Boost Productivity in Microsoft 365 with Microsoft Copilot

We have an early prediction for the Oxford Word of the Year for 2023: AI.

That’s because this year has seen an absolute boom in the reach and capabilities of artificial intelligence. Over the past four months, we’ve witnessed huge leaps in how organisations from all industries can utilise AI as a tool to enhance their productivity. (In fact, we recently did a deep-dive into ChatGPT and what that means for the human workforce.)

But they’re not the only AI powerhouse that’s causing a stir. We’ve all known that Microsoft has been developing their own AI-powered software for years, and all eyes have been on them in recent months in anticipation of a big announcement. And it was definitely worth the wait.

What is Microsoft Copilot?

On March 16th they announced the AI-powered Microsoft 365 Copilot. By leveraging the capabilities of large language models (LLMs) and integrating with the Microsoft Graph and Microsoft 365 apps, Copilot is touted as the most powerful productivity tool available today.

This AI-powered tool is integrated into Microsoft 365 in two ways.

Firstly, it works seamlessly alongside you within the Microsoft 365 apps you use every day, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams and more, to unlock your creativity, boost productivity, and enhance your skills.

Secondly, Microsoft is introducing a brand-new experience called Business Chat, which leverages the LLM, Microsoft 365 apps, and your data – including calendar, emails, chats, documents, meetings, and contacts – to perform tasks that were previously impossible. For example, by simply using natural language prompts such as, ‘Tell my team how we updated the product strategy,’ Copilot generates a status update based on the relevant emails, meetings, and chats.

Of course, with any AI, there’s concerns about how much control you retain over the process. With Copilot, you have the power to decide what to keep, modify, or discard. That’s why Copilot is the perfect partner for any organisation looking to take their productivity and efficiency to the next level.

So with all that within its power, how is Copilot specifically used to enhance productivity?

Automating Email Management

Microsoft Copilot can improve email management by assisting users in various ways, including:

Summarising long email threads: Copilot can analyse a long email thread and provide a summary of the key points, saving users time and effort in reading through lengthy emails.
Suggesting replies: Copilot can analyse the contents of an email and suggest a relevant and appropriate reply, which can save users time and make email communication more efficient.
Automatically prioritising emails: Copilot can use machine learning algorithms to identify which emails are most important and prioritise them accordingly.
Finding relevant information: Copilot can search through a user’s email and other Microsoft 365 data to find the information they need quickly and easily.

By using Copilot in Outlook, users can clear their inbox in minutes instead of hours, allowing them to focus on more important tasks.

Streamlining Collaboration

For many organisations, the ongoing growth and success of their business relies on intelligent and organised collaboration. With Copilot, this looks like:

Real-time collaboration: Copilot is integrated into Teams, allowing it to assist in real-time during meetings. It can summarise key discussion points, including who said what and where people are aligned and where they disagree, and suggest action items. This can help ensure that meetings are more productive and that everyone is on the same page.
Automated tasks: Copilot can automate repetitive tasks and workflows, freeing up time for users to focus on more critical tasks.
Intelligent recommendations: Copilot can use machine learning algorithms to analyse data and suggest relevant and valuable recommendations to users. This can help team members make more informed decisions, collaborate more effectively, and work more efficiently.
Centralised knowledge management: Copilot can create a new knowledge model for an organisation by harnessing the massive reservoir of data and insights that lie largely inaccessible and untapped today. Business Chat works across all the data and apps to surface the information and insights needed from a sea of data — so knowledge flows freely across the organisation, saving time searching for answers.

With these features, Copilot helps teams work more effectively and efficiently, reducing the workload and increasing productivity.

Automating Repetitive Tasks

Copilot uses AI and machine learning algorithms to automate repetitive tasks and provide a more streamlined and efficient workflow for users. By integrating Copilot in Power Platform, anyone can automate repetitive tasks, allowing you to go from idea to working app in minutes. By studying user behaviour, it can automate workflows by using pre-built templates and integrating with other applications. For example, it can automatically create tasks, schedule meetings, and send reminders based on the user’s inputs. Of course, there is still going to be a lot of work required to take an idea into a working app that AI wont be able to do.

Improving Customer Service

Customer service is critical for any business, and AI can help improve the quality of customer service. Microsoft 365’s Copilot analyses customer data and provides insights into behaviour and preferences. This information can be used to personalise the customer experience and improve satisfaction.

Additionally, Copilot can

provide suggested responses and automated workflows, reducing the time it takes to respond to customer inquiries and issues.
ensure consistent communication by providing suggested responses based on previous interactions, reducing the likelihood of misunderstandings or conflicting information.
analyse customer data and provide personalised responses, such as recommendations or offers, based on their previous interactions and preferences.
provide support in multiple languages, allowing organisations to better serve customers who speak different languages.
assist in creating chatbots that can handle routine inquiries and support requests, freeing up human members of your team to handle more complex issues.

Step Into the Future of Productivity With Microsoft Copilot

By automating mundane and repetitive tasks, streamlining collaboration, and reducing the manual labour of some tasks, Microsoft Copilot allows employees to focus on more critical tasks. Copilot also unlocks productivity gains for both individuals and organisations, as it creates a new knowledge model that harnesses the power of data and insights. With Copilot in your toolkit, you can work smarter, not harder.

And we’re wasting no time taking advantage of Copilot. Already we’re having conversations with a client about using Copilot within their Issue Management Power App. This will allow managers to question the data and management of issues to gain better insight into how projects are being managed. Copilot removes the need to train the AI as it will gain a quicker understanding of the data and its structure through its native capabilities.

Want to discuss how Microsoft Copilot can improve your organisation’s productivity? Chat to Propelle’s automation experts today.