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Practical tips & guides

Practical ways to use Copilot and AI at work.

Here you will find practical guides, copy-ready prompt templates and training for Microsoft Copilot and AI at work. Start with something simple and build on it when you need to.

Guides and prompt templates are free to use straight away. Training is for companies where more people need to get started.

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20 prompts match

  • Reply to a long email

    Get a clear reply to a long thread.

    Category:
    Email
    Tool:
    OutlookMicrosoft 365 Copilot

  • Make my email shorter

    Shortens and clarifies your own text.

    Category:
    Email
    Tool:
    OutlookWord

  • Follow up a proposal

    A friendly reminder that is not pushy.

    Category:
    Email, Sales
    Tool:
    Outlook

  • Meeting agenda

    A clear agenda with a goal.

    Category:
    Meetings
    Tool:
    TeamsOutlookMicrosoft 365 Copilot

  • Notes to summary

    Turn rough notes into a shareable summary.

    Category:
    Meetings
    Tool:
    TeamsWord

  • Advisory customer questions

    Questions that help customers describe their needs.

    Category:
    Sales, Meetings
    Tool:
    Microsoft 365 Copilot

  • The customer's perspective

    See your offer the way the customer does.

    Category:
    Sales
    Tool:
    Microsoft 365 Copilot

  • Prepare prospecting

    Structures what you want to know about a company.

    Category:
    Sales
    Tool:
    Microsoft 365 Copilot

  • Explain a formula

    Understand an Excel formula you have been given.

    Category:
    Data & analysis
    Tool:
    Excel

  • Find outliers

    Highlights values that stand out.

    Category:
    Data & analysis
    Tool:
    Excel

  • From figures to conclusions

    Makes an analysis understandable to others.

    Category:
    Data & analysis
    Tool:
    ExcelWord

  • Monthly report

    A structure for a recurring report.

    Category:
    Documents
    Tool:
    Word

  • Make a text easy to read

    Simpler language for more readers.

    Category:
    Documents
    Tool:
    Word

  • Weekly plan

    Prioritise a packed week.

    Category:
    Planning
    Tool:
    Microsoft 365 Copilot

  • Project plan in steps

    Breaks a project into manageable parts.

    Category:
    Planning
    Tool:
    WordMicrosoft 365 Copilot

  • Ask me first

    Lets Copilot ask questions before answering.

    Category:
    Getting started
    Tool:
    Microsoft 365 Copilot

  • Create a presentation outline

    Helps you structure a presentation around your audience, message and desired outcome.

    Category:
    Presentations
    Tool:
    PowerPointWord

  • Your weekly command centre

    Helps you prioritise your working week based on emails, meetings and tasks.

    Category:
    Planning
    Tool:
    Microsoft 365 Copilot

  • Smart email prioritisation

    Finds the most important emails and prepares suggested replies.

    Category:
    Email
    Tool:
    OutlookMicrosoft 365 Copilot

  • Meeting analysis and next steps

    Turns meeting information into decisions, owners and concrete actions.

    Category:
    Meetings
    Tool:
    TeamsMicrosoft 365 Copilot

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Getting started with Microsoft Copilot Chat

Copilot Chat is a chat where you use plain words to ask for help writing, summarising, explaining or thinking something through.Reading time: about 6 minutes

Suitable for

Anyone who has not used Copilot before, or has only tried it once or twice.

You will learn

  • what Copilot Chat is and is not
  • how it differs from Microsoft 365 Copilot
  • how to ask your first useful question

Requirements

Copilot Chat usually requires signing in with a work or school account. What Copilot Chat can reach differs from Microsoft 365 Copilot, a separate licence with access to organisational data – if your administrator has enabled it and you have permission.

Step by step

  1. 1.Open Copilot Chat in your browser or the Microsoft 365 app and sign in with your work account.
  2. 2.Check whether it shows that the chat is protected for your work account. Ask IT if you are unsure.
  3. 3.Pick a task you already do, such as drafting a reply or structuring a text.
  4. 4.Describe what you want, give context and say how the answer should look.
  5. 5.Ask follow-up questions – shorter, clearer or a different tone – until it works.

Example from working life

A project manager pastes in their own notes from a meeting and asks Copilot Chat for a clear five-point summary to send to the team.

Prompt to copy

I work as a [role] at a [type of company]. Help me [task]. Here is the material: [text]. Answer as [format, e.g. five bullet points] in a factual, friendly tone.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming Copilot Chat can automatically see your email or files
  • A short question with no context
  • Not asking follow-up questions

Information security

Do not paste sensitive personal data, contracts or customer data into a tool your organisation has not approved. Follow company guidelines and GDPR.

