Working with Microsoft 365 Copilot: Boost Your Productivity with Microsoft Copilot

Despite being around for a while now, AI has quickly gone from something people experimented with to something many organizations are actively using every day. Although there are many programs, Microsoft 365 Copilot is becoming the go-to tool for many organizations.

Built directly into the applications many organizations already use, Copilot can help you draft documents, create meeting minutes, analyze data, manage your inbox, and create presentations in less time.

The key to leveraging Copilot is adjusting your expectations. Copilot won't replace the role of human judgment. It's about spending less time creating the first draft and more time improving the final result.

In this article, we'll go through some of the top questions we get about Copilot, how you can use it at work, and how you can learn to use it effectively. We'll discuss:

• Our Top Copilot Questions
• How to Use Copilot at Work
• Best Practices for Using Copilot at Work
• Choosing GREAT Copilot Training with Great Canadian Training

Our Top Copilot Questions

Here are just some of the questions we hear most often.

What Is Copilot?

Copilot is an AI assistant built directly into Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Teams. It helps you get things done faster by drafting content, consolidating information, analyzing data, and taking care of repetitive tasks using natural language.

Behind the scenes, Copilot uses advanced AI models, such as Claude, to provide helpful, context-aware responses. It can also support AI agents that handle multi-step tasks, connect information across different apps, and help manage workflows, making it easier to stay organized and keep things moving without as much manual effort.

How Do I Get Started?

Once your organization has the right license, Copilot is available within apps such as Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

You'll see a little Copilot logo - click it and start asking for help in plain language.

Like anything new, it gets easier with practice. The more you use Copilot, the more comfortable you'll become writing prompts. (You can also get started with our Best Copilot Prompts - download them here!)

Should I Get the Free Version or Copilot Pro?

This is a question we hear often. No one wants to pay for a product they don't need.

The free version is designed for general use. It’s helpful for brainstorming, drafting content, answering questions, and doing research.

Copilot Pro, on the other hand, is built specifically for work. It connects to your Microsoft 365 environment, so it can work with your emails, meetings, documents, calendars, and other information you already have access to.

How to Use Copilot at Work

Let's walk through a few specific examples of how you can unlock Copilot's capabilities in your role.

Summarize Meetings with Copilot in Teams

Catching up on meetings you missed by reading pages of notes or watching the entire recording is painful.

Copilot can:

• Review key discussion points
• Identify decisions that were made and what needs to be done next
• Outline who is responsible for each task

You'll still need to:

• Review the summary for accuracy
• Follow up on action items
• Apply your own judgment and context to important decisions

Ways to Use Copilot in PowerPoint

Creating presentations often takes longer than expected, especially when you're starting with a blank slide deck or trying to turn a lengthy report into something people actually want to read.

Copilot can help you:

• Create a presentation from a Word document or outline
• Generate speaker notes
• Suggest visuals and layouts

You'll still need to:

• Review and edit the content
• Customize the design for your audience
• Make sure the presentation reflects your message and goals

Leveraging Copilot to Analyze Data in Excel

Working with large spreadsheets can be time-consuming, especially when you're trying to identify trends or determine what your data is actually telling you.

Copilot can help you:

• Identify trends and explain what your data means
• Create charts
• Compare data sets

You'll still need to:

• Interpret the results
• Make business decisions based on your expertise

Manage Your Inbox & Summarize Email Threads by Using Copilot in Outlook

Long email threads can quickly become overwhelming. It's easy to lose track of important decisions, action items, and messages that actually need your attention.

Copilot can help you:

• Summarize lengthy email threads and highlight key decisions
• Draft replies
• Organize and prioritize your inbox

You'll still need to:

• Review outgoing emails before sending
• Adjust the tone for your audience
• Decide when a personal conversation is more appropriate than an AI-generated response

Best Practices for Using Copilot at Work

Like any AI tool, the results you get depend on how you use it.

Rather than building entirely new workflows around Copilot, we recommend integrating it into the processes you already follow. The best use cases come from looking at where AI can save time, such as drafting or organizing information, and using it to support those steps instead of replacing your workflow entirely.

It’s not enough to teach your team how to use AI. You also want to make sure there are consistent standards for how your organization will use it. Those standards help you protect sensitive information and help employees to know when and how to use AI appropriately.

Here are a few best practices for using Copilot:

• Give it context, similar to how you would when giving instructions to someone else
• Make your questions or instructions clear and specific
• Review and edit everything – yes EVERYTHING - before sharing
• Follow your organization’s guidelines (or create guidelines) for responsible use

Think of Copilot as a helpful assistant. It can speed things up, but your experience and judgment still matter.

Choosing GREAT Copilot Training with Great Canadian Training

No matter where you are on your journey, we have a course designed to help you build practical skills and use AI more effectively at work.

Introduction to AI and Microsoft Copilot in the Workplace

This practical workshop is designed to build a strong foundation in workplace AI before introducing Microsoft Copilot as a tool to help you work more efficiently. We’ll explore how AI can support everyday tasks and discover how Copilot integrates with Microsoft 365 applications.

Copilot for the Modern Workplace (3 Hours)

New to Copilot or wondering if the Pro version is right for you? This course introduces the fundamentals of AI, explains the differences between the free and Pro versions of Copilot, and shows you how Copilot can improve your everyday productivity.

Harnessing Copilot Free in Microsoft 365 (3 Hours)

Want to get more from the free version of Copilot? Learn how to write better prompts, summarize emails and meetings, organize information more efficiently, and use Copilot across Microsoft 365 applications to save time throughout your workday.

Getting Started with Copilot and Your Microsoft Applications (3 Hours)

Already have a Copilot Pro license? Discover how Copilot works alongside Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and OneNote to automate repetitive tasks, improve collaboration, and make your work more efficient.

Mastering Copilot and AI in the Modern Workplace (6 Hours)

Ready to take your AI skills further? This course covers a wide range of topics – from prompt writing strategies to common misconceptions, and even advanced ways to integrate Copilot to boost your workplace productivity.

Copilot Workshops for How You Work

These eight role-based workshops show how Copilot can be tailored to your specific role, department, and industry. Each workshop focuses on practical, job-specific scenarios, demonstrating how Copilot can save time and streamline your workflows.

AI Governance and Policy Development (3 Hours)

It’s not enough to just give your team AI tools. You also need to make sure that you have defined how they can be used. This course provides a practical foundation for developing those policies, exploring how AI interacts with your data and where risks may arise.

AI Governance & Responsible Use of Public Sector Professionals (6 Hours)

This course is specifically designed for public sector professionals who want to balance improving their productivity with maintaining public trust. It explores practical AI applications, effective prompting, privacy considerations, and governance.

Whether you're learning on your own, training your team, or rolling out Copilot across your organization, our instructor-led courses provide practical techniques you can start using immediately.

Need Something More Specific? Build a Custom Copilot Course

If your team has specific goals, we can customize your training to match the way you work. Choose objectives from our existing courses, focus on the Microsoft 365 applications your team uses most, and even incorporate your own files and real workplace scenarios to create a hands-on learning experience that's relevant from start to finish.

Whether you choose a public course, private training, or a customized session, you'll leave with practical skills you can apply immediately. Contact us today to start on your Copilot journey.