12 Best Microsoft Copilot for Office 365 Use Cases

Artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm over the past few years. Generative AI platforms like ChatGPT along with other AI-driven intelligent tools have finally begun delivering on their promise of making work easier. Many companies invest in developing AI solutions, including Microsoft, who launched their AI called Copilot last year. Copilot integrates seamlessly into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, including Office platforms such as Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams and more. But what does Microsoft Copilot do in Office 365? This article will explore Microsoft Copilot use cases to understand how to leverage this powerful tool in basic office functionality.

What is Microsoft Copilot?

Like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot is generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) software. The platform uses large language models (LLM) and web data to respond to human informational queries. Copilot works by taking your input, processing and responding to that prompt in human language.

Unlike ChatGPT, a stand-alone AI, Microsoft offers several Copilots tailored for specific work applications. (Watch for more in the future.)

For example:

Individual Use Copilots

• Microsoft Copilot
• Copilot Pro
• Microsoft Edge Copilot Sidebar
• Microsoft Copilot with Commercial Data Protection

IT/Developer Copilot

• Copilot for Power Platform
• Copilot for GitHub

Productivity Copilot

• Copilot for Microsoft 365
• Copilot for Windows

Business Copilot

• Finance Copilot
• Sales Copilot
• Service Copilot
• Security Copilot

While there isn’t a specific product called “Microsoft Copilot for Office 365,” the Microsoft 365 Copilot embeds nicely in the standard Office tools you’ve probably used for years. How can adding AI help end-users with their day-to-day office tasks?

What Does Microsoft Copilot Do for Office 365 Tools?

Microsoft Copilot for Office 365 helps you work faster and more accurately when using these tools. The program works when you ask questions, and like all AI, requires human intervention to function well.  Currently, the AI is only available for the online Microsoft 365 tools; it does not support locally installed versions of Office 2021, 2019, 2016 and earlier.

Microsoft has integrated AI capabilities into its Office 365 suite to enhance productivity and user experience. Microsoft employs AI-driven features to assist users in various tasks within Office 365 tools such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams.

Here are some feature examples:

• Ideas in Excel: Provides intelligent suggestions for data analysis, visualization and formatting within Excel spreadsheets, helping users to derive insights from their data more effectively.
• Editor in Word: Offers advanced grammar and style suggestions in Word documents, improving the clarity and professionalism of written content.
• PowerPoint designer: Utilizes AI to suggest layout options and design elements for PowerPoint presentations, enhancing visual appeal and coherence.
• Outlook’s suggested replies: Offers AI-generated responses to emails, enabling users to respond quickly to messages with relevant suggestions.
• Microsoft Teams insights: Provides insights and analytics on team collaboration patterns, helping users to optimize their teamwork and communication strategies.

The key to leveraging Copilot queries is to be as concise and keyword centric as possible. A vague query will yield an equally confusing answer. Also, keep in mind that an AI is not infallible; it can and will yield incorrect data. However, once you learn the tricks of working with an AI, you will likely wonder how you ever got along without it.

Benefits of Microsoft Copilot

The benefits of Microsoft Copilot in Office functions lie in how they streamline manual tasks. Copilot connects to organizational data, but the platform also pulls information from the web. Copilot can do everything from suggesting a to-do list to analyzing and summarizing data when applied to common office tools and functions within the Microsoft suite.

For example:

• When applied to Teams, Copilot can create agenda items based on group emails or past meetings. You can ask it to find chats that mention a specific topic. Or turn on transcription for a Teams meeting.
• An Outlook inbox can logjam with dozens of emails. Copilot applied to Outlook can look at entire email threads and summarize them. The AI can help draft email replies or simply run a spell check that also looks at the context of sentences for clarity.
• In Word, Copilot can create entire documents based on your prompts. Need a new project proposal or a piece of content for a website? Copilot can create the first draft quickly, reducing your document creation and editing time.
• Copilot in Excel helps with data visualization; just ask the AI to create a pivot table or a data summary for reporting purposes. Copilot can write formulas, too, saving the time it takes to figure it out manually.
• Copilot can draft entire presentations in PowerPoint. Easy interactions allow intuitive theme changes. The AI can add graphics or other elements to improve your presentation.

