The premium version, which is available to Microsoft 365 users, has a few perks that can be great for business use, such as Microsoft 365 integration which allows the AI to create, edit and improve whatever it is you are working on in Outlook, Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint and Word.

Copilot is based on a custom version of GPT-4, the same version that the famous AI company, OpenAI, uses for ChatGPT.

Since Microsoft has heavily invested in OpenAI, you will notice similarities in the way that the bot answers you when you ask a question or when you ask it to write something.

Before we get into how you can successfully use Copilot, keep in mind that all AI should be used as a tool and not as a replacement of labour. While AI is incredibly helpful for boosting productivity and reducing mistakes, it is far from perfect and will always need that human touch.

How to Use Microsoft Copilot in your Business

Interacting with Copilot is a breeze if you already have a little experience working with ChatGPT.

To get Copilot going, you need to prompt it, which means you need to talk to it by asking it questions or by asking it to do something.

Copilot has a lot more features than ChatGPT and it can access the web and through doing so give you suggestions or point you to helpful references.

If this is your first time using the programmes, start by using its “ask me anything” text box. Here, the bot will give you some suggestions to help you along.

When the programme responds to your request, it will end off by giving you a couple of useful follow up questions. Copilot will also give you a list of links to sources applicable to your prompt.

To get more specific with your prompts, here are a couple of things you can do:

• Customise your Copilot’s Answer Style

Ask it to be more creative, more precise or more balanced simply by clicking on a “choose a conversation style” option. Copilot will remember your preferences so anything you ask it in future will be in your preferred style.

• Ask it to draft a page of content

Whether it is for a project or an email, Copilot can help you create content (although a word of caution; Microsoft has been caught in accusations of copying content from other sites, and if you choose to use the content if gives you without double checking or editing it, you could be accused of plagiarism.)

To prompt a task like this, you can give Copilot access to your files, to use as a base for your content, and then ask it something like this “Using the information in [name of files], draft a description for [Project X]. Write it in a style that anyone can understand.”

• Use it to condense data

If you are working on a large project, with many people involved, or if you have been away for a while and you need to quickly catch up, you can ask Copilot to give you a quick write up of the information you need.

To prompt this sort of task here’s what you should say,“Please give me a full summary of the team’s communications over the last 30 days on [Project X]. What is the project timeline and what are the team’s current priorities?”

You can also ask Copilot to give you the necessary email communications.

• Get Creative

If you are the person in charge of presentations, project plans and spread sheets, you can use Copilot to “generate formula suggestions”, “draft a business plan”, or “create a presentation”. You will need to give Copilot access to the data related to whatever you want to create. The programme will then use the applicable app, such as Excel, PowerPoint or Word, to fulfil the task.

Remember, Copilot thrives on collaboration. The more you guide it with clear instructions and context, the better it will assist you in crafting professional content and streamlining your workflow.

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At 24/7 IT Services we can help you will a wide range of IT services including assistance with your Microsoft 365 needs, cyber security solutions and more. Contact us today for a consultation.

The post How to Successfully Use Microsoft’s Copilot AI appeared first on 247 IT Services.

Since 2022, when AI went mainstream, the debate has turned from whether or not a business should be integrating AI, to which AI tools will work the best to make the business environment more productive.  

Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT are prime examples of how AI can augment business capabilities.

Both tools make use of the power of natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to assist users in different aspects of their work, and both tools are easy to use and readily available.

Not only is AI easily accessible to most companies, but there are many options out there that are either very affordable or completely free.

Now that AI is such a present part of our everyday lives, in order to stay ahead of competitors, companies need to know how they can make the most of the tools that are available to them, and it starts with comparing the two most popular options.

What is Microsoft Copilot?

The Key Features

• Seamless integration with popular Microsoft apps.
• Intelligent suggestions based on context and best practices.
• Time-saving code generation for repetitive tasks.

Microsoft Copilot made waves in 2023 when it was introduced to Microsoft 365 as an everyday tool for users.

Essentially it is an AI assistant that has been designed to provide users with personalised help with all sorts of office tasks.

Copilot connects to ChatGPT and it is also connected to your Microsoft 365 account, allowing it to access your data, such as your emails, your documents and your work calendar, turning it into a helpful personal assistant. Copilot is the perfect office companion and it can help companies get ahead of tasks and ensure tasks are completed accurately and on time.