Official Microsoft source (external site)

Overview of Microsoft Copilot Chat – Microsoft Learn ↗

Source: Microsoft Learn · verified 17 October 2026

How to write better prompts

A prompt is the instruction you give Copilot. Four parts make the biggest difference: goal, context, source material and desired result.Reading time: about 5 minutes

Suitable for

Anyone using Copilot who wants more accurate answers.

You will learn

  • the four parts of a good prompt
  • how to improve a weak answer
  • when to start again

Requirements

Works in Copilot Chat and in Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Step by step

  1. 1.Goal: state what you want to achieve. “I want a draft of…”
  2. 2.Context: why, for whom and in what situation.
  3. 3.Source material: which text, document or facts Copilot should work from.
  4. 4.Desired result: length, format and tone.
  5. 5.Read the answer, ask for adjustments and check the facts.

Example from working life

Weak: “Rewrite this.” Better: “Rewrite the text below as a short customer email of no more than 120 words. The recipient is a purchasing manager who wants to know the next step. Keep all dates.”

Prompt to copy

Goal: [what you want to achieve]. Context: [who it is for and why]. Material: [text or facts]. Result: [format, length and tone]. If anything is unclear, ask me before you answer.

Common mistakes

  • Several different tasks in one prompt
  • No source material – so Copilot guesses
  • Accepting the first answer

Information security

Do not paste sensitive personal data, contracts or customer data into a tool your organisation has not approved. Follow company guidelines and GDPR.

Official Microsoft source (external site)

Get started writing prompts – Microsoft Support ↗

Source: Microsoft Support · verified 17 October 2026

Write clearer, more personal customer emails

Let Copilot produce a first draft and spend your own time on what is personal and correct.Reading time: about 5 minutes

Suitable for

Salespeople, account managers and anyone who writes many customer emails.

You will learn

  • how to give Copilot the right material
  • how to steer tone and length
  • what you must always check yourself

Requirements

In Copilot Chat you write the draft and paste it into Outlook. Copilot directly in Outlook requires a licence and the feature to be enabled in your organisation.

Step by step

  1. 1.Write the purpose of the email in one sentence.
  2. 2.Add what you know about the recipient and your last contact.
  3. 3.Ask for a short draft with a clear next step.
  4. 4.Adjust the tone: more personal, shorter or more formal.
  5. 5.Read it through, check names, dates and figures, and send it yourself.

Example from working life

After a first meeting, an account manager asks for a thank-you email summarising the customer's three needs and proposing two times for the next call.

Prompt to copy

Write a short, personal email to [name, role] at [company]. Purpose: [purpose]. We last discussed [topic]. Propose the next step: [proposal]. Maximum 120 words, warm but professional.

Common mistakes

  • Sending the draft without reading it
  • Generic phrases that do not sound like you
  • Wrong names or dates

Information security

Do not paste sensitive personal data, contracts or customer data into a tool your organisation has not approved. Follow company guidelines and GDPR.

Official Microsoft source (external site)

Draft an email message with Copilot in Outlook – Microsoft Support ↗

Source: Microsoft Support · verified 17 October 2026

Would you like to use this way of working across the company?

See the training: Copilot for sales and CRM

Prepare customer meetings with Copilot

Good preparation means understanding the customer and asking better questions. Copilot can help you structure it.Reading time: about 6 minutes

Suitable for

Salespeople, consultants and account managers before first or follow-up meetings.

You will learn

  • how to pull together what you know
  • how to create advisory questions
  • how to prepare a simple agenda

Requirements

Works in Copilot Chat with material you paste in yourself. In some environments Microsoft 365 Copilot can use email and files you have access to, but only with a licence and permissions.

Step by step

  1. 1.Gather what you know: public information, previous contacts and your own notes.
  2. 2.Ask Copilot to summarise the situation and list what is unclear.
  3. 3.Ask for five open questions that help the customer describe their needs.
  4. 4.Create a short agenda with a goal for the meeting.
  5. 5.Check that facts about the customer are correct before the meeting.

Example from working life

Before meeting a manufacturer, a salesperson prepares questions about the customer's lead times and capacity instead of opening with their own offer.

Prompt to copy

I am meeting a [role] at [company] in [industry]. This is what I know: [notes]. Give me a short summary, three things I need to find out and five open, advisory questions.

Common mistakes

  • Trusting customer facts without a source
  • Questions that only lead to yes or no
  • Too much self-presentation in the agenda

Information security

Do not paste sensitive personal data, contracts or customer data into a tool your organisation has not approved. Follow company guidelines and GDPR.

