Does Microsoft 365 Copilot ask for an introduction? Most likely not. Over the past few months, the AI assistant for Microsoft Office has been the centre of attention, promising to revolutionise the business world and take productivity levels to new heights.
In January, Microsoft announced that Copilot has expanded availability for small and medium enterprises. This means new opportunities for organisations of all sizes! But while the software’s offerings are impressive, figuring out how to make it work for you can be tricky.
Should your SME business invest in Microsoft Copilot? What benefits could this tool provide for your company? We answer these and more questions in the article below.
What is Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft describes its Copilot generative AI service as ‘your everyday AI companion.’ But what does that mean? Simply put, the productivity tool is an incredibly efficient personalised workspace management assistant. Regardless of your company’s size, it can help you use Microsoft 365 tools in the smartest way possible.
Here’s how it works: Copilot is an interactive chat platform that allows you to find precise information, compose texts of all kinds, and create images from the prompts you provide. For example, you could ask, ‘Can you make a summary of this text in three sentences?’ and voilà, Copilot delivers a neat summary right in the chat below your question. The same goes for images – describe your vision and watch Copilot sketch it out.
For those who use MacBooks, no worries at all – Microsoft 365 Copilot is flexible. It can work smoothly with a virtual desktop host, like Azure, which ensures everyone can do their jobs from anywhere while staying connected to Office 365 apps and Copilot’s features.
However, it’s good to know that taking full advantage of Copilot’s capabilities is much easier when your team is already familiar with Office 365 apps. That’s why – if you’ve never worked with Office 365 before – it may be wise to test it out and see whether you like it.
Can You Get Copilot For Free?
What’s great about Copilot is that you can use it on the web, Windows, and its apps without paying a penny. However, if you’d like to test its capabilities inside Microsoft 365 apps or have it provide results based on your data, you’ll have to get a Copilot Pro subscription.
How To Use Microsoft Copilot For SME
New AI-based tools and software are popping up all the time now, so you might be wondering whether investing in Microsoft Copilot is worth it. Here’s how it can make your days easier:
Our Tip
Most people use Copilot to create text-based content, but don’t forget to tap into its image-creation capabilities!
Automate Your E-Mail Management
Did you know that the average employee spends 28% of their time reading and answering e-mails? That’s right. Now, imagine how much more you could accomplish if you didn’t have to worry about this responsibility!
Well, Microsoft 365 Copilot provides a solution to that exact problem. It leverages past interactions in Outlook to generate personalised messages that are grammatically correct, contextually accurate, and reflective of the user’s style and tone. This means you no longer have to waste hours drafting the perfect responses to your emails.
Moreover, Copilot has the capability to summarise the essence of lengthy emails and assist in formulating relevant responses swiftly.
Streamline Internal Processes
For your business to grow, it’s important to optimise your internal processes and work as productively as possible. After all – time is money. If you feel like your operations need to be streamlined, Copilot can come in quite handy.
Let’s say you want to analyse your financial data. You can ask Copilot to do it! All you have to do is prompt it to generate an Excel table and review the results. A task that would have taken hours before can now be done in just a couple of seconds.
While Microsoft Copilot works great with technical tasks, it can also be an excellent companion for your creative needs. In fact, it can produce high-quality PowerPoint presentations using just a few simple commands.
So, what does this mean for you and your team? With this AI-powered tool, you can maximise your current team’s talents while letting your skilled experts concentrate on the tougher tasks. This not only cuts down on costs but also boosts your overall productivity.
Make Your Meetings More Efficient
Spending hours in meetings is not only tiring but also inefficient. However, it doesn’t have to be! With Microsoft Copilot, you don’t have to worry about taking notes in every meeting or ensuring you don’t miss a beat. The tool can do it for you!
In fact, it’s clever at picking up what’s really being said, which then can give you a better grasp of what was decided – so even if you missed the meeting, you won’t miss out on what matters.
To make the most of Microsoft 365 Copilot, you should:
- Train it: Make sure to provide regular feedback and suggestions, which will help Copilot understand your needs and, consequently, provide better results.
- Use it regularly: Practice makes perfect. The more often you use it, the better it will be.
- Customise settings: Make sure Copilot is set up for your specific preferences.
- Try all the features: While we’ve described three of Copilot’s most important features, there are many more to take advantage of. Try to explore it as much as possible!
- Make sure it’s updated: Microsoft is continually making improvements to Copilot. If you don’t regularly update the chatbot, you won’t get access to its latest features.
Final Thoughts
Over the last few months, Microsoft Copilot has made a splash in the tech world. Sometimes, even dubbed as the ‘most powerful productivity tool on the planet,’ it’s predicted to become even bigger and better in the future.
However, implementing Microsoft 365 Copilot successfully within your company may not be easy. There are many technical and organisational requirements to consider.
If you’re unsure how to get started, we’d love to help you! At Ingenious, we offer personalised IT support and consulting for all your tech needs. To read more about our services, click here or reach out to our friendly team.
