From Scattered to Streamlined: How Agencies Can Transform Their Microsoft 365 Setup
Most agencies use Microsoft 365 every day, but only at the surface level. Email. Chat. Maybe a shared file or two. What many do not realize is that the tools they already pay for can organize their entire business, improve collaboration, and cut down the chaos that slows teams down.
In this webinar, Michael Cruz, founder of Foresight Insurance and CEO of Virtual Intelligence, showed how Microsoft 365 becomes a true operating system for an agency when it is set up correctly. Instead of juggling disconnected files, random chats, and scattered projects, he walked attendees through the exact structure we use at VI to link everything together and create clarity across the organization.
This was more than a tutorial. It was a blueprint for building an organized, scalable internal system without adding more third party tools.
The Big Problem: Agencies Use Only a Fraction of Microsoft 365
Michael opened by addressing a truth most agency owners recognized immediately. Many of us save documents to desktops, store training files in different places, and rely on private chats that hide key conversations from the rest of the team. Files do not connect. Tasks do not match the folders where work lives. Nothing feels unified.
The deeper issue is not effort. It is architecture. Most agencies were never shown how the Microsoft ecosystem is designed to work together. As a result, the pieces stay disconnected.
As Michael explained, once you understand how Teams, SharePoint, Planner, To Do, and Loop connect, you can unlock a level of organization that keeps your entire agency aligned.
The Foundation: Create a Team the Right Way
Everything in Microsoft 365 starts with one action. Creating a Team.
When you create a Team in Microsoft:
- A SharePoint site is automatically built
- A Microsoft 365 Group is created
- A shared inbox and calendar are linked
- A Planner board becomes available
- A OneNote or Loop component becomes accessible
- Permissions sync across all connected tools
This single step is what binds the systems together. Without it, files live in the wrong place, tools cannot talk to each other, and collaboration becomes fragmented.
Michael emphasized this as the most important takeaway of the day. If the Team is not created first, the entire structure becomes disorganized.
How We Structure an Agency Using Channels
Once the Team is created, the real organization begins. At VI, we build channels based on the five operational areas of an agency:
- Sales and Marketing
- Service
- Carrier
- Agency Operations
- Training and Development
Inside each channel, information becomes easy to find. For example, the Service channel is divided into Personal and Commercial, and then the tasks that happen every day.
Vehicle changes, account reviews, cancellations, and more. Every folder name matches the terminology used inside the management system. That way the language stays consistent across SharePoint, management system tasks, SOPs, and training.
This alignment removes guesswork and helps new hires ramp up faster.
Using Channels for Projects Instead of Chat
One of the most common mistakes agencies make is keeping important conversations inside private chats. That hides knowledge from the rest of the team and forces people to repeat steps every time someone new has a question.
Michael showed how project based channels solve this. For example, a channel for monoline home cross sell campaigns. Or a channel for updating SOPs. Or a channel for building a new website.
Each project channel includes:
- All conversations in one place
- All related files
- Meetings stored automatically
- A dedicated Planner board
- Loop components for notes and collaboration
Anyone who joins the project later can see everything from day one without digging through chats.
Collaboration Tools that Change Daily Operations
Loop: Real time documentation and planning
Loop has become the modern replacement for OneNote. Teams can build checklists, timelines, meeting notes, SOP outlines, training drafts, and more. Everything updates live and can be shared across Teams, Outlook, and chat. Loop also integrates with Tasks, making it easy to assign work without leaving the document.
Planner: Project management built into each channel
Planner works like Trello or Asana and allows teams to assign tasks, track progress, set due dates, create labels, and manage workloads. Every channel has its own planner board, keeping work connected to the place where conversations and files already live.
Microsoft To Do: A personal task hub
To Do syncs with Outlook emails you flag, Planner tasks assigned to you, and reminders you add manually. Instead of using inboxes as a to do list, staff can move tasks into To Do and manage workload more effectively.
SharePoint: The agency intranet
With SharePoint powering the back end of Teams, all files stay structured, permissions stay consistent, and knowledge becomes searchable. Michael even demoed an internal chatbot connected to his SharePoint that lets staff ask questions and instantly access policy change instructions, carrier links, vendor information, and SOPs.
How At VI Organize the Entire Ecosystem
The magic of this workflow is not complexity. It is consistency. When you organize your folders, channels, tasks, and training around the same structure, your agency becomes predictable and efficient.
At VI, we use:
- One Team for the agency
- Channels for operations and projects
- SharePoint as the central knowledge base
- Loop for collaboration
- Planner for project visibility
- To Do for individual tasks
- Stream for internal videos and transcriptions
Everything ties back to the same foundation.
Why This Matters for Agency Owners
This webinar was not about becoming a Microsoft expert. It was about building a business that no longer relies on memory, scattered documents, or one person holding everything together.
With a proper Microsoft 365 setup:
- New hires get faster, more consistent training
- Files live where the whole team can access them
- Projects stay organized
- Conversations become transparent
- SOPs stay updated and searchable
- Tasks match the terminology used across systems
- Internal communication becomes clearer and easier
As Michael shared, most agencies are already paying for these tools. The opportunity comes from using them correctly.
Key Takeaways
- Build from the top. Create the Team first so the entire infrastructure connects.
- Organize your agency into five operational areas for clarity and consistency.
- Use channels, not chats, for anything the whole team needs to reference.
- Save files to SharePoint, not desktops or OneDrive.
- Use Loop, Planner, and To Do to manage collaboration and execution.
- Keep terminology the same across Microsoft, SOPs, and your management system.
- Consolidate tools and use the ecosystem you already pay for.
Ready to Streamline Your Agency?
If your Microsoft setup feels scattered, manual, or overwhelming, you are not alone. Most agencies only use a small percentage of what they already have. With the right structure, Microsoft turns into an operating system that runs your internal processes smoothly.
Virtual Intelligence can help you build that foundation.