While these are a few Microsoft Copilot use cases, they should provide a basic understanding of how the platform can work within Office 365. How can this tool impact the various departments that make up an enterprise organization?

What Industries Could Microsoft Copilot for Office 365 Impact?

Copilot’s applications span industries. In each example, productivity improves by applying this intuitive, intelligent and powerful tool to Office 365 applications.

Higher Education

• Customizing learning plans: Copilot can analyze individual student performance to create personalized learning plans catering to each student’s learning styles and unique needs.
• Automating administrative responsibilities: Microsoft Copilot for Office 365 automates common clerical tasks such as tracking attendance, reporting grades and generating reports. Automation gives educators back the time they need to focus keenly on teaching.
• Creating learning materials: The AI can also assist in creating interactive learning materials and engaging presentations that capture your student audience and help them learn.

Healthcare

• Managing patient data: Copilot works well in healthcare for organizing and learning from patient data. When applied in Excel, the platform can spot demographic or clinical trends affecting a healthcare facility. The tool could even create personalized patient treatment plans or take on administrative tasks to improve efficiency.
• Patient appointment scheduling: The AI is well-equipped to handle appointment scheduling or to automate patient reminders.
• Data analysis and research: Many researchers still rely heavily on Office tools like Excel and Word. Copilot can streamline manual workflows, improving data accuracy. It can also analyze huge datasets to uncover critical research insights and spot trends.

Retail

• Analyzing customer behaviors: Copilot helps retailers spot customer trends and even personalize marketing strategies that engage their audience.
• Managing inventory: Applying AI to inventory helps with demand prediction to lessen the risk of stockouts or overstocks.
• Forecasting sales: Copilot helps analyze historical sales data and market trends to create more accurate forecasts and growth strategies.

Finance

• Evaluating and managing risk: Copilot is useful for assessing market or operational risks. The tool can rapidly consume and analyze datasets to predict strategies that keep the business solvent.
• Automating compliance and reporting: Financial reporting is a massive undertaking. Copilot makes it easier by automating these tasks while staying compliant with reporting rules.
• Detecting fraud: The AI in Copilot detects patterns outside the norm that could indicate fraudulent activities.

Human Resources

• Talent sourcing, screening and acquisition: Recruiting is notoriously labor-intensive, but Copilot can screen a pool of candidates for specific requirements. It can also automate email candidate correspondence to ensure a personalized experience.
• New hire onboarding: AI works within standard Office 365 tools to personalize each new employee’s onboarding experience. It automates training checklists and processes, ensuring employee engagement from day one.
• Analyzing employee performance: Microsoft Copilot for Office 365 can even apply performance standards by analyzing person-specific data to identify training needs or other problem areas.

