How Does Copilot Actually Help Me In My Day-to-Day Work?
13 Microsoft Copilot Hacks We Use Every Day
Microsoft Copilot can help lighten the workload in day-to-day operations, especially in areas where employees regularly search for, summarize, and organize information. This article presents 13 practical Copilot hacks for medium-sized businesses. You’ll also learn about the relevant licenses and requirements, how proven hacks can be turned into measurable use cases, and when it’s worth expanding your setup with agents and automations. Clear sources, appropriate permissions, and a professional review of the results remain crucial.
Short & Sweet
- Microsoft Copilot supports recurring knowledge work—especially when searching, summarizing, structuring, and drafting.
- The 13 hacks cover meetings, emails, scheduling, project knowledge, documents, and Excel analyses.
- The greatest value comes from clearly defined, regularly used use cases and verifiable results.
- Copilot operates within existing permissions; data quality, governance, and subject matter expertise remain critical.
- Proven workflows can then be expanded with agents, additional data sources, and automation.
What Microsoft Copilot Does in Everyday Work
Microsoft Copilot integrates AI capabilities with the work context in Microsoft 365 and the Microsoft applications that employees already use. Depending on the license, Copilot can access authorized content such as emails, chats, calendar information, and documents—and thereby respond and work within the specific corporate context, based on the individual’s permission settings.
This is particularly relevant for small and medium-sized businesses: Getting started with AI projects doesn’t have to begin with a comprehensive automation program. Often, the quickest benefits come from existing workflows that take up time every day. These include lengthy email threads, meeting follow-ups, searching for information, drafting initial texts, and preparing extensive documents. And once the tedious tasks are eliminated, using AI quickly becomes enjoyable.
Which licensing and usage models offer what capabilities?
The features available depend on the Microsoft 365 base license, any additional licenses, and the company’s technical setup. This overview provides a simplified breakdown of the most important licensing and usage models.
| License or Usage Model | Typical Options | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 with Copilot Chat | Secure AI chat; work with web information as well as referenced or uploaded files; simple agents can be created directly in Microsoft 365—subject to availability and administrative approval. | Generally included with eligible Microsoft 365 subscriptions. The scope of the work context, usage, and agent features may be limited. |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | Work-related chat and Copilot features in Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft 365 applications; Creation of simple agents within Microsoft 365. | Add-on license for a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan; access is provided within the scope of existing permissions. |
| Copilot Studio: standalone plan or pay-as-you-go | Create advanced agents with defined knowledge, rules, actions, workflows, additional data sources, and various deployment channels. | Not required for every agent. Billing varies by scenario and can be based on Copilot Credits, pay-as-you-go, or prepaid capacity; external channels typically require appropriate Copilot Studio licensing. |
| Power Automate: included Standard rights or Premium license | Rule-based cloud and desktop automations, as well as cross-application workflows; can complement agents and Copilot workflows. | Standard features may already be included in Microsoft 365 licenses. Premium or custom connectors, unattended workflows, and enterprise-wide processes require appropriate additional licenses. |
Note: Microsoft is continuously developing its feature set and licensing models. Therefore, before implementation, verify the current licensing, regional availability, and configuration of your tenant.
“For me, AI hacks have become an indispensable part of my daily work—they take the tedious tasks off my hands and make me more efficient.”
David, EBF Service Specialist
Our 13 Practical Copilot Hacks for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses
Note on Requirements: The following hacks also specify the required application and any additional functional or technical requirements. Which features are actually available depends on the license, client configuration, and rollout status.
Prerequisites: Teams / Meeting transcript or available meeting summary required / Clearly state during the meeting who is taking on each task so that the transcription can capture it accurately.
Instead of handling the follow-up for each meeting differently, it’s better to use a standardized output or documentation format. This makes it easier to file and compare information across multiple meetings. Note: If multiple people are in a meeting room and the session is hosted via the conference system’s Teams account, Copilot may have difficulty attributing what was said to specific individuals. As a result, responsibilities may not always be recorded correctly. Therefore, a brief review afterward is always advisable to ensure no incorrect information remains.
Sample Prompt
“Create a summary with sections for Objectives, Decisions, Risks, Open Questions, and Next Steps.”
