Office 365 Migration: End User Communication Templates

You’re about to move your data—congratulations! You might be moving from a legacy system into Office 365. Or, a merger, acquisition, divestiture, or consolidation might mean you‘re moving things around in the cloud—an Office 365 tenant-to-tenant migration. Either way, you might wonder what to tell the users whose data is getting migrated.

If you’re looking for some email templates to send to users, look no further. This article breaks it all down for you. First, you’ll see an overview of the phases of a migration project. Then, you’ll get some communication templates you can copy, edit, and send to users to tell them about your upcoming project.

Phases of Office 365 migration

Before you decide when (and what) to tell users about the migration, you need to understand the phases of the project. Let’s take a closer look at the process:

Phase 1: Planning

This is when you’ve decided to move the data and you begin getting everything ready for the project. You scope out the project. You ensure you meet system requirements. You determine when to start the project and when you hope it’s complete. During this phase, you might decide to communicate to users:

• Project announcement: You might send an email explaining the integration/migration project to users and giving them an idea when the project will take place.
• Downsizing: You might ask users to clean up files and folders they manage, so you’re not moving unnecessary or duplicate data to the new environment. You might also have them clean up old permissions.
• Education: You might send information teaching users about the new systems and features you’re implementing.
• Reminder: For those who are prone to miss (not read) email messages, you might decide to send an email (or a few emails) reminding users about the items from the project announcement and downsizing emails.

Phase 2: Testing

During this phase, you’ll set up the source and target environments. You’ll test the setup with just a few users. There’s not really anything to communicate with users during this phase unless you want to send more of those reminder emails I mentioned at the end of the Planning section above.

Phase 3: Execution

It’s go time! Your tests are done and you’re ready to start moving data to the target system. Users will probably move to the new system in waves (or batches). Here’s what you might want to tell users during this step:

• Moving day: Let the users know when their data is next to move to the new system. Encourage them to contact you if they notice anything out of the ordinary.
• Welcome: Tell the user that their data was successfully moved. Again, encourage them to contact you if they notice anything abnormal.

Phase 4: Wrap-up

All data is moved to the new location—yay! This is when you finally start sleeping again and plan your next vacation. If resting doesn’t keep you too busy, you can reach out to users again with these messages:

• Training information: If your project was a tenant-to-tenant migration, users probably won‘t need any training information. However, if you migrated email archives to Office 365 , you might want to use this opportunity to give them some Office 365 training resources.
• Thank you/project close out: Let them know that the project is complete. The data was successfully moved to the new location. Remind them that they can contact you with any questions or concerns.

Understanding these phases should help you plan out when and what to communicate to users. Now, are you ready for the templates? I bet you are.

End user communication templates

Here’s some text that you can copy, customize, and send to users during your project. Since there’s slightly different messaging, I broke these templates down into two categories. Select a category to retrieve the templates.

• Legacy system to Office 365
• Merger/acquisition/divestiture migration templates
• Shared links templates

You will notice some links to videos in our communications. Our clients have found that custom videos to your users are extremely effective at connecting to your users, getting them excited for the transformation, and reducing help desk calls.

It is a good idea to place all communications in a location that all users can access, and link to them in all communications. This will prevent users from looking for old emails or asking for them again if they were deleted.

Project announcement

When to send: T minus 6 weeks
Subject line: Your data is moving

Hello [First name],

We recently announced that we are undertaking a transformation by moving to the cloud! Over the next few weeks we will be upgrading your email to Office 365. As part of this migration you’re also going to get access to some exciting new tools.

You are scheduled to migrate in 6 weeks. This date has been selected with your leadership team to limit its potential impact. If you are out on vacation during the migration, don’t worry! You can pick up when you return.

The IT teams are working diligently to make this as smooth as possible. But we need your help! Over the next few weeks you will be getting regular updates from us. Each week will have a small task to get you ready for the migration, discussing a new feature you will get in the migration, or to prepare you for your first day in the new environment.