12 Microsoft Copilot Use Cases: How Does Copilot Improve Office Tools?

1. Email Composition and Management
   Email remains a vital enterprise communication tool. With Copilot, drafting emails becomes a breeze as it suggests relevant phrases, summarizes key points and even offers response templates based on context. Moreover, Copilot can assist in organizing emails, prioritizing messages and scheduling follow-ups, thereby optimizing email management workflows.
2. Document Creation and Editing
   Whether crafting reports, presentations or memos, Copilot lends a helping hand by suggesting content, formatting options and even creating design elements. Copilot actively analyzes user input and context, accelerating document creation while ensuring consistency and quality.
3. Spreadsheet Formulas and Analysis
   For finance professionals, analysts and data enthusiasts, Copilot proves invaluable in simplifying spreadsheet tasks. From suggesting formulas to performing data analysis, Copilot enhances productivity by automating repetitive tasks and offering insights to drive informed decision-making.
4. Calendar Scheduling and Meeting Management
   Efficient scheduling and meeting coordination is essential for maintaining productivity. Copilot streamlines these workflows by analyzing availability, suggesting meeting times and even drafting meeting agendas. The AI can even assist in sending reminders and follow-up emails.
5. Project Planning and Task Management
   When employees struggle to manage projects and tasks, Copilot steps up to offer insights, set reminders or even assign tasks based on project requirements. By leveraging AI-driven algorithms, Copilot can systematize the optimization of project workflows and facilitate effective task delegation across the entire organization.
6. Data Analysis and Visualization
   Extracting meaningful insights from raw information is a critical enterprise function for data-driven decision making. Copilot aids in data analysis by suggesting relevant queries, visualizations and interpretations, empowering users to derive actionable insights from complex datasets.
7. Presentation Design and Delivery
   Captivating presentations are instrumental in conveying ideas and engaging audiences. Copilot enhances presentation design by offering layout suggestions, visual enhancements and speech prompts. Additionally, it can provide real-time feedback during presentations, enhancing your delivery and impact.
8. Document Translation and Localization
   Global enterprise organizations need the ability to communicate across geographies. Copilot facilitates document translation by suggesting appropriate language translations, ensuring accuracy and clarity across diverse audiences. The AI can even assist in localizing content to resonate with specific cultural preferences and nuances.
9. Content Creation and Curation
   Content creation requires creativity and consistency, from social media posts to blog articles. Copilot accelerates content creation by suggesting topics, drafting outlines and generating catchy headlines. It can even assist in curating relevant content from various sources, streamlining and speeding up content creation workflows across business lines.
10. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
    Maintaining strong customer relationships is vital for business success. Copilot aids in CRM by analyzing customer interactions, suggesting personalized responses and automating follow-up tasks. Copilot empowers businesses to deliver exceptional customer experiences by centralizing customer data and insights.
11. Legal Documentation and Compliance
    Legal professionals often deal with volumes of documentation and complex compliance requirements. Copilot simplifies legal documentation by offering template suggestions, clause recommendations and compliance checks. Copilot can help legal teams streamline their workflows and mitigate corporate risks by ensuring accuracy and consistency.
12. Training and Knowledge Sharing
    Consistently transferring knowledge across a large organization is crucial for organizational growth — but it’s also a monumental challenge. Copilot assists in creating training materials, suggests learning modules and can even create and conduct interactive educational quizzes. The AI can also analyze employee engagement and provide personalized feedback, enhancing the effectiveness of all your training programs.

Microsoft Copilot is emerging as a game-changer within the Office 365 ecosystem, revolutionizing how we work, communicate and collaborate. Red River helps enterprise organizations fully harness the power of AI to augment productivity, increase innovation and achieve higher productivity with less effort. When you’re ready for a more efficient, integrated Microsoft ecosystem, call Red River.

Q&A

What is the difference between Copilot and Cortana?
Copilot and Cortana are distinct AI-driven tools developed by Microsoft that serve different purposes. Cortana was a more rudimentary AI and a personal assistant who helped manage tasks. Copilot is a more sophisticated AI embedded within Office productivity tools. Various versions of Copilot are also highly context-specific, focusing on functions such as sales, finance or security.

Is there a Copilot for developers?

Yes, GitHub Copilot was specifically designed for developers. It’s an AI-powered code completion tool developed by GitHub, which Microsoft now owns. GitHub Copilot assists developers by generating code suggestions and completing lines of code based on context and existing patterns within the codebase.

By leveraging machine learning algorithms and natural language processing (NLP), GitHub Copilot aims to enhance developer productivity and streamline the coding process. It analyzes the code you’ve written and provides contextually relevant suggestions, reducing the need for developers to write repetitive or boilerplate code manually.

GitHub Copilot works as a plugin within the Visual Studio Code (VS Code) integrated development environment (IDE), allowing developers to interact with it seamlessly as they write code. It supports multiple programming languages and frameworks, making it a versatile tool for developers across different domains.