ARTICLE INTRODUCTION

Microsoft 365 Copilot is headline technology. Powered by GPT, Copilot is a powerhouse, as your virtual assistant with impressive automation and generative AI functionality. However, Microsoft is only just getting started. They’re backing Copilot for the long haul, which is good news for any business that wants to prosper in the new AI age.

Recently, Microsoft announced a multitude of new updates and innovations to take Copilot to the next level. These so-called Wave 2 features include new applications and features within 365, with so much more on the horizon. This is the first major update to Copilot since its launch – and there is a lot to take in.

In this article, Extech Cloud explores the innovations in Microsoft 365 Copilot and how to take advantage of them to take your organisation to the next level.

Copilot Pages

With the new Copilot Pages tool, your team can work collaboratively like never before. Pages is a Copilot chat ‘canvas’ where several people can work together at the same time and develop ideas through AI-generated content.

Using Pages, AI-generated content is flexible, allowing you to add, edit, and share content with others in real-time. Simultaneously using content from company data and files, as well as information from the web, Pages transforms Copilot into the ultimate AI partner for teams and units working together.

In this way, Copilot Pages offers an entirely collaborative experience, expanding the possibilities of AI generation.

Copilot in Microsoft 365

In Wave 2, Copilot has received a wide range of updates across Microsoft 365 applications, allowing your employees to boost their productivity even further. From adapted support in Excel to prioritisation in Outlook, Microsoft has gone above and beyond to improve Copilot for businesses.

Here’s a quick rundown of some other important features in this update:

Microsoft Excel: Copilot can now read data that hasn’t been formatted as a table. With added functionality for formulas, conditional formatting, and visualisations such as charts, working with Copilot in Excel has never been easier.
Excel with Python: Microsoft has combined the power of programming and AI, to allow anybody to access and use Python to take data analysis to the next level, using natural language.
Microsoft PowerPoint: With the new Narrative builder feature, developing presentations in PowerPoint is a breeze. With just a prompt, Copilot can help employees go from draft to final product in minutes.
Microsoft Teams: Now, Copilot can scan over the meeting chat and transcript at once, enabling it to summarise information and answer prompts quickly and effectively.
Microsoft Outlook: Using Prioritise My Inbox, managing a full inbox is easy. Copilot analyses the content of your inbox based on employee role and email content, highlighting the important emails, and generating summaries where you may have missed things.
Microsoft Word: Within Word, Copilot has received many quality-of-life updates, allowing you to quickly reference data from the internet or company data without disturbing your workflow. Copilot can now suggest prompts on a fresh document to help kickstart your creative flow.
OneDrive: Locating files and important documents in a busy OneDrive can be time-consuming. However, Copilot can quickly scan your documents and locate the information you’ve been searching for and suggest several files to compare and summarise, giving you the quick answers you need.

With this package of updates, working with Copilot in Microsoft 365 has never been easier. Teams can now flourish in many different circumstances, across several applications, improving workflow and collaboration like never before.

Copilot Agents

The age of AI is upon us, and one of the major aspects of the business world that’s making AI so relevant is the ability to leverage it to gain a competitive advantage. Copilot Agents work in the background and automate a multitude of tasks throughout your business.

Creating an Agent is easy within BizChat or SharePoint. The Agent can then be shared with colleagues in Microsoft Teams and Outlook, in the same way as any other teammate.

Copilot Studio lets you further customise your Agent, allowing it to authorise access to data sources or even carry out actions on your behalf. In this way, you get full flexibility and customisability, and your Agent can be far more potent.

Copilot Agents and agent builder in BizChat are available now, while SharePoint integration is on the horizon – with a planned preview in October.

How to make the most of the AI opportunity

Artificial intelligence is a vital technology in the 21^st century – and Microsoft Copilot is at the forefront of innovation. These updates mean Copilot is even more powerful than previously. The age of Copilot is here – and Microsoft is just getting started.

If you’re looking to get started with AI, Microsoft 365 is a good place to start. Reach out to Extech Cloud for help with implementation to ensure you have everything you need to boost productivity.

Get in touch today and discover how we can help.