Particularly relevant for: Project teams
Why it’s important in a business context: Finally, full attention can be focused on the meeting—on the people and what’s being said—rather than on taking notes. Standardized documentation ensures that information can be retrieved and compared more easily. At the same time, it reduces the risk that important decisions or risks will get lost in individual notes or be interpreted differently.
Requirements: Teams / To use this feature after the meeting, meeting transcription must be enabled; for recurring meetings, it can be started automatically in advance. / Facilitator requires approval from the administration and is enabled by the organizer when scheduling or during a scheduled Teams meeting.
For a transcribed meeting, have the system summarize which topics, decisions, and open items were relevant. This does not replace reviewing the transcript, but it helps you quickly find the parts that are actually important for your role or work.
Sample prompt
“Summarize the meeting for me. Separate decisions, open questions, and items where I was mentioned.”
Especially relevant for: Everyone—because we all miss meetings sometimes due to vacation, illness, or scheduling conflicts
Why it’s important in a business context: Decisions are often delayed due to missing information or because relevant people aren’t brought up to speed in a timely manner. Catching up on missed meetings faster helps accelerate projects and reduce wait times.
Requirements: Teams / Meeting transcript required / Tasks, responsibilities, deadlines, and deferred or unanswered items must be clearly identifiable in the conversation.
Copilot can organize explicitly mentioned tasks, responsibilities, and deadlines from a transcript, as well as highlight open or deferred questions. Information should only be included if it is clearly present in the conversation.
Sample Prompt
“List all explicitly mentioned tasks and specify responsible parties and deadlines only if they are clearly stated in the transcript. Which questions remained unanswered or were deferred? Provide the context of the conversation for each one.”
Particularly relevant for: Project management, IT, customer service, workshops, and steering committees
Why it’s important in a business context: Many tasks and open items fail due to a lack of clarity regarding responsibilities or are left unresolved until the next meeting. Structured documentation reduces follow-up questions and delays and makes risks and decision-making needs visible early on.
Requirements: Outlook / Access to the relevant email thread is required.
A long thread often contains repetitions, interim updates, and tangential topics. Copilot can condense the thread and identify the current action items.
Sample Prompt
“Summarize the thread. What has been decided, what is still open, and who is expecting a response?”
Particularly relevant for: Sales, Purchasing, Project Management
Why it’s important in a business context: In many companies, valuable work hours are lost every day reading through long email threads. When decisions and next steps are immediately visible, the company’s response time improves.
Prerequisites: Outlook / Access to the mailbox and the relevant messages is required.
Instead of simply working through unread messages chronologically, you can filter them by deadline, sender, project, or required decision. Then review the messages found in their original form. This is especially helpful for setting priorities after extended absences. In many cases, it makes sense to include Teams messages as well.
Sample prompt
“Which messages from today require a decision or response? Group them by urgency and explain your reasoning.”
Particularly relevant for: Managers and knowledge workers with a high volume of email, or anyone returning from an extended absence
Why it’s important in a business context: Not every email carries the same business significance. Intelligent prioritization helps you address important issues more quickly and ensures you don’t overlook critical matters.
“After a long vacation, I have Copilot analyze my emails, missed Teams chats, and appointments and prioritize them. That way, I can start the day with a clear head, know what’s important, and focus right away on the most pressing issues.”
Nadine, Marketing Team Lead
Prerequisites: Outlook / calendar access for the participants and the Copilot scheduling feature, if available in the company.
Copilot can assist with scheduling in Outlook if calendar information is available. Before sending the proposal, it should always be reviewed for time zones, working hours, and required participants.
Sample Prompt
“Find suitable time slots for this internal group. Take the specified time frame into account and list alternatives by date.”
Particularly relevant for: project teams and administrative roles
Why it’s important in a business context: In many companies, coordinating meetings takes more time than the actual meeting itself. The larger the organization, the greater the potential for savings in scheduling.
Prerequisites: Access to the relevant and shared emails, meetings, and files is required.
If project information is scattered across emails, meetings, and shared files, Copilot can generate an initial overview from all sources. It is important to clearly define the time frame and scope.
Sample Prompt
“Generate a project status report based on the available sources. Break down progress, decisions, risks, and upcoming milestones, and list the sources.”
Particularly relevant for: Project managers and account management
Tip: With EBF Insight, you can even access non-Microsoft tools such as HubSpot, JIRA, SAP, and others, and incorporate information from them.