How it will look

You shouldn’t notice anything different. There should be little-to-no interruption to your normal work. However, if you do experience any issues, the help desk team will have extra people working on migration days.

What happens next

Within the next few weeks:

• You’ll receive instructions to help clean up your files.
• You’ll receive instructions on how to set up your mobile device after the move.
• You’ll get some quick training on new features.
• You’ll get an email when your migration starts.
• When the migration begins, you will lose access temporarily, but all email will be redirected to your new email system.
• When the migration is complete everything will be moved and will be in the same folder as they were in the source.

What can you do to help?

Watch for another email next week. It‘ll contain instructions for cleaning up your files. Beyond that, there is no need for direct action on your part. The process is fully automated. Your older files will be safely and securely moved into the new tenant!

Thanks for your support and cooperation.

Your Migration Team

Downsizing

When to send: T minus 5 weeks
Subject line: Upcoming data migration – Clean up your files

Hello [First name],

You received an email last week explaining our upgrade to Office 365. If you missed it, you can view it here: [Link to Project Announcement – T-6 email]

Just like when moving your home, it can helpful to pare down your possessions/data before the move. By getting rid of the stuff you no longer need, it will ease the migration.

• Before you delete items, here are some quick things to consider during cleanup:
• Refer our Document Retention policy! It can be found here: [Link to policy]
• Make sure you don’t have duplicate files/folders. Delete the unneeded copy.
• Delete any old files/folders that you no longer need.
• Remove old calendar entries, especially those with large attachments.

Empty your recycle bin.

The less data we have, the less we have to move. However, please keep any files that you think need to be retained for any reason. Contact your manager or the help desk if you have any questions during this process.

Need help cleaning up? Follow our quick video guide here: [link to a video]

Thanks for your support and cooperation.

Your Migration Team

Education 1: Email Archive

When to send: T minus 4 weeks
Subject line: Upcoming data migration – New Features

Hello [First name],

This is the third email in our series. If you missed the other emails, they can be viewed here:

• [Link to Project Announcement – T-6 email]
• [Link to Downsizing – T-5 email]

This week we want to get you ready for a new feature you will get in the migration, an unlimited email archive.

Heavy email users will be relieved to learn that Office 365 will give you unlimited storage area for your email. This is done through the Archive Mailbox. Unlike Personal Folders or the Email Archive system, this is fully integrated with Outlook.

This includes accessing it while on mobile devices or Outlook Web Access. This allows you to search across all your email data in one search. You’ll no longer need to search areas separately.

It is important to note that you should review the document retention policy, found here [link], to determine what should be stored and what should be destroyed. The additional storage does not negate our need to follow the company’s document retention policy.

To learn more, check out this quick video: [link to video]

If you have not had a chance do your cleanup task from last week, please take the time to do this! This will speed the migration effort.

Thanks for your support and cooperation.

Your Migration Team

Education 2: OneDrive for Business

Note: some organizations choose not to migrate files into OneDrive for Business during the email migration. You may need to tailor this to your needs.

When to send: T minus 3 weeks
Subject line: Upcoming data migration – New Features

Hello [First name],

This is the fourth email in this migration series. If you missed the other emails, here they are:

• [Link to Project Announcement – T-6 email]
• [Link to Downsizing – T-5 email]
• [Link to Education – T-4 email]

This week we are going to talk about the OneDrive for Business.

OneDrive is more than just a place to store your files. It’s a place for collaboration. OneDrive supports all sorts of helpful features, including:

• Internal and external sharing
• Dual editing
• Versioning
• Mobile editing

Here’s a video showing more about some of these features: [link to a video like this]

These features will make collaborating much easier. Here are some examples of what you can do with OneDrive for Business:

Let’s say four people are giving a presentation together. Today the file might be emailed around or placed on a network share. People need take turns editing it. Otherwise someone has to merge changes into one file later.

Instead, with OneDrive for Business, all four people can edit the same file at the same time. This really shines when everyone is on a conference call together reviewing it and making live edits together. It saves so much time!

