Microsoft's Work Trend Index 2024 survey and report says that people who invest time in getting to know Copilot save themselves 30 minutes a day. That adds up to a saving of approximately ten hours a month, the equivalent of getting back a working day each month. Who wouldn't want a benefit like that?

People cite three ways in which Copilot saves them time:

1. Complete mundane tasks quicker.
2. Conduct time-consuming research faster and more effectively.
3. Leverage AI to boost you more quickly into creative thinking.

These create a virtuous circle. With some time freed up, you focus more on the tasks where you add the most significant value, work becomes more enjoyable, you feel more motivated and creative, and thus, you invest more in new ways of working.

The survey questioned people on what they do differently to get the most out of Copilot and to fulfil their potential. They gave three behaviours that serve them well:

1. Pause before undertaking a task and consider how AI might help.
2. Persist with AI even when the initial results are not too promising.
3. Research and experiment with prompts.

This Byte-size Briefing suggests ways to experiment with Copilot to save time, do your best work and enjoy work more.

Watch the video below to get the Byte-size Briefing. Contents:

Copilot: the proper learning at the right time

A personal discovery of how Copilot is too good a learning tool to ignore. An example of how it provides learning that is just in time, just enough and just for you.

Essentials of Copilot versions

Copilot is constantly changing, and there are too many versions to mention. But this covers the free tools to start with before moving on to a paid version.

Tips on summarising Outlook emails and Teams meetings

Delegating to Copilot

Working with prompts is critical to Copilot's success. What you get out of it depends on how much you put it. 

Prompt best practice

What makes for a "good" or "better" or "best" prompt - what is the difference between them?

Tips for using Copilot to create PowerPoint decks and conduct research

Using frameworks to improve your prompts

We show two frameworks you can use to add invaluable sophistication to your prompts and get the most from Copilot. 

Risks and controls to put in place

AI is such a powerful tool that you almost certainly don't want to ignore it. However, it does make mistakes, and there are risks you should mitigate. You must put guidelines and policies in place and prepare your data environment in advance. 

Contact simon@thefinalstep.co.uk if you are interested in Copilot and have follow-up questions.

Simon Heath
Director, The Final Step