Microsoft Copilot with Outlook - Streamline Your Email Workflow

Jonathan Edwards
5 Apr 202414:26

TLDRThe video introduces Microsoft 365's Co-Pilot, a tool designed to assist with email management in Outlook. It demonstrates drafting and replying to emails, summarizing email content, and searching for specific emails. Co-Pilot also offers a coaching feature to improve email tone and clarity. While the tool has potential to save time and enhance communication, it comes at a significant monthly cost and requires an annual commitment.

Takeaways

  • 📢 Co-pilot for Microsoft 365 was released to the public in November 2023.
  • 💡 Co-pilot works across the entire Microsoft 365 ecosystem, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Teams.
  • 📬 The primary focus of the video is to explore how Co-pilot can assist with email management in Microsoft Outlook.
  • 💰 Co-pilot for Microsoft 365 costs $30 per user per month, requiring an annual commitment and payment, in addition to an existing Microsoft 365 business license.
  • 📝 Co-pilot can help draft emails in Outlook by generating text based on user input, with options to adjust the length and tone of the email.
  • 🔄 Co-pilot offers a 'generate' feature, allowing users to create multiple email drafts and choose the most suitable one.
  • 🔄 Users can also reply to emails with Co-pilot's assistance, making responses in various tones and lengths.
  • 📱 Co-pilot's features are accessible on Microsoft 365 apps across different devices, including smartphones and tablets.
  • 📊 Co-pilot can summarize emails, providing a quick overview of the content, which can save time for users who receive a lot of emails.
  • 🔍 Co-pilot can aid in searching for emails and summarizing their content, especially useful for users who find Outlook's search functionality challenging.
  • 🚀 Co-pilot includes a 'coaching' feature that analyzes the tone and clarity of an email and offers suggestions for improvement.

Q & A

  • What is the main topic of the video?

    -The main topic of the video is the introduction and demonstration of Microsoft 365's co-pilot feature, specifically its application in managing emails using Microsoft Outlook.

  • Who is the speaker in the video?

    -The speaker in the video is Jolian Edwards from Integral IT, a company that helps businesses optimize their use of Microsoft 365.

  • When was Microsoft 365's co-pilot released to the public?

    -Microsoft 365's co-pilot was released to the public in November 2023.

  • What are the key features of co-pilot for Microsoft 365?

    -The key features of co-pilot for Microsoft 365 include drafting emails, replying to emails, summarizing emails, and providing coaching on email tone and clarity.

  • How much does co-pilot for Microsoft 365 cost?

    -Co-pilot for Microsoft 365 costs $30 per user per month, with an annual commitment required, totaling $360 per user upfront.

  • What is the process for using co-pilot to draft a new email in Outlook?

    -To use co-pilot to draft a new email in Outlook, one can click on 'New Email' and then use the 'Draft with co-pilot' tab to input the desired content, select the desired email length and tone, and then generate the email.

  • How can co-pilot assist in replying to emails?

    -Co-pilot can assist in replying to emails by generating responses based on the content of the received email. Users can specify the tone and length of the response, and co-pilot will craft a suitable reply.

  • What is the summarizing feature of co-pilot, and how does it save time?

    -The summarizing feature of co-pilot condenses the content of an email into a brief overview, allowing users to quickly understand the main points without reading the entire message. This saves time by enabling users to decide whether to read the full email or discard it based on the summary.

  • Where can co-pilot features be accessed outside of Outlook?

    -Co-pilot features can be accessed outside of Outlook through the Microsoft 365 portal, where there is a central hub for co-pilot with various prompts and tools to help manage emails and other tasks.

  • How does co-pilot's coaching feature work?

    -Co-pilot's coaching feature analyzes the tone, clarity, and content of an email and provides tips for improvement. It suggests ways to be more polite and clear, helping users to enhance their email communication.

  • What is the speaker's personal opinion on using co-pilot for drafting emails?

    -The speaker finds it hard to break the habit of writing emails manually and is unsure if they would change to using co-pilot for drafting emails, despite acknowledging its capabilities.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Introduction to Co-Pilot in Microsoft 365

The video begins with an introduction to Co-Pilot in Microsoft 365, highlighting its release in November 2023 and its capabilities across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Teams. The speaker, Jolian Edwards from Integral IT, expresses curiosity about Co-Pilot's potential to manage emails in Outlook, a task that consumes a significant portion of many people's workdays. The video aims to explore whether Co-Pilot can indeed streamline email management. Additionally, the cost of Co-Pilot is discussed, noting that it is $30 per user per month, requiring an annual commitment and a pre-existing Microsoft 365 business license.

05:00

📧 Drafting Emails with Co-Pilot in Outlook

This section delves into the practical application of Co-Pilot for drafting emails in Outlook. The speaker demonstrates how to initiate a draft with Co-Pilot, inputting desired content and selecting various generation options such as email length (short, medium, or long) and tone (direct, neutral, casual, or even poetic). Co-Pilot then generates an email draft, offering the user the choice to keep, discard, or regenerate the content. The speaker emphasizes Co-Pilot's ability to save time by generating emails, although the process still requires user input to provide necessary information.

