Microsoft 365 Copilot is a new tool designed to help users get the most out of their Microsoft 365 apps. This revolutionary tool is an intelligent, personalised assistant designed to help users navigate and use M365 more efficiently.  

Advanced AI is a new buzzword in cloud computing. The launch of tools like ChatGPT and Bard has made big waves. Developers are now racing to introduce the next level of features to apps, specifically, features that do part of your work for you, such as writing emails or making follow-up checklists based on contact data.

These AI-based applications do much more than automate processes. People use them to write business correspondence, create websites, and write scripts. AI is also quickly transforming the everyday office workflow.

Microsoft is one of the most prominent office application players and is at the forefront of introducing transformative technology. The company is about to transform Microsoft 365 hugely with its new Copilot tool.

In this article, we'll look at Microsoft 365 Copilot. And tell you the key ways it will improve M365 apps and your business workflows.

What is Microsoft 365 Copilot?

Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI-powered assistant. It helps users with their day-to-day tasks in M365 apps. It's like having a personal assistant in your Office apps, so users can ask questions, get task help, and receive personalised recommendations. Copilot responds by leveraging the context of their usage patterns.

Microsoft 365 Copilot works across all M365 apps, including:

• Word

• Excel

• PowerPoint

• Outlook

• Teams

• and more

Whether you're doing any number of tasks, Microsoft 365 Copilot is there to assist you, whether working on a document, meeting scheduling or collaborating with a team.

How Does Microsoft 365 Copilot Work?

Microsoft 365 Copilot uses AI and machine learning to understand users' needs. It provides personalised help. It uses data from users' interactions with M365 apps. It learns a user's usage patterns and offers recommendations based on their preferences.

For example, say you frequently use certain features in Excel. Microsoft 365 Copilot will learn this. It will offer suggestions when it detects that you're working on a similar task. 

Say you're working on a presentation in PowerPoint and struggling with design; Microsoft 365 Copilot can offer design suggestions based on your company's brand guidelines.

Microsoft 365 Copilot can also help users with everyday tasks such as scheduling meetings and managing emails. Users can ask Copilot for help in scheduling an appointment or find an email from a specific person, and Copilot will take care of the rest.

Why is Microsoft Copilot Important?

Copilot could be a game-changer as it can help users be more productive and efficient by providing personalised support; the tool can save users time and reduce frustration.

Imagine you're working on a Word report and struggling to format a table; instead of searching for a solution online or trying to figure it out independently, you can ask Microsoft 365 Copilot for help. Copilot can offer suggestions, even walking you through the process, saving time and reducing frustration.

The capabilities of Copilot go even further. Say that you need to update your team on a design strategy; you won't need to dig out emails, chat threads, or meeting notes. Instead, you can ask Copilot to "tell my team how we updated the design strategy." The app will then search all those places for you and craft an update for your team.

Need a first draft of a meeting agenda or presentation? Just ask Copilot. It can access existing M365 documents and content and craft an initial draft for you.

Benefits of Using Microsoft 365 Copilot

Personalised Help

Microsoft 365 Copilot provides personalised help based on users' usage patterns and preferences; this means that users get the help they need when they need it without having to search for solutions on their own.

Time-Saving

Microsoft 365 Copilot can help users save time on everyday tasks like scheduling meetings and formatting documents. It can take on many information-gathering tasks, like summarising meeting notes, saving users considerable time, especially for manual tasks such as searching for information. An IBM study found workers spend an average of 2.5 hours per day searching for information; it’s this Microsoft is hoping to target with the Copilot offering.

Reduced Frustration

Microsoft 365 Copilot can help reduce frustration by providing solutions when users are stuck on a task. The tool can also help users struggling with an Excel chart or table. So, instead of figuring out how to troubleshoot aimlessly trawling Google, not knowing if the information you plan to follow is correct, the user can engage Copilot to give them the solution.

Improved Productivity

Microsoft Copilot handles tasks that go beyond what business apps have historically done. For example, it can use PowerPoint to create a presentation for you using commands such as "Create a six-slide presentation based on (this) document." You can also tell it to find appropriate Microsoft stock photos and insert them.

When Will Microsoft 365 Copilot Be Available?

At the writing of this article, Microsoft has yet to announce a release date. It is currently testing Copilot with a limited number of users. You will likely see it coming out soon; we understand it’s literally “on the horizon”.

The sky is potentially the limit for how much this tool will impact office productivity.  in the meantime, Need help with security or setup in Microsoft 365? Give us a call to talk to one of our cloud app technicians.

Article used with permission from The Technology Press.