve the performance of the app – such as when you feel that it's running slower than usual – you can disable the internal virus scanner on the app. Assuming you already have a stand-alone Anti- virus app that will scan any ‘received and sent' files, there is no need to run the internal virus scanner within Outlook.
• To keep the app running smoothly, you can turn off any add-ins that you don't use – as they only eat up valuable memory and processing power of the computer.

If you feel that you're not using MS Outlook effectively the tips above, unfortunately, won't help you much. However, you can always enroll on a Microsoft Outlook training course that covers all of the basics to the more advanced features. The course will help you become more proficient in using the app and improve your productivity in the office.