Microsoft 365 has a robust suite of cloud-based productivity tools to help you work smarter and faster. Microsoft has consistently been near the forefront of innovation, especially regarding implementation. This point is illustrated best through M365, which was introduced as Office 365 in 2013, being one of the first available all-in-one cloud tools. Fast forward to our current times, and we see that Microsoft and its business tools are at the leading edge of generative AI.

The Microsoft 365 platform has been adding intriguing AI innovations, with many sitting inside existing tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and more. If you know how to use them, these intelligent features can enhance your experience and significantly boost your productivity.

Below, we will explore ways to leverage Microsoft 365’s new artificial intelligence innovations so that you can get more out of your work.

Microsoft Copilot: Turning AI into a Game-Changer in Collaboration

Microsoft Copilot is the crown jewel of Microsoft’s AI innovations, designed to be your virtual collaborator. It can help you generate code, write documents, and craft emails more efficiently. This artificial intelligence-powered tool is built on the foundations of OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology. This integration with OpenAI tech enables Copilot to understand the context of your needs and the ability to anticipate them and generate content in a remarkably human-like manner.

Here are some of the tools in the Microsoft universe that incorporate Copilot:

· Word

· Excel

· PowerPoint

· Outlook

· Teams

· Edge

· Windows

· Bing

· Dynamics 365 Sales

How can you take advantage of the benefits offered by Microsoft Copilot? Here are a few ways to jump on the added efficiency and time-saving they bring.

   1. Speed Up Document Creation

Copilot shines as a versatile writing companion in the realm of document creation. It helps when drafting a report, a presentation, or an email. Copilot provides intelligent suggestions, helping you articulate your thoughts more effectively and speeding up the writing process. It also ensures your content is clear, concise, and tailored to your audience.

   2. Enhance Your Microsoft Teams Meeting Experience

One of the critical strengths of Copilot is its ability to enhance collaboration across teams. It can create coherent and context-aware responses, such as a summary of meeting notes and an action item list. 

Another helpful feature is the ability to catch up on what you’ve missed. Have you arrived late to a Teams meeting? You can ask it to summarize the critical points of the conversation so far.

   3. Use AI to Create PowerPoints with Ease

More people can become “PowerPoint Masters” with Copilot. With the AI-infused features in PPT, you can create a slide deck based on text prompts. 

It can tap into Microsoft’s stock images to fill your slides. Copilot will also suggest text to use based on your presentation topic. Do you have a PowerPoint that you need help with? The tool can reorganize your slides for a better presentation flow.

   4. Enjoy Smart Business Insights in Excel

Another innovation in Microsoft 365 is Excel Ideas. This feature can help you analyze and visualize your data with ease. Excel Ideas can automatically detect patterns and trends in your data. It will suggest charts, tables, and summaries that best suit your needs. 

You can also use Excel Ideas to ask natural language questions about your data, such as, “What is the average sales by region?” or “Which product has the highest profit margin?” You’ll get instant answers in the form of charts or formulas.

   5. Save Time in Outlook with AI Help

We all get those long emails occasionally, so we usually push them to the bottom of our inbox for when we get more time. The new Copilot feature in Outlook can help in that department! Just ask it to summarize the critical points of an email to save yourself reading time.

You can also use Copilot in Outlook to help write emails. It will save you time by providing a first draft and suggesting responses to emails in your inbox.

A Future of Intelligent Productivity

As we embrace the era of intelligent productivity, Microsoft 365 becomes more powerful. Its new AI innovations pave the way for a more efficient work environment. By incorporating these capabilities into your daily workflow, you’re staying competitive and setting the pace for the future of work. Embrace the power of artificial intelligence and unlock a new dimension of productivity with Microsoft 365.

At PCS, we can ensure you get the full benefit of these features and the new ones Microsoft is developing and rolling out in the coming months. We’ll help your team save time and improve your bottom line. Give us a call today to schedule a chat.

 

The article was used with permission from The Technology Press.