Official Microsoft source (external site)

Get started writing prompts – Microsoft Support ↗

Source: Microsoft Support · verified 17 October 2026

Would you like to use this way of working across the company?

See the training: Copilot for sales and CRM

Summarise meetings and create an action plan in Teams

After the meeting it should be clear what was decided, what is open and who does what.Reading time: about 5 minutes

Suitable for

Anyone who leads or attends meetings in Teams.

You will learn

  • how to capture decisions and open questions
  • how to build an action plan
  • what affects whether the feature is available

Requirements

Copilot in Teams meetings requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence and often that the meeting is transcribed or recorded. Availability depends on licence, administrator settings and meeting settings. Without it, paste your own notes into Copilot Chat.

Step by step

  1. 1.Turn on transcription if your organisation allows it, and inform attendees.
  2. 2.Ask Copilot for decisions, open questions and next steps.
  3. 3.Ask for an action plan as a table: task, owner, date.
  4. 4.Review the table and correct owners and dates.
  5. 5.Send the plan to attendees.

Example from working life

A management meeting ends with a six-point action plan shared in the channel the same day.

Prompt to copy

Summarise the meeting in three parts: decisions, open questions and next steps. Then create a table with the columns Task, Owner and Due by.

Common mistakes

  • Recording without informing people
  • Assuming the summary is complete
  • Letting Copilot assign responsibilities nobody agreed to

Information security

Transcripts and recordings contain personal data. Follow your internal rules and inform attendees.

Official Microsoft source (external site)

Catch up on meetings with Copilot in Teams – Microsoft Support ↗

Source: Microsoft Support · verified 17 October 2026

Would you like to use this way of working across the company?

See the training: Copilot in the working day

Create and improve documents in Word

Use Copilot for the first draft, structure and language – and keep responsibility for the content.Reading time: about 5 minutes

Suitable for

Anyone writing proposals, reports, procedures or other documents.

You will learn

  • how to create a first draft
  • how to improve existing text
  • how to review the result

Requirements

Copilot in Word requires a licence and the feature to be enabled. Without it, work on the text in Copilot Chat and paste it into Word.

Step by step

  1. 1.Describe the document's purpose, audience and structure.
  2. 2.Ask for a first draft with headings.
  3. 3.Select a paragraph and ask for a clearer or shorter version.
  4. 4.Ask for a summary at the top.
  5. 5.Check facts, figures and wording before the document is used.

Example from working life

A finance lead turns a long internal procedure into a two-page document with bullet lists and a short summary.

Prompt to copy

Create a draft [type of document] for [audience]. Purpose: [purpose]. Use the headings [headings]. Keep the language simple and factual, no more than [number] pages.

Common mistakes

  • Letting Copilot invent facts
  • Documents that are too long
  • Forgetting to adapt to the reader

Information security

Do not paste sensitive personal data, contracts or customer data into a tool your organisation has not approved. Follow company guidelines and GDPR.

Official Microsoft source (external site)

Draft and add content with Copilot in Word – Microsoft Support ↗

Source: Microsoft Support · verified 17 October 2026

Would you like to use this way of working across the company?

See the training: Copilot in the working day

Analyse data in Excel with AI

Copilot can help you spot patterns, create formulas and suggest charts – if the data is structured.Reading time: about 6 minutes

Suitable for

Anyone working with sales figures, budgets or follow-up in Excel.

You will learn

  • how to prepare data
  • which questions give useful answers
  • how to check the result

Requirements

Copilot in Excel requires a licence and the feature to be enabled. Available features can vary between versions and environments, and the file often needs to be saved in OneDrive or SharePoint.

Step by step

  1. 1.Format the data as a table with clear column headings.
  2. 2.Ask about trends, outliers or comparisons.
  3. 3.Ask for a formula and an explanation of it.
  4. 4.Ask for a chart that shows what matters most.
  5. 5.Check a few values manually before drawing conclusions.

Example from working life

A sales manager asks which three customer segments grew most compared with the previous quarter and gets a suggested bar chart.

Prompt to copy

Analyse the table. Show the three largest changes between [period A] and [period B] by [column]. Briefly explain possible reasons and suggest a chart.

Common mistakes

  • Unstructured data with merged cells
  • Drawing conclusions without checking
  • Confusing correlation with cause

Information security

Do not paste sensitive personal data, contracts or customer data into a tool your organisation has not approved. Follow company guidelines and GDPR.

Official Microsoft source (external site)

Get started with Copilot in Excel – Microsoft Support ↗

Source: Microsoft Support · verified 17 October 2026

Would you like to use this way of working across the company?