Why it’s important in a business context: Project knowledge is often scattered across emails, documents, and meetings. A quick status overview reduces the time spent searching, helps with meeting preparations, project plans, and similar tasks, and provides a better basis for decision-making for teams and management.
Prerequisites: Relevant content must be searchable in Microsoft 365 and shared with the user.
Questions such as “Where was that decided?” or “Which agreement applies?” can be answered particularly effectively if Copilot has access to well-maintained content with the correct permissions.
Sample Prompt
“What documented agreement exists regarding topic X? Include the date, source, and any conflicting versions.”
Particularly relevant for: IT, Sales, Internal Services
Why it’s important in a business context: Employees often know that information exists but don’t know where it’s stored. Faster knowledge retrieval reduces friction and makes existing expertise more efficiently usable.
Prerequisites: Word / Access to the approved policy or draft is required.
Copilot can generate a clear question-and-answer structure from an approved policy. This allows complex topics to be transformed into easy-to-understand content and tailored to address potential questions from employees.
Sample Prompt
“Create an FAQ for employees. Use only statements from this document and cite the relevant section for each answer.”
Particularly relevant for: IT, Security, HR
Why it’s important in a business context: New policies often fail not because of their content, but due to a lack of understanding. An easy-to-understand FAQ reduces follow-up questions and accelerates the adoption of new guidelines.
Prerequisites: Word documents, bullet points, or approved source materials should be available.
White-Page-Killer: Copilot is particularly helpful for turning bullet points into a draft ready for review. Facts and statements should come from approved material and be revised afterward.
Sample Prompt
“Use these bullet points to create a structured draft for Target Audience X. Highlight any places where information is missing.”
Particularly relevant for: Marketing, Sales, Project Communication
Why it’s important in a business context: The biggest hurdle is often not the revision, but getting started. Those who can produce a reviewable draft more quickly shorten turnaround times for proposals, concepts, and internal communication.
Prerequisites: Word / Access to the document to be summarized is required.
Technical details remain important, but decision-makers usually need a different perspective. Copilot can structure content based on relevance, risks, and decision-making needs.
Sample Prompt
“Create a management summary that includes the current situation, the three most important findings, risks, and necessary decisions.”
Particularly relevant for: Departments and executives
Why it’s important in a business context: Executives rarely need all the details—they need the relevant insights. Well-prepared summaries improve decision-making and save time on coordination.
Prerequisites: Word and PowerPoint / Access to the source document required.
Instead of having slides designed right away, it makes sense to start with a solid storyline. Copilot can prepare key messages, the order of presentation, and connections to the source document.
Sample Prompt
“Develop a presentation outline for target audience X. For each slide, specify the key message and supporting information.”
Particularly relevant for: Marketing, Sales, Internal Communications
Why it’s important in a business context: Many presentations get lost in details and lack structure. A clear storyline ensures that content is conveyed more clearly and that decisions can be prepared more easily.
Prerequisites: Excel / A suitable, structured data set or formula is required.
Finally, no more searching for formulas—no more complicated pivot tables: simply use Excel with natural language. You’ll become an Excel pro when you have the logic, assumptions, and intermediate steps explained to you and compare the result with your data.
Sample Prompt
“Organize this data into a clear table for me. Then explain the formula to me step by step. What assumptions does it contain, and what test values can I use to verify the result?”
Particularly relevant for: Controlling, Operations, Line of Business Departments
Why it’s important in a business context: Excel expertise is often concentrated in the hands of just a few people. With AI, anyone can use the tool via natural language. And they can also acquire knowledge as processes are explained. When calculations become more transparent, dependence on individual experts decreases, and departments can use data more independently.
“With Excel, I can simply describe what I want, and the program does it on its own—an absolute game-changer for me! The same goes for when I want to turn text in a Word document or presentation into a table, and the tool just does it for me. No more fiddling, no more research, no more frustration!”
Petra, Marketing Manager
Important Note
Copilot does not revoke permissions. The practical security lever therefore starts from a clean baseline: traceable groups, controlled access, accountable sites, and appropriately protected sensitive content.
When additional line-of-business systems, agents, or integrations are involved, the same user and permissions context must be maintained.
You can find more on the topic of governance in our e-book.
Next Step: From Assistant to Agent
The first 13 hacks show how Copilot simplifies individual tasks. Once such a workflow is functioning reliably, the next step may be worthwhile: A specialized agent connects defined sources, rules, and actions to create a semi-automated process.
