Microsoft adds Tell Me search bar to Excel Online

One of the biggest problems when it comes to business software is that unless you designed it, you do not know everything about it. This is the boat that many users find themselves in regardless of whether they are using the most complicated business intelligence software or trying to create a Excel spreadsheet. There is always a shortcut or a command that you don’t know that could make the process a little simpler. It can also be difficult to sift through multiple menus to find the command you are looking for.

Christian Braun, a program manager at Microsoft, wrote a blog post for Microsoft about the the latest upgrade to the Excel and PowerPoint Online. It involves the inclusion of a feature from Word Online called Tell Me search bar.

“The basic idea is simple. We all know the feeling when we want to do something in, say, Word, but can’t quite remember how to do it,” Braun wrote. “Wouldn’t it be great if we could ask the app to help us out? That’s exactly where Tell Me comes in. You tell it what you want to do and it shows you the commands you need.”

Much like a Google search, all users need to do is start typing in the Tell Me bar and the program will start to auto fill what it thinks you are looking for. It also understands input suggestions and will recognize that “add image” and “add pic” are the same thing.

While this is a great for a simple suggestion, there are Excel training services that can not only answer these questions but help take operations to the next level.