Copilot can also function alongside other Microsoft productivity tools such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel, again, helping you to be more productive. 

The Lesser-Known Benefits

• It can enhance collaboration: Copilot makes collaboration among team members simple.
• It can help you learn: As Copilot gives suggestions and aids creativity, it also serves as a learning tool.

What is ChatGPT?

The Key Features

• Natural language understanding and generation capabilities.
• Context-aware responses for more coherent conversations.
• Integration possibilities in customer support, content creation, and more.

ChatGPT was developed by OpenAI and it is popular for being a versatile language model that goes well above and beyond basic assistance. For many businesses, ChatGPT has become a must have tool and it can be used to layout, simplify or, if given the right data, complete a variety of tasks, including drafting emails, writing reports, and generating human-like text which can be used in training manuals and more. ChatGPT is also a great tool for brainstorming.

While many will find the free version useful to a degree, premium access might be more suitable for companies looking to get more out of this AI tool.

The Lesser-Known Benefits

• It offers customisation: Businesses can fine-tune ChatGPT to align with specific industry jargon and communication styles.
• It features cross-functional applications: ChatGPT can be a valuable asset in various work scenarios, making it a versatile addition to your toolkit.

Choosing the Right Tool for Your Business

When deciding between Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT, it ultimately comes down to what you need for your business.

Copilot is an all-round exceptional business tool, but only for companies that work with Microsoft apps all day.

If you are looking for a tool to help you with the more mundane tasks like email writing, basic research and brainstorming, ChatGPT might be better suited to your requirements.

When weighing up your options, cybersecurity should also be a top priority especially when sharing your data with AI, since both Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT operate in Cloud environments.

If you are looking to make the most of AI this year, it is best to consult with a reputable IT company that specialises in managed IT support and cybersecurity, to ensure the safe implementation of these tools in your workflow. And at 24/7 IT Services, we specialise in both. Contact us today for more information.

The post Microsoft Copilot Vs. ChatGPT – What are the Differences and which is best for Business? appeared first on 247 IT Services.

The way that we do business has changed enormously over just the last few years.

The pandemic has taught business owners and employees not only the importance of going digital and being able to operate profitably with a remote workforce, but also just how much meetings are a waste of time.

While, there will always be those important meetings that require your attendance and your full attention, but for the most part, it is becoming painfully obvious that most meetings could just be an email.

Microsoft has noticed this feeling in business and it has seen how much time employees could be spending better elsewhere. And so, with its latest release, which is a part of the upcoming Microsoft 365 package update, Microsoft is using AI to bridge the gap between the necessity for staff to get information and the downright waste of time it is for them to have to sit in hours long meetings to do so.

The AI is called Copilot, and if it sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because we have mentioned it before (and also because Microsoft has been talking about its development a lot since the start of the year).

Copilot is Almost Here

From the 1^st of November 2023, Copilot will become available as a part of the Microsoft 365 subscribers app package.

But there is a catch. And the catch is that it will cost an additional $30 a month per user.

For most business employees, especially those working for small companies, having access to Copilot might not be completely necessary, but for big businesses with plenty of managerial employees, Copilot might just be the one tool that makes work life that little bit more productive.

The idea behind Copilot is to create an AI Chat Bot that serves as the only assistant you will ever need. It will be the never eats, never sleeps, is always there to help bot that does everything from preparing emails and creating graphs and tables in Excel, to attending meetings in order to collect those all-important minutes.

You don’t necessarily need to use Copilot to opt out of all meeting obligations, just because you can’t be bothered, but you can use it when you simply don’t have the time or when you have double-booked yourself.

Copilot is already being used by global brand names like Goodyear and KPMG with great success and soon everyone will be able to lighten their workloads using the bot.

For the British employee in particular the availability of Copilot is great news as studies have shown that each year British employees are wasting up to 27 work days attending to “busywork” i.e. something that really could have just been an email.

So, will you be integrating Copilot into your business or are you still looking for an IT company in London to get you fully setup with Microsoft 365? If your answer is the latter, we might just be the team you are looking for. At 24/7 IT Services we provide our clients with a wide range of IT services such as Manage IT Support, IT Security, Cloud Solutions, and even Business Continuity plans.

You can contact us today for more information.

The post Tired of wasting time in meetings? Soon Microsoft’s AI will attend for you appeared first on 247 IT Services.