Email Augmentation | Reverting to standard Microsoft Outlook for Mac & Windows

The new Microsoft Outlook for Mac and Windows does not currently support email augmentation. 

For Mac users, this is due to there not being AppleScript support for the Outlook application. AppleScript allows certain automation functions in the applications eco system and it's the mechanism that allows WiseTime to capture email augmentation data, such as an email's subject line as you read or write it. Microsoft are currently developing a solution in order to support AppleScript in the new Outlook application and estimates availability by November 2023. 

For Windows users, the new Outlook does not support Component Object Model (COM) add-ins and WiseTime are working to migrate our app to be a web add-in. COM add-ins are a supplemental program that extends the capabilities to add specialised features. 

What does this mean to you?

Without email metadata the WiseTime app is unable to read important subject line information from your emails. Instead it will record only the inbox's name.

This means that email activity is recorded as one lumped time entry and matter IDs are unable to be detected – having consequences on WiseTime's ability to recognise matter references or other keywords and automatically tag your time that you are working on emails with the correct tags.

Example of a time row WiseTime capture in New Outlook:

Example of time rows WiseTime captures with Standard Outlook

While we continue to work to improve this and wait for Microsofts feature release, we'd recommend revert from the New Outlook to the Standard Outlook version, so that email metadata can be detected and the email augmentation feature will work for you. 

Below are instructions on how to revert to the standard version of Outlook for Mac and Windows so that you can email augmentation can work in the way that you are used too. 

• Instructions to revert Outlook to standard version in Apple Mac. 
• Instructions to revert Outlook to standard version in Windows. 

Apple MAC revert to standard outlook

To ensure that you can continue to optimise the email augmentation feature for Outlook for Mac with WiseTime, you can revert to the legacy Outlook version though, without any limitation. To do this please follow the below steps:

• When in the Outlook app, click on "Help" in the toolbar
• From the drop-down select "Revert to Legacy Outlook"

• A pop-up window will appear, click "Revert" which will then quit the app and re-launch it. 

Once done, you will see the timeline detail you have gotten used to and should see time entries for each email that you worked on separately.

Windows revert to standard outlook

To ensure that you can continue to optimise the email augmentation feature for Outlook for Windows with WiseTime, you can revert to the standard Outlook version, without any limitation. To do this please follow the below steps:

• When in the Outlook app, click on slider at the top-right next to 'New Outlook' and toggle this off

• A pop-up window will appear asking for feedback, you can note that Outlook App is Missing Functionality, or Other and in the text box note that new Outlook does not support third-party apps email augmentation of Metadata, or you can select Skip Feedback. 

The standard Outlook will then re-open and  you will see the timeline detail you have gotten used to and should see time entries for each email that you worked on separately.