Microsoft 365 Pre-Escalation Checklist
For Tech Coordinators | JECC IT Support
Complete all applicable steps before escalating an M365 issue to JECC IT. Document your results in the ticket.
Section 1 — Basic Checks
1. Restart the computer fully.
Not sleep or hibernate. A full shutdown and power on. Note whether the issue persists after the restart.
2. Confirm Office is up to date.
Open any Office app. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps and verify the version is “Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise - en-us”
3. Run Office Repair.
Go to Settings > Apps > Microsoft 365 > Modify. Run Quick Repair first. If the issue continues, run Online Repair.
Section 2 — Account and Authentication
4. Test the same function in OWA.
Go to outlook.office.com and sign in with the affected account. If OWA works and desktop Outlook does not, the issue is client-side. If OWA is also broken, it is server-side or account-related. Note which in the ticket.
5. Clear stale credentials from Windows Credential Manager.
Open Credential Manager. Under Windows Credentials, remove any entries referencing Microsoft Office or MicrosoftOffice for the affected account. Then try signing back in.
6. Confirm the account is active.
Have the user sign in to portal.office.com and verify the account loads without errors or lockout messages.
7. Verify MFA is working, if applicable.
Confirm the Microsoft Authenticator app is generating codes. If the user sees an error, note the exact message in the ticket.
Section 3 — Outlook-Specific Steps
Only perform these steps if the issue involves Outlook desktop.
8. Launch Outlook in Safe Mode.
Hold Ctrl while clicking the Outlook shortcut, or run outlook.exe /safe. If the issue disappears in Safe Mode, the cause is likely an add-in or corrupted profile, not a server issue.
9. Create a new Outlook profile.
Go to Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles > Add. Set the new profile to default and test. Use this step for 'Outlook won't load' or repeated crashing before escalating.
10. Rebuild the OST file if mail is not syncing.
Press Win + R and navigate to %localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook. Rename the .ost file to .ost.old, then relaunch Outlook. A fresh OST will be created automatically.
Section 4 — Licensing and Activation Errors
11. Verify the user has an assigned M365 license.
Check the Microsoft 365 Admin Center if you have access. If you do not, note that license status could not be confirmed. A missing or expired license is a common cause of activation failures.
12. Record the exact activation error code.
Do not describe the error verbally. Capture a screenshot or write down the full error code (example: 0x80072f8f). This is required for escalation.
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What to Include in Every Ticket
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