Digital assistants have been a part of our lives for decades. Clippy, Microsoft Bob, Siri, and Alexa are notable examples. In the late 2000s, there was a digital assistant that could call restaurants to make reservations and reschedule meetings. They were designed to increase productivity and simplify our lives, but did they? Many of us have experienced some level of dissatisfaction with a voice-activated assistant not performing as expected.
Technology is always evolving. Is Microsoft 365 Copilot (M365 Copilot) the digital assistant we have been anticipating?
Is it finally time to automate routine tasks? M365 Copilot is a revolutionary tool designed to automate business tasks such as emails, presentations, and more.
It can provide summaries of project statuses by accessing emails, documents, and meeting notes. M365 Copilot is showing promise that a functional, user-friendly digital assistant could indeed be on the horizon.
What is Microsoft 365 Copilot?
M365 Copilot seamlessly integrates within Microsoft 365 applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. Through its intelligent machine learning, M365 Copilot understands user patterns and offers suggestions that match individual styles. Melding large language models with Microsoft Graph, it incorporates calendars, emails, chats, and more. Microsoft Graph is what connects all Microsoft applications with each other.
A notable feature is the Business Chat. Operating across Microsoft Graph, it allows simple prompts like "inform my team about the product strategy update" to trigger the AI to craft a comprehensive update from morning correspondences and meetings. If you miss a meeting the Business Chat can provide a summary of what happened and allow you to ask questions. It will automate the mundane but necessary tasks of your day, enabling you to focus on more important activities.
It sounds great to be able to ask your digital assistant to manage the day-to-day tasks, but will it work? Early indications are that it does. The product is currently being tested by 600 businesses worldwide. While there are areas for improvement, it is becoming a tool no one wants to stop using.
M365 Copilot vs. ChatGPT
Both harness the capabilities of artificial intelligence, yet they serve distinct purposes. ChatGPT, generates written content based on user-defined prompts, and is primarily used in creating written documents. Conversely, M365 Copilot is woven into the fabric of the Microsoft suite, gearing it specifically for business tasks.
While M365 Copilot and ChatGPT both use large language models and AI, ChatGPT’s use cases are much narrower than M365 Copilot.
What Are the Risks Associated with M365 Copilot?
While the benefits of M365 Copilot are evident, there are potential concerns worth considering:
- Employee Overuse: One of the apprehensions businesses have is the potential over-reliance on the tool. If an employee uses it exclusively, it might diminish the unique human touch that is often needed, especially in communications. To ensure a balance, promote the use of such tools to enhance productivity, while maintaining the essence of human creativity and intuition.
- Reliance on AI: There is a concern that excessive use of the product might result in employees feeling lost when confronted with a blank page, such as needing to draft a letter. AI simplifies the initial steps and accelerates the process. It cannot substitute the critical thinking and contextual knowledge that people bring to communications.
- Internal Security: Like any other tool with access to sensitive information, there is always a risk of it inadvertently displaying or suggesting content that is not appropriate. Microsoft has always emphasized its commitment to data privacy and security, organizations must be aware of what the tool can access and set up appropriate permissions. If the AI can find privileged information and show it to an employee, that employee could also find it if they searched hard enough.
- External Security: Surprisingly, external security is not a significant concern. M365 Copilot is built on Microsoft's robust infrastructure, known for its stringent security measures. The data processed by M365 Copilot is not shared externally, and Microsoft ensures that the information remains encrypted and safeguarded from potential threats. For organizations avoiding AI for security reasons, M365 Copilot minimizes those security concerns.
- Pricing: As with all advanced technological solutions, price becomes a focal point of discussion. Let us break it down: If M365 Copilot costs a business $30 a month. An employee earning $50,000 annually would need to add the equivalent of 1.25 hours of productivity per month. Considering the time saved by automating basic tasks, generating quick email drafts, and receiving instant suggestions for presentations, the return on investment becomes evident.
How Can I Get M365 Copilot?
M365 Copilot is undoubtedly a promising tool that stands to revolutionize business operations, making them more efficient and seamless. As a Microsoft Partner, Net Friends stands ready to help your business implement this tool as soon as possible.
At Net Friends, we not only test every product we offer, but ensure that our staff is well educated in how it operates so that we are ready to support your business if you run into issues. We will be excited to partner with your business to implement this time-saving tool as soon as we are able.
Want to be on the list to get it first? Let your Customer Success Manager know or contact Net Friends today to discuss Microsoft solutions for your business.
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