But, let’s say someone made some bad edits. Perhaps they deleted a few slides they didn’t mean to. Instead of recreating them or making a call to the help desk for a restore, you can simply go back a version or two and restore it. All without having to call IT!

The story gets better. Let’s say you’re going on a business trip and you want to review the slide deck while on the train. With the mobile application you can view it live, right on your screen. The app even optimizes the experience for the size of your screen. (More on mobile applications next week!)

To learn more, check out this quick video that shows this solution: [link to a video like this]

If you haven’t had a chance do your cleanup task, please take the time to do this. This is the last week that this can be done.

Thanks for your support and cooperation.

Your Migration Team

Education 3: Mobile Applications

When to send: T minus 2 weeks
Subject line: Upcoming data migration – New features

Hello [First name],

This is the fifth email in our series. If you missed any of the other emails, they can be viewed here:

• [Link to Project Announcement – T-6 email]
• [Link to Downsizing – T-5 email]
• [Link to Education – T-4 email]
• [Link to Education 2 – T-3 email]

This week we’re going to talk about mobile devices.

Our phones, tablets, and other technology have become essential to our being. Whether trying to use email when away from the office, work in inclement weather, or be effective while traveling, Microsoft Office has mobile applications to help.

This goes way beyond Microsoft Outlook. Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and OneDrive for Business applications are great examples. Each application is optimized for your device and accesses information in a secure manner in OneDrive for Business.

This would be a great time to open your application store on your device and download these free applications, so you’re ready to use them.

To learn more, check out this quick video: [link to video]

Thanks for your support and cooperation.

Your Migration Team

Education 4: Teams

When to send: T-1 week
Subject line: Upcoming data migration – New features

Hello [First name],

This is the sixth email in our series, but we are almost there! If you missed any of the other emails, they can be viewed here:

• [Link to Project Announcement – T-6 email]
• [Link to Downsizing – T-5 email]
• [Link to Education – T-4 email]
• [Link to Education 2 – T-3 email]
• [Link to Education 3 – T-2 email]

This week we’ll talk about Microsoft Teams.

When email came out in the late 90s, it quickly became our primary communication method in business. About 10 years later we saw chat/instant message enter the workforce with rapid adoption. Microsoft Teams aims to shift most of our internal collaboration in a combined collaboration tool.

Microsoft Teams has chat, shared file storage, digital meeting space/conference calls, and more. It is hard to describe the power behind this tool, but we have prepared quick video to help you see the power of teams:

• [link to a video like this one]

You will be enabled for this application during the email migration.

Thanks for your support and cooperation.

Your Migration Team

Reminder

When to send: T-1 week to T-3 days
Subject line: Reminder – Your data is moving soon

Hello [First name],

Three days to go!

This is the seventh email in our series. We hope you found them helpful. If you missed the other emails, they can be viewed here:

• [Link to Project Announcement – T-6 email]
• [Link to Downsizing – T-5 email]
• [Link to Education – T-4 email]
• [Link to Education 2 – T-3 email]
• [Link to Education 3 – T-2 email]
• [Link to Education 4 – T-1 email]

Our teams have been working in the background to get your account ready for migration.

We do need some help though. One of the most common help desk calls we are seeing in the migration is getting mobile devices reconfigured. Microsoft Outlook on your PC will automatically point to the new server; however, mobile devices do not.

On Monday, please follow these instructions carefully to get your mobile device back in action.

1. On your mobile device, tap the Play Store (Android) or App Store(iOS) icon to open the app.
2. In the search bar, type Outlook and tap Microsoft Outlook.
3. Tap Installand wait for the app to install.
4. Tap Open.
5. When the Outlook app opens, tap Get Started.
6. You’ll be prompted to add an account. Follow the steps to set up you work email address.
7. If you’re prompted to choose the account type, select Office 365.
8. When asked if you want to add another account, tap Skip (Android) or Maybe Later (iOS).
9. Outlook will prompt you to enable notifications, and you will then enter your mailbox.

If you still need help, please feel free to reach out to us.

