4 Key Lessons Learned from Using Microsoft 365 Copilot Effectively
Here are four key lessons I’ve learned from observing people use Microsoft 365 Copilot since it launched. My goal is to help you start incorporating Copilot into your routine and see real benefits. While Copilot isn’t a one-size-fits-all tool, the more you engage with it, the more value you’ll uncover.
Think of these lessons as a launchpad for your Copilot journey or a toolkit to refine your skills. Using Copilot goes beyond crafting the perfect prompt—it’s about improving your work and enhancing how you use familiar tools. With Microsoft 365 Copilot, available in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams (including BizChat), you have a powerful resource ready to elevate your daily tasks.
Lesson 1 - Copilot as Your Entry Point to Smarter Work Habits
Starting your day with Microsoft Copilot can set a productive tone. Think of Copilot as your workmate, ready to help organize your tasks and keep you on track. Begin by asking Copilot to summarize any updates since yesterday. In Outlook, this can give you a quick overview of important emails, while Microsoft Teams provides a deeper look at recent chats and messages.
Next, let Copilot create a to-do list from recent emails, tasks in To-Do, and Planner items. This keeps everything you need in one place and helps you stay focused. Organize these tasks by priority, urgency, or any other criteria that works for you. Copilot can even assist in sorting them, making sure your day is structured and manageable.
By making Copilot part of your routine, you’ll be better prepared to handle each day’s demands and stay on top of your responsibilities.
Lesson 2 - Enhance Team Efficiency by Sharing Prompts
Think of prompts as tools that help you work better. Sometimes, a teammate might have a prompt that gives outstanding results. When that happens, it’s a chance to learn and improve your own work by trying their approach. Sharing effective prompts can build a culture where everyone benefits from each other’s best ideas, raising the entire team’s efficiency.
Each person on the team brings unique strengths and excels in specific topics, often knowing just the right prompts to get great results. By creating a shared prompt library, the team can access these valuable insights. This library would allow anyone to find useful prompts instantly, without starting from scratch. Even if they’re just looking for a starting point, the prompt library could be the go-to tool.
A prompt library could also help establish a common framework for prompting, like Microsoft’s Goal-Context-Source-Expectations approach. But there’s no need for a complicated setup. The library can be as simple as a shared Excel sheet, a OneNote page, or whatever works best for the team. The goal is simply to make prompting more accessible, practical, and effective for everyone.
Lesson 3 - The Importance of Showing How You Use Copilot
As a leader, it’s essential to set an example through your actions. When your team sees you as a model, they’re more likely to follow your lead and adopt similar habits. This applies especially to how you use prompts in your work.
By openly sharing your prompts, explaining your approach, and detailing the goals and outcomes, you’re not just showcasing your work—you’re encouraging others to do the same. Walk them through your thought process, showing how each prompt serves your objectives and delivers value. This transparency inspires your team to develop their own prompts and share them with everyone, fostering a culture of collaboration and growth.
Sharing your work can also spark "eureka" moments for your teammates. When they see your methods in action, it might give them ideas for new approaches to different topics or inspire them to refine prompts for even better results. In this way, leading by example becomes a powerful tool for team-wide improvement.
Lesson 4 - The Benefits of a Community of Champions
Many employees are unsure about how to start using Copilot effectively, which is why offering a structured Copilot adoption program is so valuable. This program can guide them step-by-step, making the journey clear and supportive.
Appointing champions to lead the way is also crucial. These champions act as go-to resources for questions and issues with Copilot, focusing on understanding the technology and helping others feel comfortable using it. When employees know who to approach for help, they feel more confident exploring what Copilot can do.
Interactive events—such as FAQs, surveys, contests, and “Ask Me Anything” sessions—are great ways to boost understanding. By showing real-life examples of how Copilot solves everyday problems, employees can see the benefits for themselves. If you’re interested in supporting your colleagues, consider joining or even initiating your company’s champions program. Not only will you help others, but you’ll also deepen your own knowledge and gain fresh insights from those around you.
Conclusion
Copilot is truly a game-changer. But without the skills to use it, employees might feel left behind. This, in turn, can weaken the company’s overall progress. That’s why employees need to be at the center of any plan to adopt Copilot; after all, Copilot is made to support people, not just the company.
Focusing on employees first makes Copilot adoption smoother and more effective. Even starting with one small step can make a big difference, and gradually adding more strategies will only enhance the experience. You could also create your own tips based on what works best for your team. By prioritizing employees in the adoption process, you set up both your team and the company for success.
References
Overview of Microsoft Copilot: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/overview
Copilot Lab: https://copilot.cloud.microsoft/en-US/prompts
Get started with Microsoft 365 Copilot Business Chat: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/get-started-with-microsoft-365-copilot-business-chat-5b00a52d-7296-48ee-b938-b95b7209f737
Cooking up a great prompt: Getting the most from Copilot: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/cooking-up-a-great-prompt-getting-the-most-from-copilot-7b614306-d5aa-4b62-8509-e46674a29165
A bunch of keys sitting on top of a wooden table by Filip Szalbot on Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/photos/a-bunch-of-keys-sitting-on-top-of-a-wooden-table-PxiAc1aElFQ