Is Copilot Worth it? Microsoft 365 Apps For Business

Explore Copilot Wave 2 Integrations in Microsoft Apps for all departments

In our recent webinar, we delved into the who, what, where, how, and why of Microsoft Copilot, exploring its relevance and potential across various sectors. Microsoft Copilot, particularly within the Microsoft Office 365 ecosystem, is transforming the corporate landscape. Dubbed the AI economy, this market is projected to reach nearly $8 trillion by 2028. The rapid growth of AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot has propelled the tech industry from $10 trillion to $16 trillion in just two years, highlighting the immense opportunities for businesses and users alike.

One of the key takeaways from our discussion was the widespread adoption of AI tools by corporate leaders. A striking 73% of CEOs are not only learning these tools themselves but are also encouraging their teams to do the same.

This shift in attitude, particularly since November 2022, underscores the growing recognition of AI’s ROI. IT departments, once seen as cost centers, are now viewed as revenue generators, thanks to the efficiencies and insights provided by AI.

Copilot Use Cases

The versatility of this platform makes it a valuable asset across various job roles and industries. Whether you’re in finance, IT, or any other sector, Copilot enhances productivity by assisting with data analysis, narrative building in PowerPoint, and even organizing files in Copilot for OneDrive. As organizations begin to roll out AI, common questions arise about its functionality and application. Our webinar aimed to address these queries, demonstrating how Copilot can be integrated into different functional areas and industry scenarios.

Copilot in Finance

A significant portion of our webinar focused on Microsoft Copilot’s applications in the finance sector. We discussed how finance professionals can leverage Copilot to streamline data collection and analysis. For instance, a finance team tasked with preparing a comprehensive report for investors can use Copilot to condense months of data gathering into just a few days. By automating data aggregation and table creation, Copilot allows finance professionals to focus on analysis and presentation, significantly enhancing productivity.

To see how Microsoft Copilot can simplify finance tasks like data analysis and reporting live – register to our upcoming webinar “Copilot for Finance: Strategic Budget Planning for 2025” on December 12th at 9 AM PT

Enhancing Presentations with Copilot

Beyond Excel, Copilot’s  capabilities extend to tools like PowerPoint. Finance professionals can seamlessly import data using the capabilities of Copilot in Excel into PowerPoint, creating polished presentations in minutes. This functionality not only saves time but also ensures that the findings are communicated effectively within the organization. With Microsoft Copilot in PowerPoint, users gain the ability to quickly generate and refine presentations makes Copilot an invaluable tool for business communication.

Copilot Studio Agent

Another exciting feature we explored is the Copilot Studio Agent. This tool allows users to create intelligent agents within document libraries, such as SharePoint as well as Copilot for OneDrive. These agents can interact with data, providing insights and answering queries based on the information available. This functionality eliminates the need for manual data extraction and analysis, making it easier for teams to access and utilize critical information.

Sales Department Efficiency

Microsoft Copilot’s benefits extend beyond finance to other departments like sales. For example, a customer selling golf carts can use Copilot to manage inventory, track parts, and oversee maintenance schedules. By consolidating all this information into a single database, Copilot for sales streamlines operations and enhances efficiency, allowing the sales team to focus on customer interactions and growth.

Additionally, Copilot can significantly save the sales team time by providing AI-powered recaps for meeting notes. Instead of manually sifting through lengthy meeting recordings or notes, Copilot automatically generates concise summaries, highlighting key points, action items, and follow-up tasks. This feature ensures that the sales team can quickly review important information and stay aligned on objectives, ultimately boosting productivity and allowing more time for strategic activities.

Collaboration and Productivity Across the Board

Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, emphasizes that “we think with Copilot and we collaborate with people.” This philosophy underscores the tool’s role in enhancing teamwork. For instance, if you miss a meeting, Copilot can provide a summary and highlight key tasks, ensuring you stay informed and productive. This capability is particularly valuable for field workers who need to stay updated without sifting through lengthy meeting recordings.

