Understanding Copilot for Microsoft 365
Microsoft has made a big step towards AI automation and recently introduced Copilot for Office 365, an integrative AI assistant that automates tasks. Through it, Microsoft aims to help businesses increase their productivity and efficiency and change how businesses interact with their digital environment.
Keep reading to learn more about Microsoft Copilot, its features, application, benefits, and some of our tips for maximum efficiency. If you want to implement Microsoft Copilot in your business structure, contact us for a free IT assessment.
What is Copilot for Microsoft 365?
Microsoft Copilot is an AI-powered assistant that uses advanced artificial intelligence to provide assistance, automate repetitive tasks, and offer smart suggestions in Office 365 apps.
Integration with Office 365
Copilot integrates with Office 365 applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. It’s an embedded feature, so users don’t have to install additional software. Instead, they can access Copilot directly within the Office 365 interface.
Who can use Copilot for Microsoft 365?
The Copilot for Microsoft 365 feature requires having a license for any of the following:
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium
- Microsoft 365 E3
- Microsoft 365 E5
- Microsoft 365 F1
- Microsoft 365 F3
- Microsoft Office 365 E1
- Microsoft Office 365 E3
- Microsoft Office 365 E5
- Teams-integrated features require a Teams license
How Can Copilot for Microsoft 365 Aid Small Business IT Support?
The goal of Copilot for Office 365 is to help small businesses maximize their IT infrastructure. Below are some ways to use it in different apps.
Copilot for Outlook
- AI-generated email content: Automatically create email drafts with contextual data from your CRM to improve the relevance and timing of your communications.
- Summarize email threads: Convert long email threads into concise bullet points to keep up with customer interactions and respond promptly. These summaries can also be saved as notes in the CRM to enhance team collaboration.
- Information sharing: Extracts crucial information from notes, meetings, and activities to prepare for meetings and presentations easily.
- CRM data management: Create, read, update, and delete CRM data directly from Outlook to easily find customer information and update it without interrupting the workflow.
- Email and meeting integration: Save emails and meeting details to your CRM so your team has the latest customer engagement information.
- Customize CRM records: CRM administrators can tailor the Sales Copilot interface to meet specific organizational needs by selecting which fields to display for contacts, accounts, and opportunities and set editing permissions.
Copilot for Microsoft Teams
- Customer data management: Access, update, and share CRM records directly within Teams chats and channels.
- Conversational intelligence: Summarize calls, track customer sentiment, and capture action items for follow-ups in your CRM.
- Meeting summaries: Automatically generate summaries for meetings held in Teams, which are immediately available in Outlook.
- Real-time meeting tips: Receive real-time tips automatically during customer meetings based on competitor and brand mentions from your CRM data and Bing search results.
- Integration: Access tools for content production, collaboration, task automation, and engagement intelligence within the Teams meeting experience.
- Collaboration: Create organized and customized Teams spaces for collaboration with colleagues and customers.
Sales Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales
- AI-assisted email composition: Compose emails directly within D365 Sales with the help of AI.
- Opportunity summary: Get up to speed on opportunities to stay organized and informed throughout the sales process.
- Account and news summaries: Prepare for meetings with summaries of accounts and relevant news.
Key Features of Copilot for Microsoft 365
AI assistance
Microsoft Copilot is run by an AI engine that uses native language processing and machine learning to understand and respond to user commands. It supports over 25 languages, which means users can use it in their native language.
Task automation
Copilot automates repetitive and lengthy tasks to reduce the time spent on them and the likelihood of errors that happen in manual processes.
Smart suggestions
Copilot for Microsoft 365 provides smart suggestions that are tailored to the specific content and preferences of the current user.
Learning and adaptation
Copilot can learn and adapt to user behavior to offer a more personalized experience over time. This means that the longer users work with Copilot for Microsoft 365, the more intuitive and helpful it becomes.
Security
Microsoft Copilot automatically follows your company’s security rules and processes, including two-factor authentication, compliance boundaries, legal regulations, and privacy protections.
Microsoft Copilot Benefits
Microsoft Copilot offers a range of benefits that can transform how teams operate and communicate with their digital surroundings. Here are some advantages of using Microsoft Copilot:
- Time-saving: By automating routine tasks and providing smart suggestions, Copilot helps your team complete their tasks quicker, which frees up time they can dedicate to your business’ strategic goals and creative activities.
- Improved quality of work: Copilot’s AI suggestions reduce human errors like typos in a document, data accuracy in a spreadsheet, or scheduling conflicts, which enhances the overall quality of work and operational efficiency
- Enhanced collaboration: Teams can use Copilot’s collaborative features for document sharing, real-time updates, and team project tracking to coordinate tasks easier.
- Increases profit: Microsoft Copilot’s automation features shorten the time needed to complete projects, which frees up resources and allows small businesses to take on more projects.
If you’re interested in finding more ways to streamline work and increase productivity, check out our list of managed services or contact us to schedule a meeting.
Copilot For Microsoft 365 Setup Guide
Microsoft Copilot is an integrated feature of Office 365, so setting it up requires no separate installation. Users just need to have the latest updates and activate Copilot from the application’s toolbar or settings.
Basic Usage Tips
Getting the most out of Copilot first requires familiarizing yourself with its capabilities. A good starting point is to explore all the automation features in Excel or the smart suggestions in Word. You can also experiment with voice commands and add native language queries to see how Copilot for Microsoft 365 can assist you with different tasks.
Advanced Features of Copilot for Microsoft 365
Once accustomed to the add-on, dive into advanced features like customizing automation scripts in Excel, advanced grammar and style suggestions in Word, and data visualization tools in PowerPoint.
Microsoft Copilot Real-World Applications
Many businesses have successfully integrated Microsoft Copilot into their workflows and benefit from its capabilities. Below are some practical use cases where small businesses can implement the Microsoft Copilot features:
- Financial services companies can use Copilot to automate data analysis and reporting, significantly reducing the time spent on these tasks and improving accuracy.
- Another use case is marketing agencies, where users can create compelling presentations and manage client communications more effectively.
- In healthcare, Copilot can assist with managing patient records and scheduling.
- In education, it can help educators prepare lesson plans and grade assignments.
- In legal services, Microsoft Copilot aids in document drafting and case management.
Final Thoughts
As AI technology advances, Copilot for Microsoft 365 will become even more intuitive and capable, transforming how businesses operate. Its AI assistance in Office 365, task automation, intelligent suggestions, and adaptive learning capabilities simplify complex tasks and empower users to achieve more in less time.
For those yet to experience the benefits of Microsoft Copilot, now is the time to explore its capabilities. Get in touch with ASi Networks for expert help in integrating Copilot into your Office 365 workflow and witness firsthand how it can revolutionize your productivity.
