Microsoft 365 CoPilot Is Here: A Game Changer for the Modern Office?

Which software packages with use Copilot?

Initially, CoPilot will be used to enhance Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, Teams, Business Chat and Viva Engage (formerly Yammer). You can see how it will enhance each of these packages below:

CoPilot in Microsoft Word

With Copilot in Word, you can work collaboratively on your documents as it writes, edits, summarises, and creates alongside you. By providing only a brief prompt, Copilot can generate a first draft for you by incorporating relevant information from across your organisation. You can utilise Copilot to insert new content into existing documents, summarise text, or even rephrase sections or the entire document to make it more concise. Additionally, Copilot offers various suggested tones, ranging from professional to passionate, casual to thankful, to assist you in striking the appropriate tone. Furthermore, Copilot can improve the quality of your writing by suggesting ways to strengthen your arguments or smooth inconsistencies. To get started, here are some examples of commands and prompts you can try:

• Draft a two-page project proposal based on the data from [a document] and [a spreadsheet].
• Make the third paragraph more concise. Change the tone of the document to be more casual.
• Create a one-page draft based on this rough outline.

CoPilot in Microsoft Excel

With Copilot in Excel, you can effectively analyse and explore your data with its collaborative features. You can ask Copilot natural language questions about your dataset instead of just relying on formulas. Copilot will unveil correlations, propose what-if scenarios, and suggest new formulas based on your queries, generating models that enable you to explore your data without altering it. You can identify trends, create compelling visualisations, or ask for recommendations to drive different outcomes. To get started, here are some examples of commands and prompts you can try:

• Give a breakdown of the sales by type and channel. Insert a table.
• Project the impact of [a variable change] and generate a chart to help visualise.
• Model how a change to the growth rate for [variable] would impact my gross margin.

CoPilot in Microsoft PowerPoint

With Copilot in PowerPoint, you can effortlessly transform your ideas into captivating presentations. Acting as your storytelling partner, Copilot can convert written documents into decks, complete with speaker notes and sources, or create a new presentation from a simple prompt or outline. You can easily shorten lengthy presentations with just a click and use natural language commands to adjust layouts, reformat text, and precisely time animations. To get started, here are some examples of commands and prompts you can try:

• Create a five-slide presentation based on a Word document and include relevant stock photos.
• Consolidate this presentation into a three-slide summary.
• Reformat these three bullets into three columns, each with a picture.

CoPilot in Microsoft Outlook

With Copilot in Outlook, you can work collaboratively in your inbox and messages, allowing you to spend less time on email triage and more time communicating effectively, efficiently, and seamlessly. You can quickly summarise lengthy and complicated email threads involving multiple people to grasp not only what has been discussed but also the different perspectives of each person and the questions that still need to be answered. With a simple prompt, you can reply to an existing email or convert brief notes into polished, professional messages by pulling content from other emails or Microsoft 365 resources. You can adjust the tone or length of your note using toggles. To get started, here are some examples of commands and prompts you can try:

• Summarise the emails I missed while I was out last week. Flag any important items.
• Draft a response thanking them, and asking for more details about their second and third points; shorten this draft and make the tone professional.
• Invite everyone to a “lunch and learn” about new product launches next Thursday at noon. Mention that lunch is provided.

CoPilot in Microsoft Teams

With Copilot in Teams, collaborating becomes effortless. Copilot assists you in conducting productive meetings, catching up on conversations, organising vital discussion points, and summarising key actions so that everyone is aware of what needs to be done. In chat, Copilot provides you with answers to specific questions and updates you on anything you might have missed without interrupting the flow of the discussion. Adding Copilot to your meetings and conversations gives you a powerful tool to simplify common tasks such as generating meeting agendas based on chat history, identifying the appropriate people for follow-ups, and scheduling the next check-in. To get started, here are some examples of commands and prompts you can try:

• Summarise what I missed in the meeting. What points have been made so far? Where do we disagree on this topic?
• Create a table of pros and cons for [topic being discussed]. What else should we consider before making a decision?
• What decisions were made, and what are some suggested next steps?

New: Business Chat with CoPilot

Business Chat offers an innovative and holistic experience that functions seamlessly with all your data and apps, providing you with capabilities you never thought possible. By leveraging the Microsoft Graph’s power, Business Chat collaborates with you, consolidating data from your documents, presentations, email, calendar, notes, and contacts. Merging information from various sources ensures that everyone on the team is informed and working together towards the same objectives. With Business Chat, you can allocate less time to managing the tools and devote more time to your vital work. Currently, our preview customers can utilise Business Chat in Microsoft Teams.

• Summarise the chats, emails, and documents about the [customer] escalation that happened last night.
• What is the next milestone on [project]. Were there any risks identified? Help me brainstorm a list of some potential mitigations.
• Write a new planning overview in the style of [filename A] that contains the planning timeline from [filename B] and incorporates the project list in the email from [person].

Viva Engage (Yammer) with CoPilot

Copilot in Viva Engage, one of many areas where Copilot will be integrated with Microsoft Viva, provides leaders with insightful conversation openers based on prevailing sentiments and trending topics in workplace communities and conversations. As leaders draft personalised posts, Copilot offers suggestions, including image additions and tone adjustments, to enrich conversations.

Additionally, with Copilot, Microsoft are streamlining the Answers experience in Microsoft Viva Engage, making it swift and efficient. Copilot will provide prompts to improve the quality of the question being asked. As team members participate in the discussion, Copilot can propose responses to keep the conversation flowing, including inviting relevant experts and incorporating related knowledge.