- Copilot hacks support individual tasks. Agents can turn these into semi-automated workflows.
- An agent can incorporate additional data sources, rules, and actions.
- Microsoft recommends managing agents in the same way as other Copilot extensions with regard to data access, permissions, data protection, and governance.
- For medium-sized companies, it’s usually only worth getting started once the most important Copilot use cases are already established.
Who does what?
Copilot provides support for individual requests. A Copilot Agent specializes in working with defined sources, rules, and, if necessary, actions. Automation links fixed triggers and subsequent steps across applications.
The greater the impact of an action, the more important approvals, logging, error handling, and a clear human checkpoint become.
A Quick Sneak Peek: Here’s What Your Future with Microsoft Copilot Could Look Like
Initially, Microsoft Copilot primarily helps users find, synthesize, and structure information, as well as create initial drafts. The next step in its development involves specialized agents tailored to specific use cases that can incorporate additional data sources or processes.
- A customer briefing agent can help a sales representative prepare for an upcoming customer meeting. Instead of manually gathering emails, project documents, and CRM entries, the agent automatically generates an overview that includes the current project status, open items, risks, and the most recent relevant conversations. Preparation no longer takes 30 minutes, but only a few minutes.
- Or consider the quote creation process: A quote agent accesses approved product information, price lists, references, and CRM data to create an initial draft, which the sales and subject-matter expert teams then review and refine. This results in a reliable working basis more quickly, without compromising on quality or control.
- New opportunities are also emerging in the service sector. A service agent could consolidate similar tickets, known solutions, and relevant documentation to help IT or support teams find the right solution more quickly. Employees spend less time searching and more time actually solving problems.
The key insight from our practical experience: Successful agents rarely emerge at the very beginning of a Copilot journey. They emerge where recurring Copilot use cases have already proven their worth. We therefore recommend first stabilizing a clearly defined workflow with measurable benefits and only then gradually connecting data sources, rules, and actions. Those who identify the right use cases today, empower employees, and establish secure governance are simultaneously laying the foundation for the next phase of Microsoft Copilot’s expansion.
The examples also show that an agent is not an end in itself. The starting point is always a clearly defined and tested workflow. That is precisely why it’s worth taking a closer look at the selection, measurement, and scaling of suitable use cases before automating them.
From a Hack to a Regular Use Case
A hack occasionally saves time. In contrast, a defined, regular use case provides direction and repeatable value. That’s why we recommend that midsize companies define specific use cases for certain workflows using MS Copilot. This inspires your colleagues, allows them to test Copilot in practical ways, and keeps them engaged. After all, only what is used regularly can become a natural routine—and deliver the added value to the company that justifies the cost of tools like MS Copilot.
How to Select Use Cases:
- The task occurs at least once a week.
- A large part of the work consists of searching, reading, summarizing, or drafting.
- The relevant information is available digitally and up-to-date in tools that Copilot can access.
- Permissions and security requirements have been clarified and are technically feasible.
- The result is verifiable—meaning it can be reviewed by a person with subject matter expertise.
- Benefit: Time and quality can be compared before and after the pilot.
Example Use Cases by Department
The following examples illustrate typical workflows by department, potential Copilot support, as well as specific benefits and relevant metrics. To ensure a reliable assessment, the metrics should be collected as a baseline prior to the pilot and then measured again afterward.
