Unleashing Productivity: Microsoft 365 Copilot Now Available for Small and Medium Businesses
Introduction
In a long awaited move, Microsoft has just expanded its Copilot service to small and medium-sized businesses with under 300 staff, bringing the power of AI to a broader range of organizations. This game-changing tool is poised to transform how businesses interact with technology, streamlining work processes and boosting creativity.
What is Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI-powered assistant that enhances productivity across various applications like Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. With recent updates, it integrates deeply with core Microsoft 365 services, offering an unprecedented level of integration and efficiency into tools you already use. Rather than use ChatGPT, Copilot exists natively within the Office suite and Microsoft 365 suite, and has direct integration with your applications.
Check out this video for a 90 second explainer:
Pricing and Availability
For small and medium-sized businesses, Copilot for Microsoft 365 is now accessible through Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Business Standard, Office 365 E3 and E5 plans, with pricing set at $360USD per user per annum (note: Microsoft are still finalising local pricing, so it may fluctuate, and monthly plans may be available soon). Access to Copilot effectively democratizes the use of AI, making it available to businesses of various sizes without the previously required minimum of 300 seats. The smaller end of town can now compete with the big end of town.
Our stance on generative AI
We believe generative AI provides an extremely useful toolset to help businesses be more creative, time efficient, and smarter – often just by looking at something from a different perspective, or helping to defeat writers block. Some of the ways we’ve used generative AI in our business include:
- Rewriting policy and procedure documents to be more concise, and less ambiguous.
- Detailing a problem with workflow or process, and asking for improvements or alternative methods to achieve the same result
- Industry research on new technology, and best practices
- Assisting to compile blog posts such as this, and newsletter material
- We’re currently investigating a method to save around 50 man hours per month of manual, tedious work with a system that should drop this down to about 5 hours, reclaiming over a week per month of productivity!
Note that it is vital that output from generative AI tools is carefully reviewed and double checked for accuracy – AI systems often “hallucinate” with output over time, so we tread very carefully.
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Safely Navigating the AI Landscape
While embracing AI can bring numerous benefits, it’s crucial to be aware of the potential risks. Here are some tips for safe AI usage:
- Understand the Limitations: Recognize that AI is a tool, not a replacement for human judgment and expertise.
- Data Security and Privacy: Ensure your data is secure and your use of AI complies with privacy regulations. Never put identifiable or sensitive information into any AI language model.
- Regularly Update Policies: As AI technology evolves, so should your company’s policies and guidelines on its use.
- Training and Awareness: Educate your team on the safe and effective use of AI tools.
Ready to Start Transforming Your Business with AI?
The introduction of Microsoft 365 Copilot to small and medium-sized businesses marks a significant step in democratizing AI technology. It offers a unique opportunity to enhance productivity, creativity, and strategic decision-making.
If you’re interested in exploring what Microsoft 365 Copilot can do for your business and would like to trial it, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We are here to guide you through the new landscape of AI-enhanced business operations and help you make the most of this cutting-edge technology.