On Friday night at 8 PM, your migration will execute. Over the weekend the process will complete. We ask that you give us until 6 AM Monday to complete this work. After this, you should be able to access your email easily.

If you have an emergency need to communicate, you will need to do this via Outlook Web Access. Follow this emergency access guide if you need it: [link to document like this describing Outlook Web Access]

Thanks for your support and cooperation.

Your Migration Team

Moving day

When to send: T-0 days
Subject line: Your data is moving today!

Hello [First name],

Today is the day!

This is the eighth email in our series. We hope you have found them helpful. Here is the complete series for your final reference:

• [Link to Project Announcement – T-6 email]
• [Link to Downsizing – T-5 email]
• [Link to Education – T-4 email]
• [Link to Education 2 – T-3 email]
• [Link to Education 3 – T-2 email]
• [Link to Education 4 – T-1 email]
• [Link to Reminder – T-3 days email]

Tonight at 8 PM we will start the final phase of the migration. You will not be able to use your email this weekend until the move is complete. This will happen before 6 AM Monday morning.

Beyond that, there is no need for direct action on your part to get your PC reconfigured. The process is fully automated. Your older files will be safely and securely moved to the new tenant.

Don’t forget the quick guide on how to reconfigure your mobile device:

1. On your mobile device, tap the Play Store (Android) or App Store(iOS) icon to open the app.
2. In the search bar, type Outlook and tap Microsoft Outlook.
3. Tap Installand wait for the app to install.
4. Tap Open.
5. When the Outlook app opens, tap Get Started.
6. You’ll be prompted to add an account. Follow the steps to set up you work email address.
7. If you’re prompted to choose the account type, select Office 365.
8. When asked if you want to add another account, tap Skip (Android) or Maybe Later (iOS).
9. Outlook will prompt you to enable notifications, and you will then enter your mailbox.

Here is the emergency access guide, in case you have an emergency business need to use email for something this weekend: [link to Outlook Web Access guide like this one]

If you experience any issues, reach out to the help desk.

We’ll notify you when the migration is complete.

Your Migration Team

Welcome

When to send: T+0 days
Subject line: Your data was moved successfully

Hello [First name],

Your files were successfully moved to the new tenant. You can use your email and files normally again.

If you experience any issues, reach out to the help desk.

Here are some helpful links:

• [links to resources]

Thanks for your support and cooperation.

Thank you—project close out

When to send: 5 days after last data is migrated
Subject line: Our migration is complete – Thank you

Hello [First name],

You received a series of emails explaining that some of your data was moving to a new tenant. We’re happy to report that the project is complete. Our data has now been moved to the new location.

During the migration we moved __ messages, totaling __TB of data!

We would like to thank you for you all of your support during the move. We are excited to all be in our new system and taking advantage of the new features.

You will be hearing more from us on education opportunities on how to use our increasing capabilities in Office 365!

Thank you again for your support and cooperation.

Your Migration Team

Here’s some text that you can copy, customize, and send to users during your migration project.

You will notice some links to videos in our communications. Our clients have found that custom videos to your users are extremely effective at connecting to your users, getting them excited for the transformation, and reducing help desk calls.

It is a good idea to place all communications in a location that all users can access, and link to them in all communications. This will reduce the amount of time users need to spend looking for old emails or asking for them again if they deleted one or two.

Project Announcement

When to send: T-6 weeks
Subject line: Your data is moving

Hello [First name],

A few months ago, we came together as an organization. Our teams have been working together on a Systems Integration project so we can all work together as one. This has been quite a task!

The majority of our data and systems will migrate in an automated fashion. There is some data that will not be migrated since the manufacture of the system does not support it. There are a few systems that may require some manual work by you, to backup and restore the data yourself.

The good news is that we have identified who is using these other systems and will communicate to those employees directly. If you are impacted by this, you will get detailed instructions and multiple opportunities to get help.

What happens next

We developed a weekly countdown system with communications and guides to get you ready for the move and keep you informed. Each week you will get an email like this. Some weeks will have a small task for you to complete or an educational video to watch. This will all help you get ready.

