How to create your TA category in Outlook

Microsoft Outlook has a feature called Color Categories that help you stay organized. A color category is a keyword or phrase with an associated color that helps you keep track of items, such as messages, contacts, and appointments. You can use color categories to easily find, sort, filter, or group items. Outlook comes with a set of default colors and categories, but you can change, add, and delete them to customize them for your use.
To add a category for Technical Assistance, go to the Edit menu item at the top menu bar and select “Categorize” from the drop-down, then select “All Categories”. A window will pop open that shows your current colors and categories. Either select one that you do not currently use and click “Rename” or click “New”. For either option, have the name of the category be “Technical Assistance” and if prompted, pick what color you want those items to be. Click “OK” when you are finished.

You can assign categories to any of your Outlook items, and this (we hope) will help you track your technical assistance. If you have an email that qualifies as TA, right-click on the email and select “Categorize”, then choose your new TA category. A colored square and the “Technical Assistance” name will appear in the Categories column of your email listing, if you have that column showing in your email view. You can assign categories to tasks and calendar items in the same way—right-click and assign a category.

When it comes time to report on TA, you can search your email by category to pull out all the TA, and look through your calendar for all appointments that are that color. If you’ve also gone back into calendar items and entered the number of attendees at events and meetings, you should be able to easily quantify the amount of TA you’ve provided.

Good luck! Let me know if you have any issues!