When first describing the capabilities of Copilot as opposed to its Generative AI counterparts, the number of differences between them were easy to spot and fairly obvious. However, as this technology continues to evolve, these differences will continue to narrow. The one glaring difference that well, makes all the difference, is the access Copilot has to your ecosystem of personal files, chats, shared files, emails, and more (Microsoft Graph). The Copilot ‘specialists’ that have surfaced as a result of this access within each of the tools within the Microsoft ecosystem can be complex to keep track of. Let’s take a high-level look at each.

Productivity Suites

One of the most prominent areas where Copilot is accessible is in your Microsoft 365 productivity tools such as Teams, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, SharePoint, and OneDrive. The capabilities of each of these (at the time of writing!) and more are captured below.

Teams:

• Rewrite with Copilot: Getting format and tone suggestions for your Teams chat messages
• Access Copilot for Work/Web: From the top of the Teams chat space! This is available if your administrator has allowed the integrated apps experience. For more information on this admins, see this resource: Pin Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat to the navigation bar | Microsoft Learn
• Intelligent Meeting Recap Features: Take this a step further and use Copilot to ask questions about the recap (clarifying questions, etc.)
• Copilot within your Teams meetings: Joined a call a few minutes late? Use Copilot to ask what you missed!

Outlook:

• Summarize an email thread: Quickly gather insights from a multi-email thread while you were out of office.
• Schedule your next meeting with Copilot: Automatically create a meeting invitation that includes the email attachment, a proposed agenda, a summary of email thread, and all at a time that internal colleagues on the original email are most available.
• Prepare for a meeting with Copilot: Review files, chats, and emails relevant to that meeting to ensure you’re on top of all the conversation leading up to your call.
• Prioritize my inbox with Copilot: Check out my tech tip on this newest addition here Microsoft 365 Copilot – Prioritize My Inbox – Navigating Digital Adoption
• Draft a new email with Copilot: Have an idea of what you want to say, but unsure how to say it? Try having Copilot start it for you!
• Coaching with Copilot: Let Copilot be your executive coach and ensure that email is as professional as it needs to be.
• Copilot in the right sidebar: Create rules, categories, or even set an out of office message. My favorite uses are for asking questions about my inbox, such as “What should be on my radar from last week?”
• Copilot in the left sidebar: Copilot for Web/Work access. This is available if your administrator has allowed the integrated apps experience. For more information on this admins, see this resource: Pin Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat to the navigation bar | Microsoft Learn

Word:

• Copilot within the document: Tired of staring at the blank page? Create tables, first drafts, bullet points, and more!
• Copilot from the sidebar: Get coaching and peer reviews. I use this Copilot all the time for the documents I receive or am reviewing.

PowerPoint:

• Copilot narrative builder: Use a creative prompt or even reference a previous file you have to create a presentation. With narrative builder, you can add sections, generate an agenda, and even populate speaker notes.
• Copilot from the sidebar: Ask questions about the PowerPoint deck you received such as “What are the key takeaways?” or “What is the call to action?”.

Excel:

• Copilot within the cells:
  • Formula Suggestions: Copilot can suggest formulas directly within the cell, helping you automate calculations and streamline your workflow.
  • Conditional Formatting: You can apply conditional formatting to highlight important data points, such as values that exceed a certain threshold.
  • Data Sorting and Filtering: Copilot can sort and filter your data within the cell to make it easier to analyze and understand.
  • Text Analysis: Copilot can assist with text analysis, including splitting text into columns or extracting specific information.
• Copilot from the sidebar:
  • Data Insights: Copilot can identify trends and insights in your data, presenting them through charts, graphs, and PivotTables.
  • Chart Creation: You can ask Copilot to create various types of charts to visualize your data, such as bar graphs, pie charts, and line graphs.
  • Integration with Python: For advanced analysis, Copilot can integrate with Python, enabling powerful data manipulation and insights without needing to be a Python expert.
  • Help with Formulas: Copilot provides step-by-step instructions and explanations for complex formulas, making it easier for you to understand and apply them correctly.

Web/Work/Desktop:

• Copilot for the Web (Copilot Chat): This side of the copilot.microsoft.com interface will show you responses based off of publicly available information. Think: research or replacing your google search.
• Copilot for Work: Here’s where your license earns it’s place: access all your Microsoft 365 Graph information and search, prepare, or plan! This space can tackle many of your toughest questions while populating organization specific information.
• Copilot for the Desktop: Bring this experience into a desktop application! As opposed to accessing these offerings from a browser, this tool allows you to have a centralized platform to create, search, share, and collaborate.
  • More information on this vision can be found in the latest Wave 2 announcement here: Microsoft 365 Copilot: Your window into the world of agents | Microsoft 365 Blog

SharePoint:

• Simplified Authoring: Copilot helps you create and edit SharePoint sites and pages using natural language. You can turn your words into visually compelling web content with fewer manual steps.
• Enhanced Design: Transform existing documents or presentations into beautifully designed SharePoint pages, all the while incorporating web design best practices.
• Integration with Microsoft Graph: Copilot uses data from Microsoft Graph to provide personalized and contextually relevant content suggestions.
• SharePoint Agents: Create an agent that is grounded in a specific SharePoint site or documentation source.

OneDrive:

• Information Extraction: Extracts data from multiple files without opening them.
• File Comparison: Highlights differences between documents.
• Speech-to-Text Input: Supports voice commands for easier interaction.

Bonus Tip: Love the response Copilot gave you and want to share it with your team? Use Copilot PAGES! Continue your conversation with Copilot and add responses right to the page. Amazing for research!

Want to keep learning about the capabilities of Copilot across each of these tools? Check out my deep dive blogs here:

The Future of Collaboration Starts with Copilot in Teams – Navigating Digital Adoption

Revolutionize Your Email Experience with Copilot in Outlook – Navigating Digital Adoption

Boost Your Efficiency with Copilot: A Guide to Word, PowerPoint, and Excel – Navigating Digital Adoption

Additional Environments

Copilot enhances integrated tools like Whiteboard, Forms, and Viva, offering capabilities that could serve even as a separate blog post.

• Whiteboard: Copilot brings advanced collaboration features, allowing teams to brainstorm ideas more efficiently and visually.
• Forms: With enriched functionalities, users can create more complex surveys and quizzes that provide deeper insights.
• Viva: Copilot’s integration transforms employee experience by offering personalized recommendations and analytics, making workplace communication and engagement smoother and more effective.

Outside the productivity and collaboration tools, Copilot’s accessibility also extends to development environments, and CRM systems making it an invaluable asset for software developers and IT administrators. In platforms like GitHub and Visual Studio Code, Copilot offers:

• Code completion
• Debugging assistance
• Version control management

Developers can enhance their coding efficiency and reduce errors, while admins can oversee repository access, track code changes, and enforce coding standards. In applications like Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365, Copilot assists users in managing customer data, automating sales processes, and generating insightful reports.

The versatility of Copilot does not end here. Its integrations and advancements within the Copilot Studio and agent space makes Copilot not only a productivity booster but also a key driver in technological advancements across various domains. With Copilot’s help, the possibilities are virtually limitless, ensuring that users can leverage its potential to the fullest across diverse fields and applications.

Which area has you the most interested?