If you are going to be out of the office during the migration, don’t worry! The systems will account for this, you can follow the post move steps when you return.

Here’s a quick highlight of what’s ahead.

Preparation:

• You’ll receive instructions to help clean up your files.
• You’ll get some quick training on new features.
• You’ll get guidance on any items that may not move or may need some work to help move.
• You’ll receive instructions on how to set up your mobile device after the move.
• You’ll get an email when your migration starts.
• About 7 days before your migration, you should refrain from reorganizing items between folders, as these changes may not replicate to the new system.
  • For example, if you have a file or email in a folder called “Finance” and moved it to a folder named “Payroll”, the file may still be in the “Finance” folder after the move, or you may have a copy of the file in both folders.
  • You’ll get more details on this in a few weeks.

The migration

When the migration begins, you’ll lose access temporarily. However, the migration will happen after hours. When the migration is complete everything will be moved.

After the migration, a utility will run that will reconfigure your computer to point to the new servers. This will be a friendly wizard that will guide you through your first login. You will also get links on how to reconfigure your mobile devices.

What can you do to help?

Watch for another email next week. It‘ll contain instructions for cleaning up your files. Beyond that, unless you are informed of an issue with a product you use, there is no need for direct action on your part.

We appreciate your support. Once we have all gone through this journey, we will be able to work together in our new combined system!

Your Migration Team

Downsizing

When to send: T-5 weeks
Subject line: Upcoming data migration – Clean up your files

Hello [First name],

You received an email last week explaining our consolidation to our new system. If you missed it, you can view it here:

• [Link to Project Announcement – T-6 email]

Just like when moving your home, it can helpful to pare down your possessions/data before the move. By getting rid of the stuff you no longer need, it will ease the migration.

Before you delete items, here are some quick things to consider during cleanup:

• Refer our Document Retention policy! It can be found here:
• Make sure you don’t have duplicate files/folders, and delete the unneeded copy.
• Delete any old files/folders that you no longer need.
• Remove old calendar entries, especially those with large attachments. Here is a guide on how to do this: [link to a document]
• Empty your recycle bin.

The less data we have, the less we have to move. However, please keep any files that you think need to be retained for any reason. Contact your manager or the help desk if you have any questions during this process.

Need help cleaning up? Follow our quick video guide here: [link to a video]

Thanks for your support and cooperation.

Your Migration Team

Changes to Your Email Address

When to send: T-4 weeks
Subject line: Your email address

Hello [First name].

This is the third email in our series! If you missed the other emails, do not fret, they can be viewed here:

• [Link to Project Announcement – T-6 email]
• [Link to Downsizing – T-5 email]

This week we want to review your email address and login address.

With this move, we’re going to be consolidating our brand. This means that going forward all of us will have a Contoso.com email address and login. Anything going to your old Contoso.net email address will automatically forward to your contoso.com email address. Unless there is a conflict, as in someone else already has that contoso.com email address, you will have the same address, just replacing the ending to contoso.com.

This new email address will also be your login when you access anything in Office 365 or at www.office.com. (Or when setting up your mobile device.)

If you’ve had a change to your name, or will have one soon, please contact HR to have this updated. They can then work with you to file a request to get your email address changed.

If you have had a name change in the past, or have old email addresses from other domains, and you are still getting email to the email address, you’ll continue to have this mail forwarded, as well.

To learn more, check out this quick video: [link to video showing how to look up your current email addresses]

If you have not had a chance to do your cleanup task from last week, please take the time to do it. This will speed the migration effort, and the time it takes for your device to be reconfigured.

Thanks for your support and cooperation.

Your Migration Team

OneDrive for Business Links

Note: If you don’t allow sharing of OneDrive links externally, then this will not apply to you.

When to send: T-3 weeks
Subject line: OneDrive for Business sharing

Hello [First name],

This is the fourth email in our series. If you missed the other emails, you can find them here:

• [Link to Project Announcement – T-6 email]
• [Link to Downsizing – T-5 email]
• [Link to Changes to Your Email Address – T-4 email]

This week we’re going to talk about impacts to links that have been shared in OneDrive for Business.

