Microsoft has unveiled the next wave of Microsoft 365 Copilot, introducing powerful new features to enhance users’ daily tasks.

Microsoft 365 Copilot, initially launched in 2023, has revolutionised the way organisations work by integrating AI-powered assistance into everyday tasks. By embedding Copilot into popular apps like Word, Excel, and Teams, Microsoft has empowered users to automate workflows, streamline document creation, and enhance collaboration across teams.

The introduction of generative AI has significantly boosted productivity, allowing organisations to focus on strategic initiatives while reducing manual effort. As businesses continue to adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot, its impact on improving efficiency and driving digital transformation is becoming increasingly evident.

What to expect from the next wave of Microsoft 365 Copilot?

  • Copilot Pages: A dynamic, persistent canvas designed for collaborative AI-powered teamwork. It’s a groundbreaking new digital artefact for the AI era. Pages transforms AI-generated content into a lasting, editable format, allowing teams to collaborate in real-time with Copilot. You can iterate together, pulling in data from files and the web, creating a new workflow of human-to-AI collaboration. Pages is rolling out now and will be generally available by September 2024.
  • Enhancing Copilot across all Microsoft 365 apps: Users have already been positively impacted by utilising Copilot in Microsoft Teams — it’s where they see the most value. Microsoft has now announced it will be extending this impact to advanced data analysis in Excel, dynamic storytelling in PowerPoint, managing inboxes in Outlook, and beyond.
  • Copilot Agents: Making business process automation faster and easier than ever, allowing you to scale your team’s capacity like never before. With Copilot Agents, your organisation can answer questions in real time, with more advanced customisation available in Copilot Studio. Copilot agents in BizChat will be generally available in the coming weeks, and the SharePoint version will enter preview in early October.

Following the feedback from Microsoft 365 Copilot users, Microsoft has implemented over 700 product updates and introduced more than 150 new features this year. With the power of GPT-4o and improved orchestration, Copilot is now more than twice as fast, and response satisfaction has increased nearly threefold.

Boosting Copilot’s Capabilities Across Microsoft 365 Apps

Copilot in Excel

In the latest update, you can now work with unformatted data, use advanced formulas, and create visualisations like charts and PivotTables—all through natural language. Plus, with Copilot in Excel and Python, you can perform advanced analysis, such as forecasting and machine learning, without writing a single line of code. Currently, in public preview, it’s like having a data analyst at your fingertips.

Copilot in PowerPoint

Narrative Builder in Microsoft PowerPoint, now generally available, lets you collaborate with Copilot to quickly create a first draft of your presentation while staying in control of the process. Copilot generates an outline based on your prompt, which you can edit and refine. Coming soon, you’ll be able to add files to ground your topics and use Brand Manager to ensure your presentations follow your company’s templates. Plus, Copilot will soon pull approved images from your SharePoint Organisation Asset Library for on-brand presentations.

Copilot in Teams

Copilot in Teams can analyse both meeting transcripts and chat conversations to provide a complete summary of discussions. You can ask Copilot to check if any questions were missed, and it will scan spoken and written content to ensure no idea or contribution is overlooked.

Copilot in Outlook

Tackling email overload is easier with Copilot in Outlook. With “Prioritise my inbox,” Copilot quickly identifies important emails based on your role and past responsiveness, providing concise summaries and insights. Coming in late 2024, you’ll be able to customise Copilot with specific topics, keywords, or people to ensure high-priority messages always stand out.

Copilot in Word

Launching in September 2024, Copilot in Word will allow you to pull data from web sources, documents, emails, and meetings to create a strong first draft. With a new start experience and inline collaboration features, Copilot is designed to make writing and editing more seamless than ever.

Copilot in OneDrive

Rolling out now and generally available by the end of September 2024, Copilot in OneDrive helps you quickly search across files to find key information, summarise content, and compare up to five documents—all without opening a single file. It streamlines work, making it easier to manage and analyse your data.

If you’d like to introduce Copilot to your organisation, get in touch with our team today for your complimentary Copilot Readiness assessment.