AI Economy and Adoption

The AI economy is not just a buzzword; it’s a reality embraced by 90% of Fortune 500 companies. These industry giants are leveraging AI tools to boost productivity and innovation. This trend is trickling down to small and medium-sized businesses, which are beginning to see the value in adopting AI. The cost of AI tools, such as the $30 per user per month for Copilot, is quickly justified by the time savings and increased efficiency they provide.

Copilot Cost

While the initial investment in AI tools might seem significant, the return on investment is substantial. Many executives have reported that the benefits of Copilot far outweigh the costs, finding ROI with time savings and productivity gains becoming evident within the first week of use. The ability to quickly generate insights and streamline workflows makes Copilot a valuable asset for any organization.

Microsoft Planner Premium and Copilot Features

During the webinar, we also showcased how Copilot integrates with Microsoft Planner Premium. By referencing a statement of work, Copilot can create detailed project plans, complete with tasks and timelines. This feature simplifies project management, allowing teams to focus on execution rather than planning. The ability to add boards, buckets, and other features through Copilot further enhances project efficiency.

How to Use Copilot for Better Outcomes

One of the standout features of Copilot is its ability to adapt its behavior based on user preferences. For example, you can set Copilot to respond in a formal tone or switch to a more playful and humorous style. This flexibility allows users to tailor Copilot’s interactions to suit different contexts and audiences. During the webinar, we demonstrated how changing the behavior settings can make Copilot’s responses more engaging and relatable, such as referencing superheroes and adding a touch of humor.

Narrative Builder in PowerPoint

When harnessing the power of Microsoft Copilot in PowerPoint, users are gifted with a feature called Narrative Builder. This tool helps users create compelling presentations. By selecting a template and providing a subject matter, Copilot can generate a structured narrative and organize the content logically. Users can reorder topics, insert new ones, and even reference external documents like white papers stored on SharePoint. This feature streamlines the presentation creation process, saving time and ensuring that all relevant information is included.

The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of Copilot

To wrap up the webinar, we conducted a lightning round covering the essential aspects of Copilot:

• Who uses Copilot? Anyone in marketing, sales, customer service, finance, data, IT, and more can benefit from Copilot.
• What is Copilot? Copilot acts on Microsoft 365 applications and Microsoft Graph, leveraging AI to provide context-rich responses.
• When should you use Copilot? Copilot is useful for various scenarios, from daily tasks to complex projects.
• Where does Copilot work? It integrates with Microsoft 365 and can connect to external applications like Salesforce and Google.
• Why use Copilot? It enhances productivity, saves time, and provides valuable insights.
• How does Copilot work? It uses AI and large language models to process and respond to user inputs, ensuring data security and privacy.
• Where Can I get Microsoft Copilot? Partnering with organizations like Managed Solution simplifies access to the platform with customized deployment.

Learning More

For those interested in exploring Copilot further, we recommend visiting this copilot.cloud.microsoft. This site serves as a comprehensive lab for Copilot, offering a wealth of ideas and prompts to help you make the most of the tool. Whether you’re in human resources, finance, or any other department, you’ll find scenarios and prompts tailored to your specific needs.

Navigating your learning journey can be challenging, if you aren’t exactly sure what to look for, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of the platform by accessing our expert-guided walkthroughs available in our on-demand webinars.

The Art of Prompting

Effective prompting is key to getting the best results from Copilot. For example, a simple prompt like “write a blog post about sustainable practices in agriculture” will yield a response, but a more detailed prompt will provide richer, more relevant content. By specifying your expectations and excluding irrelevant information, you can guide Copilot to produce exactly what you need. This approach not only enhances the quality of the output but also saves time.

Managed Solution for Copilot Adoption

To support organizations in adopting Copilot, Managed Solution offers a comprehensive Microsoft Copilot adoption roadmap program. This 14-day program covers everything from general end-user prompting and adoption tactics to advanced capabilities like automation and chatbot development. Whether you need a full program or just specific modules, Managed Solution can tailor the training to meet your needs.

Conclusion

Our webinar highlighted the transformative potential of Microsoft Copilot across various sectors. From enhancing data analysis in finance to streamlining business communication and project management, Copilot is proving to be an indispensable tool for modern businesses. As AI continues to evolve, tools like Copilot will play a crucial role in driving efficiency, productivity, and innovation in the corporate world.