As you know, OneDrive is more than just a place to store your files. It’s a place for collaboration. Many of us share files externally with key clients. This is a great way to reduce email, avoid duplicate copies, and collaborate live.

However, with the migration, these links will stop working. Sadly, there isn’t a good way for us to correct this. This means you’ll need to reshare items and folders with your current projects, after the move.

Want to see all the items you have shared? Check out this video: [link to video]

If you haven’t used OneDrive sharing before, we have a quick video on how this can help you in the future: [link to a video like this]

Need a quick reminder on how to share files? Check out our quick guide here: [link to document]

If you have not had a chance do your clean up task from week 5, please take the time to do it now. This is the last week this can be done.

Thanks for your support and cooperation.

Your Migration Team

Changes

When to send: T-2 weeks
Subject line: Upcoming data migration – Change to Office 365

Hello [First name],

This is the fifth email in our series! If you missed the other emails, do not fret, they can be viewed here:

• [Link to Project Announcement – T-6 email]
• [Link to Downsizing – T-5 email]
• [Link to Changes to Your Email Address – T-4 email]
• [Link to OneDrive for Business links – T-3 email]

This week we’re going to talk about changes between the Office 365 environment that you have today, and the one you are moving to.

We are two companies coming together. Because of this, there are some slight changes to the systems that you should be area of.

[This is where you should call out changes. This includes MDM solutions, Sharing policies, meeting rooms, DLs, and so on. This will be unique to your source and target environments.]

Thanks for your support and cooperation.

Your Migration Team

Device Reconfiguration

When to send: T-1 weeks
Subject line: Hold the folder changes, please!

Hello [First name],

This is the sixth email in our series. We’re almost there! If you missed the other emails, they can be viewed here:

• [Link to Project Announcement – T-6 email]
• [Link to Downsizing – T-5 email]
• [Link to Changes to Your Email Address – T-4 email]
• [Link to OneDrive for Business links – T-3 email]
• [Link to Changes – T-2 email]

This week we’re going to talk about why you need to avoid making changes to folders now.

In the background we are going to begin migrating data for you. This will ensure that everything gets moved over in a timely manner. This process is invisible to you, except for one thing…changes to your folders.

Until you are on the new system, please do not rename folders or move items between folders. If you do, the changes may not be reflected in the new systems and you will need to make them again.

You can create new folders and store items. These additions will be migrated. However, if you move a file from the “Finance” folder to the “Active Projects” folder, the file might still be in the “Finance” folder after the move. Or you might even find the same file in both folders.

In a few days you will get an email from us describing the reconfiguration process. Please watch this quick video so you have the best experience possible in your first day using the new system: [link to video]

Thanks for your support and cooperation.

Your Migration Team

Reminder

When to send: T-1 week to T-3 days
Subject line: Reminder – Your data is moving soon – Reconfiguration guide

Hello [First name],

Three days to go!

This is the seventh email in our series. We hope you have found them helpful. If you missed the other emails, do not fret, they can be viewed here:

• [Link to Project Announcement – T-6 email]
• [Link to Downsizing – T-5 email]
• [Link to Changes to Your Email Address – T-4 email]
• [Link to OneDrive for Business links – T-3 email]
• [Link to Changes – T-2 email]
• [Link to Device Reconfiguration – T-1 email]

Our teams have been working in the background to get your account prepared for migration.

When the migration is complete, we need to reconfigure your computer and mobile device to the new system.

We deployed an application in the background of your system. When you log in for the first time, it will guide you through the reconfiguration. Please follow the prompts carefully. We created a quick training video, so you know exactly what to expect. It only takes 90 seconds to run, and then you are in the new system. Here’s how it’ll work: [link to video]

For mobile devices, we are not as lucky. We aren’t able to put an application on your phone to reconfigure it. This means we need your help here.

