Microsoft Excel is a versatile program to say the least as it is used in nearly every industry at one point or another. Excel allows the user to work in a more efficient fashion while tracking large sets of data. The cloud has made collaboration on these files much easier instead of having to merge versions later. Excel can be used to track employee hours for the week or balance the budget for the year. The functions and attributes of the program allow for numerical data to be translated instantly. For those industries where tracking the ROI of a campaign like advertising and marketing, Excel can be the perfect platform to see what is converting and what is not. The following are great attributes as well as functions of Microsoft Excel that make it a must have for nearly every business.
Templates Make Weekly/Monthly Reporting Simple
Excel makes reporting results to clients a much easier task as templates can be used. Not only does this save time not having to set up a new file with certain formulas and formatting, it can be easy to read for the client as they are comfortable receiving reports in this fashion. Tracking things like website traffic which can fluctuate immensely can be done easily down to the hour. This allows companies to understand when blog posts or social media posts will receive the most traffic as well as engagement. Clients love clean reports of work done so allow an Excel proficient person create the template that will be used going forward.
Sum Function
The SUM function is the most commonly used for many people computing data. The sum of a range of cells can be tabulated with a quick formula that chooses the range of cells to be added. This allows the user to negate the need to type out a long formula which specifies every single cell involved. Once the cells are picked and the formula typed in then all you have to hit is the Enter key. Those people that are handling itemized budgets need the SUM function to make their lives much easier.
Average Function
In a similar fashion to the SUM function the average function allows the user to find the average of a set of numbers. The average function gets the mean of the set of numbers but Excel also allows the user to find the median and mode of a set of cells. Heavy data driven reports like that of a marketing or advertising campaign would most likely use the average function as much if not more than the SUM function.
Worksheets
The ability to switch back and forth between different worksheets makes Excel easy to navigate. You do not have to open multiple files but rather switch between the tabs at the bottom of the page. This makes transferring data or confirming certain values much easier than opening 10 or 20 PDF files. HR professionals often love using Excel as they can put a variety of data in the file. This could include absences, productivity per hour, conduct complaints, and PTO requests.
It is easy to see why Excel is used around the world and will continue to be used. The versatility that it provides the user when it comes to manipulating and translating data is second to none!