10:01

💌 Replying to Emails with Co-Pilot Assistance

The speaker discusses how Co-Pilot aids in replying to emails, showcasing its functionality on both desktop and mobile devices. An example is given where the speaker uses Co-Pilot to draft a response to an email from a potential video editor for their YouTube channel. Co-Pilot generates a casual and medium-length response, which the user can then review, modify, and send. The convenience of using Co-Pilot on-the-go for email replies is highlighted, as well as its ability to construct messages quickly and efficiently.

📊 Summarizing Emails with Co-Pilot's Help

This part of the video focuses on Co-Pilot's capability to summarize emails, saving users time by providing concise overviews of content. The speaker shows how Co-Pilot can summarize email marketing messages and lengthy email chains, allowing users to quickly grasp the main points without reading the entire email. This feature is particularly useful for staying informed about correspondence that may have been missed or for getting a quick understanding of marketing materials.

🔍 Advanced Email Management with Co-Pilot

The speaker explores additional features of Co-Pilot for managing emails, which are accessible through the central Co-Pilot hub in the Microsoft 365 portal. These features include preparing for meetings by providing relevant information, searching for specific emails with improved functionality compared to Outlook's native search, and summarizing recent activities of colleagues within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. The speaker emphasizes the time-saving potential of these features and their ability to streamline email management and communication across various platforms.

🤝 Co-Pilot's Coaching Feature for Email Improvement

The video concludes with a look at Co-Pilot's coaching feature, which analyzes the tone, clarity, and content of manually written emails to offer suggestions for improvement. The speaker demonstrates how Co-Pilot can help users refine their communication by recommending more polite language and clearer requests. While acknowledging the cost and personal habits, the speaker recognizes the value of Co-Pilot's coaching in enhancing email communication and looks forward to future developments.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡AI assistant

An AI assistant refers to an artificial intelligence system designed to perform tasks and provide assistance, often through natural language processing and machine learning capabilities. In the context of the video, the AI assistant being discussed is Co-Pilot in Microsoft 365, which is designed to help manage emails and streamline tasks across the Microsoft ecosystem.

💡Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based service offered by Microsoft that provides a suite of productivity and collaboration tools, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Teams. It is designed for both individuals and businesses, offering a comprehensive platform for communication, document creation, and project management.

💡Co-Pilot

Co-Pilot, as mentioned in the video, is an AI-powered feature within Microsoft 365 that assists users in managing their emails and other tasks more efficiently. It uses artificial intelligence to draft emails, summarize content, and provide coaching on email communication.

💡Email management

Email management refers to the process of organizing, sorting, and responding to emails in a way that maximizes productivity and efficiency. This can involve using tools and features to automate certain tasks, prioritize messages, and streamline communication.

💡Outlook

Outlook is a personal information manager from Microsoft, available as part of the Microsoft Office suite. It includes features like email, calendar, task manager, contact manager, and note-taking. It is primarily used for email communication and scheduling.

💡Drafting emails

Drafting emails refers to the process of composing and creating messages to be sent via email. This can involve writing the content, formatting the message, and adding appropriate subject lines and recipients.

💡Summarizing emails

Summarizing emails involves condensing the content of an email into a shorter, more digestible format that conveys the main points without the need to read the entire message. This can help users quickly understand the essence of an email and decide how to respond or take action.

💡Co-Pilot pricing

Co-Pilot pricing refers to the cost associated with using the Co-Pilot feature within Microsoft 365. As mentioned in the video, it is a subscription-based service with a cost of $30 per user per month, requiring an annual commitment and payment.

💡Microsoft 365 Business license

A Microsoft 365 Business license is a type of subscription that企业提供 access to Microsoft's suite of productivity and collaboration tools. This license is necessary for using certain features like Co-Pilot and is in addition to the cost of the Co-Pilot subscription.

💡Co-Pilot coaching

Co-Pilot coaching is a feature that provides users with feedback and suggestions on how to improve their email communication. It analyzes the tone, clarity, and content of an email and offers tips for more effective communication.

💡Microsoft ecosystem

The Microsoft ecosystem refers to the interconnected suite of applications and services provided by Microsoft, which includes tools for productivity, communication, and collaboration. This ecosystem allows for seamless integration and data sharing between different Microsoft applications.

Highlights

Co-pilot in Microsoft 365 is designed to assist with email management in Outlook.

Co-pilot was publicly released in November 2023 and works across the entire Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

The cost of Co-pilot is $30 per user per month, requiring an annual commitment and payment.

Co-pilot can aid in drafting emails by generating content based on user input.

Users can choose the length and tone of the email generated by Co-pilot, including options like casual or direct.

Co-pilot offers the ability to regenerate emails if the user is not satisfied with the initial draft.

Co-pilot can assist in replying to emails, providing a draft response that can be customized and sent directly from Outlook.

The software is accessible on various devices, including smartphones and tablets, for easy email management on the go.

Co-pilot can summarize emails, saving time by providing key points without the need to read the entire message.

The summarizing feature is particularly useful for understanding email chains or catching up on correspondence when away from the office.

Co-pilot can help users prepare for meetings by providing relevant information and reminders.

An email search feature within Co-pilot can find specific emails and provide summaries, improving upon Outlook's native search functionality.

Co-pilot can generate a recent activity summary for colleagues, aiding in understanding their work within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

The coaching feature of Co-pilot analyzes the tone and clarity of emails, offering suggestions for improvement.

Despite Co-pilot's capabilities, the presenter finds it challenging to break the habit of writing emails personally.

Co-pilot's overall goal is to save time and improve email management within the Microsoft 365 suite.