| Department | Use Case | Possible Copilot Usage | Potential Benefit | Possible Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | Prepare for and follow up on customer appointments | Create client briefings from approved sources; summarize meetings; draft follow-ups | Less time spent searching and documenting; more thorough preparation; faster, more consistent follow-up | Preparation time per appointment; time until follow-up; percentage of timely follow-ups |
| Sales | Prepare Proposals | Create a draft proposal based on bullet points and approved documents, summarize it, and tailor it to the target audience | Shorter turnaround time; more consistent documents; less effort required for data transfer and formatting | Processing time per proposal; number of revision cycles; percentage of proposals sent on time |
| Management | Summarize meetings and information | summarize decisions, risks, open items, and action items from meetings and documents | Less time spent reading and following up; faster orientation; better basis for decision-making | Follow-up time per meeting; Time to decision; percentage of documented decisions and tasks |
| HR | Answer policy questions | Create FAQs, summaries, and draft responses with source citations from approved policies | Fewer recurring standard inquiries; faster and more consistent responses; greater clarity | Number of recurring inquiries per month; average processing time; percentage of inquiries answered correctly |
| Purchasing | Evaluate supplier documentation and communication | Summarize emails and documents, compare requirements, and prepare draft responses | Less research effort; more transparent comparisons; faster coordination; lower risk of overlooked requirements | Processing time per task; number of necessary follow-up inquiries; percentage of requirements fully captured |
| Finance | Prepare monthly reports and Excel analyses | Analyze data, explain anomalies, and draft a management summary | Less manual analysis; faster reporting; more transparent results; earlier detection of deviations | Processing time per report; Number of manual analysis steps; correction rate; time to approval |
| Marketing | Create campaign and content drafts | Structure briefings and create drafts, outlines, variations, and target-audience-specific adaptations | Faster start; more variations; more consistent messaging; more time for strategy and quality assurance | Time to first draft; number of usable variations; number of revision cycles; turnaround time until approval |
| IT | Making internal knowledge discoverable | Answer questions about shared documentation, cite sources, and summarize solution steps | Less time spent searching and providing support; faster problem resolution; better utilization of existing knowledge | Search time per request; number of recurring tickets; first-time resolution rate; average handling time |
| Project Management | Create Project status erstellen | Consolidate information from Teams, Word, Excel, and other shared sources regarding progress, risks, and next steps | Less reporting effort; more up-to-date status overviews; earlier identification of risks; more consistent reports | Time spent per status report; timeliness of data; percentage of reports completed on time; number of subsequent corrections |
| Customer Service | Handle customer inquiries | Research relevant information, find similar cases, and prepare a draft response with sources | Faster response; more consistent answers; less research and follow-up work; higher first-time resolution rate | Initial response time; processing time per inquiry; first-time resolution rate; follow-up rate |
It’s important to: Measure a baseline before the pilot. Track selected time and quality metrics before the start and after a defined test phase. This will show whether Copilot actually saves time, improves quality, or reduces rework.
Good use cases have been identified, but Copilot is still hardly being used?
To learn how to increase the AI adoption and to establish it in the daily work routine, read the article “Why employees aren’t using Copilot—and what really helps: A 90-day plan for greater adoption“.
Conclusion: Routines Instead of a Collection of Prompts
The 13 Copilot hacks show that productivity doesn’t come from having the largest possible collection of prompts, but rather from a few, clearly defined routines for recurring tasks. Use cases where the sources, output format, and verification steps are fixed are particularly effective—such as meeting follow-ups, email prioritization, project status updates, knowledge searches, or the preparation of documents and analyses.
The available options depend on the Microsoft 365 base license, add-on licenses, tenant configuration, and rollout status. Regardless, the following applies: Copilot uses only content that the respective user is authorized to access, and its results require expert review. Good data quality, clear responsibilities, and appropriate governance are therefore not optional considerations but prerequisites for reliable benefits.
The pragmatic approach begins with a specific, frequent, and measurable use case. Once this becomes an established routine, it can be gradually expanded with agents, additional knowledge sources, or automation. In this way, Copilot evolves from an occasional assistant into an integral part of end-to-end workflows—with tangible benefits for employees and the company.
Contact
With EBF by your side, you’ll benefit from our practical experience. We support companies from the initial AI concept through to secure implementation. This allows you to harness the potential of AI within your organization and in your employees’ day-to-day work—simply, securely, and effectively.
FAQ on Microsoft Copilot Hacks
Meeting and email summaries are often a practical starting point when transcripts or messages are available and IT-level permissions have been clarified.
No. The time saved depends on the task, data quality, the prompt, result verification, and actual usage.
Copilot works with information from the entire corporate context that the individual is authorized to access. Additional systems can even be integrated to provide a 360-degree view—for example, of a customer; see EBF Insight.
No. Generative responses may be incomplete or contain errors. Sources and technical statements must be verified.
No. Sales, IT, Marketing, HR, and management work with different sources, risks, and quality requirements.
A current, searchable database that is properly shared according to access permissions. Without it, even a well-formulated prompt has its limitations.
Organizations should review existing permissions, shares, sites, and sensitive content and implement appropriate Microsoft 365 and Purview controls.
A limited pilot with clear use cases enables targeted feedback, technical adjustments, and role-based empowerment.
