Microsoft Excel is such a powerful tool. We all know it, but most of what we use the program for are simple calculations and data collections while we know there is so much more there. The problem for most is that there are TOO MANY functions and tools to use, so we get lost, don’t know what we could or should use and don’t even try.

To help you out, we’ve picked 3 of our favorites to share with you. Using any one of these functions is certain to improve your company and make you more productive.

1. Conditional Formatting. Did you know that you can apply this  simple tool to a collection of data and Excel will automatically format your data via color coding so it will “pop out” based on any criteria you choose? If you have any size data set that you need to analyze, this function greatly simplifies your job.
2. CountIF, SumIF and AverageIF. These rarely used functions are amazing when you apply them. If you have a spreadsheet full of data with common classifications or labels, you can easily count, sum or average each label using these 3 formulas. And the supercool part is that if you update any data, your functions will automatically update based on your changes. If you’ve never used any of these 3 IF functions, give them a whirl on your next spreadsheet.
3. Paste Special. I’m sure you may have used this function before, but you probably never realized the power it contains that we hardly use. Use the paste special function to convert your spreadsheet data from  rows to columns (and vice versa), divide (or multiply) a whole series of numbers and more!