Our phones, tablets, and other technology have become essential to our being. Whether trying to use email when away from the office, work in inclement weather, or be effective while traveling. Because of this, one of the most common help desk calls we are seeing in the migration is getting mobile devices reconfigured.

On Monday please follow the instructions carefully to get your mobile device back in action.

1. On your mobile device, tap the Play Store (Android) or App Store(iOS) icon to open the app.
2. In the search bar, type Outlook and tap Microsoft Outlook.
3. Tap Installand wait for the app to install.
4. Tap Open.
5. When the Outlook app opens, tap Get Started.
6. You’ll be prompted to add an account. Follow the steps to set up you work email address.
7. If you’re prompted to choose the account type, select Office 365.
8. When asked if you want to add another account, tap Skip (Android) or Maybe Later (iOS).
9. Outlook will prompt you to enable notifications, and you will then enter your mailbox.

If you still need help, please feel free to reach out to us.

Final Notes:

• On Friday night at 8 PM your migration will begin. Over the weekend the process will complete. We ask that you give us until 6 AM Monday to complete this work. After this, you should be able to access your email easily. [update this communication with your change window.]
• If you have an emergency business need to communicate, you will need to do this via Outlook Web Access. Follow this emergency access guide should you need it. [Link to a guide like this one telling how Outlook Web Access works.]

Thanks for your support and cooperation.

Your Migration Team

Moving day

When to send: T-0 days
Subject line: Your data is moving today

Hello [First name],

Today is the day!

This is the seventh email in our series. We hope you have found them helpful. Here’s the complete series for your final reference:

• [Link to Project Announcement – T-6 email]
• [Link to Downsizing – T-5 email]
• [Link to Changes to Your Email Address – T-4 email]
• [Link to OneDrive for Business links – T-3 email]
• [Link to Changes – T-2 email]
• [Link to Device Reconfiguration – T-1 email]
• [Link to Reminder – T-3 days email]

Tonight at 8 PM we will start the final phase of the migration. You won’t be able to use your email this weekend until the move is complete. This will happen before 6 AM Monday morning.

Beyond that, there is no need for direct action on your part to get your PC reconfigured. The process is fully automated. Your older files will be safely and securely moved to the new tenant.

Don’t forget the quick guide on how to reconfigure your mobile device:

1. On your mobile device, tap the Play Store (Android) or App Store(iOS) icon to open the app.
2. In the search bar, type Outlook and tap Microsoft Outlook.
3. Tap Installand wait for the app to install.
4. Tap Open.
5. When the Outlook app opens, tap Get Started.
6. You’ll be prompted to add an account. Follow the steps to set up you work email address.
7. If you’re prompted to choose the account type, select Office 365.
8. When asked if you want to add another account, tap Skip (Android) or Maybe Later (iOS).
9. Outlook will prompt you to enable notifications, and you will then enter your mailbox.

Here is the emergency access guide, should you have an emergency business need to use email for something this weekend: [link to instructions]

If you experience any issues, reach out to the help desk.

We’ll notify you when the migration is complete.

Your Migration Team

Welcome

When to send: T+0 days
Subject line: Your data was moved successfully

Hello [First name],

Your files were successfully moved to the new tenant. You can use your email and files normally again.

If you experience any issues, reach out to the help desk.

Here are some helpful links:

• [add links]

Thanks for your support and cooperation.

Your Migration Team

Thank you—project close out

When to send: 5 days after last data is migrated
Subject line: Our migration is complete – Thank you

Hello [First name],

We did it! Over the last few months everyone has migrated to the new combines system. We are now better able to collaborate as one company!

During the migration we moved __ messages, totaling __TB of data!

Thank you for you all your support during the move. We’re excited to all be in our new system and taking advantage of the new features.

You’ll hear more from us soon. We’ll provide some education opportunities, so you can learn how to use our increasing capabilities in Office 365.

Thank you again for your support and cooperation.

Your Migration Team

If your organization is sharing with users outside of your tenant, either internal to your company but a different tenant, or external to other users, these communication templates can be quite helpful.

