How to Use Microsoft Copilot to Save Time and Boost Productivity

Artificial intelligence is no longer just a trend. It is already built into the Microsoft 365 tools your team uses every day. If your business has Microsoft 365 Business Premium or an enterprise subscription, you may already have access to Microsoft Copilot.

Microsoft Copilot is an AI assistant that helps employees write faster, summarize conversations, analyze data, and generate content across Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, and other Microsoft 365 apps. It works securely within your Microsoft environment, keeping your company’s data private and compliant.

For small and mid-sized businesses, Copilot is one of the easiest ways to save time without introducing new systems or complexity. In fact, many organizations are already seeing over five hours of time saved per employee each month, simply by letting Copilot handle repetitive or time-consuming tasks.

In this blog, we will explain what Copilot is, how it works, and how your business can use it to improve efficiency and reduce unnecessary admin work.

What Is Microsoft Copilot?

Microsoft Copilot is an artificial intelligence tool built directly into Microsoft 365 apps like Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. It allows users to ask questions, summarize information, create content, and get suggestions using natural language.

Because Copilot is part of the Microsoft ecosystem, it works with the files, messages, and data your team already uses. This makes it more useful in real business workflows compared to public AI tools like ChatGPT.

Just as importantly, Copilot runs securely inside your Microsoft 365 environment. It respects the same compliance rules, identity permissions, and data residency protections already in place for your organization.

Why Copilot Is a Safer Option Than Public AI Tools

Employees are already experimenting with AI on their own, often using tools like ChatGPT or Google Gemini. A recent study found that about 11 percent of all content pasted into public AI tools contains sensitive business data. This includes customer information, financial details, contracts, or internal documentation.

This creates risks around:

• Confidential data leakage
• Intellectual property loss
• Compliance violations
• Regulatory or legal exposure

Microsoft Copilot avoids these risks. It gives your team the same productivity boost as public AI tools, but with data privacy and enterprise-grade security. All content stays within your Microsoft 365 tenant, and Copilot only accesses data that each user is already allowed to see.

What Can Copilot Actually Help You Do?

When used effectively, Copilot helps employees cut down on routine work and focus on more valuable tasks. Here are some of the most common ways businesses are using it today.

Summarize Meetings and Chats in Microsoft Teams

Copilot can summarize long conversations in Teams or generate a recap of meetings, even if you were not present. This is helpful for reviewing decisions, catching up quickly, or assigning follow-ups.

Examples:

• Summarize the last client meeting and list next steps
• Recap a conversation between two coworkers to understand status updates
• Extract deadlines and action items from a project discussion

This feature can help reduce meeting fatigue and improve accountability.

Write and Reply to Emails Faster in Outlook

Writing and responding to emails can take up a significant part of the workday. Copilot helps by generating drafts, suggesting replies, summarizing long threads, or rewording content more clearly.

Examples:

• Draft a follow-up email to a client based on a previous message
• Summarize a lengthy email chain into a few key points
• Rewrite an email to sound more professional or concise

This can be especially useful for client-facing employees and busy executives.

Create Documents and Presentations in Less Time

Instead of starting from scratch, Copilot can help generate a first draft of reports, internal updates, proposals, or PowerPoint decks. It can even pull content from existing files or meeting notes.

Examples:

• Create a one-pager introducing your services
• Build a five-slide client proposal based on an existing document
• Summarize a project plan and turn it into a presentation

This helps standardize messaging and reduces manual formatting work.

Analyze Spreadsheets Using Natural Language

In Excel, Copilot makes it easier to interpret and visualize data. Employees can ask simple questions and receive summaries, charts, or calculations in return.

Examples:

• What were our best-performing services last quarter
• Show a trendline of monthly revenue
• Highlight any months where expenses exceeded budget

This allows non-technical users to make data-driven decisions without needing advanced Excel skills.

Convert Notes and Drafts Into Actionable Plans

Copilot helps transform unstructured information into usable formats. If you have a document with rough notes, a meeting transcript, or a brainstorm session, Copilot can turn it into a task list or project outline.

Examples:

• Extract a list of follow-up items from meeting notes
• Turn a rough idea into a draft proposal
• Create a task list from a project discussion

This helps move work forward without wasting time on reformatting.

Adjust Tone and Translate Content

Copilot can also adjust the tone of a message or translate content into another language. This can improve communication with clients or international partners and ensure the message fits the audience.

Examples:

• Rewrite this message to sound more polite
• Translate this email into French for our Quebec client
• Simplify this paragraph for a non-technical reader

This helps your team communicate more clearly, respectfully, and effectively across different audiences and languages.

How to Get Started with Copilot in Your Business

To use Microsoft Copilot, your organization needs Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Business Premium, or an eligible enterprise plan with Copilot add-on licenses.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Confirm Your Microsoft 365 Licenses

If you are not sure which Microsoft 365 plan your business is using, contact your IT provider. Copilot Chat is included in all 365 plans but the paid license which embeds CoPilot in your Office software like Outlook, Teams and Word requires additional licensing.

2. Roll Out Copilot to a Pilot Group

Start small by assigning Copilot licenses to a group of employees who rely heavily on communication, documentation, or reporting. Monitor how they use it and gather feedback before rolling it out company-wide.

3. Train Employees to Use It Effectively

Even though Copilot is easy to use, it helps to show your team how to use prompts, where it works best, and what to expect. Always Beyond can help with customized training for your staff.

4. Establish Safe Use Guidelines

Make sure your team knows how to use Copilot responsibly. Encourage them to double-check content, avoid pasting highly sensitive information, and understand where Copilot’s suggestions come from.

Final Thoughts

Microsoft Copilot offers a secure and user-friendly way for your business to start using AI inside the tools you already rely on. It helps save time, reduce manual work, and support faster decision-making across your organization.

By using Copilot effectively, many businesses are already seeing more than five hours saved per employee per month. This adds up quickly and can lead to better productivity, happier staff, and less reliance on manual processes.

If your business is ready to get started with Copilot or wants help training your team, contact Always Beyond. We will help you unlock the full potential of your Microsoft 365 environment.