Microsoft Copilot is helping teams automate tasks, boost collaboration, and uncover insights across Microsoft 365 apps. Integrated into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook, Microsoft Copilot acts as an AI assistant to simplify everyday tasks and free up time for strategic work. Here’s a guide to making Microsoft Copilot an essential part of your operations, along with some tips and examples to help you get started.
What is Microsoft Copilot?
First things first, what is Microsoft Copilot? In essence, Microsoft Copilot is an intelligent assistant designed to respond to natural language prompts, automate tasks, and streamline workflows across the Microsoft 365 suite. Whether it’s drafting emails, managing meetings, or generating insights from data, Microsoft Copilot helps minimise manual work so your team can focus on more impactful tasks.
Use natural language to interact with Copilot
One of the best things about Copilot is how easily it understands everyday language. There’s no need to remember complex commands; a straightforward prompt will do. Think of it like you’re asking a colleague for help—simple and direct prompts work best.
For example:
- If you need a summary of the latest meeting, try saying, “Summarise the main points from today’s meeting.”
- For routine tasks, like drafting emails, you could say, “Write an email to the team about the upcoming project deadline.”
As you work with Copilot, don’t hesitate to refine your prompts if the initial response doesn’t quite meet your needs. Start broad and add more details as you go. You’ll find that Copilot responds well to follow-up instructions, making it a flexible assistant for various tasks.
Customise Copilot with Copilot Studio
What is Copilot without personalisation? Copilot Studio allows you to customise Copilot’s capabilities to better fit your business’s unique needs. With Copilot Studio, you can build custom copilots that automate repetitive or specific tasks.
Example of customisation: Create a tailored copilot to handle customer service responses, ensuring consistent replies and freeing up your team’s time.
Customising Copilot helps turn it into a purpose-built tool, not just a generic assistant. By setting up workflows or prompts that align with your operations, you’ll get more out of Copilot and ensure it becomes an integral part of your processes.
Leverage Copilot’s integration across Microsoft 365
Copilot’s true power comes from its seamless integration with Microsoft 365 applications. Within Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook, Copilot can help you accomplish a range of tasks without needing to switch between tools.
Here are some ways to make the most of Copilot across Microsoft 365:
- In Teams: Keep everyone aligned by asking Copilot to summarise key points from meetings or list action items for the week.
- In Excel: Use Copilot to analyse trends, generate reports, or create charts that summarise data.
- In Word and Outlook: Speed up document creation and communication by asking Copilot to draft content or respond to emails.
Exploring Copilot’s features within each app will help you find ways it can support your team’s workflows and reduce the time spent on admin tasks.
Streamline repetitive tasks and save time
One of Copilot’s most helpful features is its ability to take on routine tasks. Imagine cutting down on time spent drafting emails, creating reports, or scheduling meetings. By delegating these to Copilot, your team can focus on more strategic projects.
For example, instead of typing out each follow-up email, simply prompt Copilot with “Draft an email to clients following up on last week’s meeting.” You can even ask Copilot to handle task scheduling, report generation, and creating to-do lists. Experiment with the types of tasks Copilot can handle, and you’ll quickly discover how much time it can save you.
Keep your data organised for better insights
To get the best insights from Copilot, it’s essential to keep data sources like SharePoint organised and up to date. Copilot’s ability to generate accurate insights depends on the quality of information it has access to.
Some practices to optimise your data for Copilot:
- Regularly update documents in SharePoint to ensure accuracy.
- Tag and categorise files effectively to help Copilot retrieve relevant data.
- Set a schedule to review and clean up outdated documents.
Having well-structured data ensures that Copilot provides useful insights, helping your team make more informed decisions.
Encourage collaboration with Copilot
Microsoft Copilot isn’t just a task manager; it’s a powerful tool for improving team collaboration. Using Copilot in Teams is a great way to enhance communication, keep projects on track, and ensure everyone is aligned.
For example:
- After a team meeting, you can ask Copilot, “Summarise key decisions from today’s meeting and share them with the team.”
- Copilot can also assist in agenda planning by keeping track of topics for each meeting, so nothing important is missed.
This feature is particularly useful for remote teams or large projects, as it ensures everyone has access to the latest updates, even if they couldn’t attend a meeting.
Adapt and refine your Copilot experience
Copilot can adapt to your needs, and sometimes the best responses come from a bit of trial and error. If the first response isn’t quite right, try tweaking your prompt.
For example:
- Initial prompt: “Draft a marketing plan for Q4.”
- Follow-up prompt: “Expand on the advertising strategy with a focus on digital channels.”
This process of iteration allows you to get a more tailored response, making Copilot a flexible tool for different projects and roles.
Keep security and compliance in check
With any tool that accesses business data, security and compliance are paramount. Microsoft Copilot is built with security in mind, but it’s still a good idea to regularly audit privacy settings and permissions.
Steps for maintaining security with Copilot:
- Set up multi-factor authentication for Microsoft 365 users.
- Conduct quarterly reviews of data access permissions.
- Regularly update privacy settings to meet compliance standards.
This approach is essential for industries with strict regulations, as it ensures that Copilot remains a trusted and secure tool within your organisation.
Provide training for your team
To make the most of Microsoft Copilot, it’s important that your team understands its full potential. Hosting introductory sessions or ongoing workshops can help everyone get comfortable with Copilot’s capabilities.
Training ideas:
- Run a kick-off session where team members learn the basics of prompts and task automation.
- Hold Q&A sessions to address any questions and encourage creative uses.
- Share examples of how different departments can use Copilot to streamline workflows.
By empowering your team with these skills, you’ll unlock the full value of Copilot across your organisation.
Keep track of Copilot’s performance and adapt
Lastly, to ensure Copilot is meeting your team’s needs, regularly review its performance and gather feedback. Knowing which features are most valuable helps you refine its use and maximise impact.
Tips for evaluating Copilot’s effectiveness:
- Gather team feedback monthly to understand which features work well.
- Adjust prompts or settings based on user input.
- Regularly explore new updates in Copilot to keep pace with Microsoft’s latest improvements.
This process of evaluation and adjustment keeps Copilot aligned with your team’s evolving requirements, ensuring it remains a valuable resource.
Embracing Microsoft Copilot in your workplace
For a comprehensive understanding of Microsoft Copilot and its transformative impact on business operations, explore our detailed blog: What is Microsoft Copilot? A Game-Changing AI Assistant for Businesses.
Additionally, to see Microsoft 365 Copilot in action and learn how it can enhance your workplace, watch our recent on-demand webinar: Transform Your Workplace with Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Ready to see how Microsoft Copilot can elevate your organisation? Reach out to us for personalised advice and support in implementing Copilot and other Microsoft 365 solutions. Contact us today to start transforming your workplace.