Communication to External Users During Tenant-to-Tenant Migrations

Hello [First name],

A few months back we announced that we are becoming part of the __ company. In doing so, this will allow us to serve you better as a stronger, more unified organization.

As we consolidate operations, the time has come for us to combine our IT systems. On the weekend of ___ our company is migrating into ___’s Office 365 Environment. This will allow us to directly collaborate with our new colleagues.

However, this means our documents in OneDrive for Business and SharePoint are going to change.

We identified that you have accessed a shared document in the last 90 days. On Friday at 5 PM EST these documents will not be available anymore through the current links. Upon our return to work Monday morning, we will need to re-share any active document with you.

The owner of the document, the ___ colleague, will need to re-share this with you. We have communicated this to them, but wanted to ensure you were aware of this potential disruption.

We apologize for this inconvenience. However, once this transition is complete, we will be able to better serve you.

Communication to Internal Users Who Are External to the Tenant During T2T Migrations – Inbound

Hello [First name],

A few months back we announced we are becoming part of the __ company. This will allow us to serve our clients better as a stronger, more unified organization.

As we consolidate operations, the time has come for us to combine our IT systems. On the weekend of ___ we are going to migrate ___ into ___’s Office 365 tenant.

However, there is going to be a snag that may impact your documents in OneDrive. Through our analysis, we found that you are using some shared documents in the ___ Office 365 environment. This is either a SharePoint site or OneDrive for Business location.

On Friday at 5 PM Eastern time these documents will not be available anymore through the current links. Upon our return to work Monday morning, the owner of these documents will need to re-share any active document with you.

Unfortunately, we are unable to resolve this during the migration for you, as a result, the document owner will need to manually re-share it. Sadly, this is a limitation in the manufacture of the system and this impact cannot be avoided. However, long term this is going to allow us to collaborate as a business.

If you have any questions, please contact ___.

Communications to Users Sharing During Tenant-to-Tenant Migrations – Outbound

Hello [First name],

A few months back we announced we are becoming part of the __ company. This will allow us to serve you better as a stronger, more unified organization.

As we consolidate operations, the time has come for us to combine our IT systems. As you are aware, on the weekend of ___ we are going migrate ___ into ___’s Office 365 tenant. If you missed this communication please see them here: _____

However, there is going to be a snag that will impact the documents you have shared with others. Through our analysis, we found that you are sharing documents with people outside of your current Office 365 environment. This can be with others in the new environment, or users outside of the organizations. This is either a SharePoint site or OneDrive for Business location.

As part of the migration, these links are going to stop working during the migration and will need to be re-shared on Monday.

Note: If you are sharing documents with ___, you will need to choose the “inside my organization” option Monday when you re-share. As of Monday we are now one organization!

On Friday at 5 PM Eastern time these documents will not be available anymore in these current links. On Monday morning, when your return to work, you will need to re-share any active document with you. You can do this as you find you need to, or you can follow the advice below on how to locate these and note the documents requiring action.

If you want to see what documents in OneDrive for Business you are sharing, please follow these instructions: _________________

If these are old documents that are not active, there is nothing you need to do.

[This is a good place to explain any changes to the tenant sharing policy that will impact users]

Unfortunately, we are unable to resolve this during the migration for you, as a result, the document owner will need to manually re-share it. Sadly, this is a limitation in the manufacture of the system and this impact cannot be avoided. However, long term this is going to allow us to collaborate as a business.

If you have any questions, please contact ___.

How to Audit OneDrive for Business Permissions – Video Example

Here is a video example showing how a user can check what they have shared.

This can be really helpful for users to not only know their impacts during their Office 365 tenant migration, but also to perform regular audits of their permissions.

Again, these templates are just examples. Please, customize them so they fit your actual project/environment/users.

How‘s your project going?

I hope your Office 365 migration goes well, but if you’ve had some snags, let’s chat about getting it back on track. We can move your data quickly and safely with one of our superfast and secure Office 365 migration services. Contact us today to learn more.