See the training: Copilot for analysis and reporting

Create a presentation with Copilot and PowerPoint

Let Copilot produce a first structure so you can spend your time on the message.Reading time: about 5 minutes

Suitable for

Anyone who needs a presentation quickly, internally or for a customer.

You will learn

  • how to give Copilot a clear message
  • how to create a first version
  • what you should always adjust yourself

Requirements

Copilot in PowerPoint requires a licence and the feature to be enabled. Starting from an existing document requires access to that file.

Step by step

  1. 1.Decide the message in one sentence.
  2. 2.Ask for a structure of 6–8 slides.
  3. 3.Start from your own document if the feature is available.
  4. 4.Shorten the text on each slide.
  5. 5.Review slides, facts and your company template before presenting.

Example from working life

A marketing lead creates a first seven-slide draft of a quarterly review from their own report.

Prompt to copy

Create a presentation of [number] slides on [topic] for [audience]. Key message: [message]. Each slide should have a heading and no more than three short points.

Common mistakes

  • Too much text per slide
  • Slides that ignore the company's brand
  • Not checking figures

Information security

Do not paste sensitive personal data, contracts or customer data into a tool your organisation has not approved. Follow company guidelines and GDPR.

Official Microsoft source (external site)

Create a new presentation with Copilot in PowerPoint – Microsoft Support ↗

Source: Microsoft Support · verified 17 October 2026

Would you like to use this way of working across the company?

See the training: Copilot in the working day

Training for companies

The guides help you get started on your own. When several people in the company need to use Copilot and AI better, the content can be tailored to your real work tasks.

Durations are Next Case's suggested formats and are adapted to your organisation.

Getting started with Copilot

A confident start for anyone who wants to understand what Copilot can be used for day to day.

Audience
Employees new to Copilot
Level
Beginner
Duration
about 2 hours

Learning goals

  • understand the difference between Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot
  • write prompts with goal, context, material and result
  • review answers critically
  • know what should not be shared with the tool

Modules

Copilot Chat and the basics · prompting · critical evaluation of sources · practical exercises

Practical case

Participants take a recurring task of their own and improve it with Copilot during the session.

Afterwards

Participants have tried Copilot on their own tasks and know how to carry on.

Requirements

Access to Copilot Chat with a work account.

You take away

A personal prompt card and a review checklist.
Ask about the training

Copilot in the working day

How Copilot can support meetings, email, documents and presentations in Microsoft 365.

Audience
Employees and managers who use Microsoft 365 daily
Level
Foundation / intermediate
Duration
about 3 hours

Learning goals

  • use Copilot in Outlook for email
  • summarise meetings and create action plans in Teams
  • create and improve documents in Word
  • build a first presentation in PowerPoint
  • understand how licences and permissions affect features

Modules

Outlook · Teams · Word · PowerPoint · meetings and information flows

Practical case

From a real meeting to a summary, follow-up email and short presentation.

Afterwards

Participants have taken one of their own meetings from notes to follow-up and know which parts they can use.

Requirements

A Microsoft 365 Copilot licence is recommended. Content is adapted to what is available in your environment.

You take away

A meeting and document workflow you can use immediately.
Ask about the training

Copilot for sales and CRM

Better preparation, advisory conversations and clearer follow-up with Copilot's support.

Audience
Salespeople and account managers
Level
Foundation / intermediate
Duration
about 3 hours

Learning goals

  • prepare customer meetings in a structured way
  • create advisory questions
  • write personal customer emails
  • follow up meetings clearly
  • understand what Copilot can do in Dynamics 365 where the environment supports it

Modules

prospecting · customer meetings · advisory questions · customer emails · follow-up · Dynamics 365 where the customer's environment supports it

Practical case

Participants prepare and follow up a real or realistic customer case.

Afterwards

Participants have prepared and followed up a customer meeting with Copilot and have templates to continue with.

Requirements

Copilot Chat is enough for the basics. The Dynamics 365 part requires the features to be available in your environment.

You take away

Prompt templates for preparation, email and follow-up.
Ask about the training

Copilot for analysis and reporting

From data to understandable conclusions in Excel and reports.

Audience
Controllers, analysts and managers who follow up figures
Level
Intermediate
Duration
about 3 hours

Learning goals

  • structure data so Copilot can work with it
  • ask analytical questions
  • create and understand formulas
  • present insights in tables and charts
  • separate fact from interpretation

Modules

Excel · data quality · insights and analysis · tables · reports · conclusions

Practical case

Participants analyse their own or an anonymised dataset and produce a short report.

Afterwards

Participants have completed their own analysis and know how to check that the figures are right.

Requirements

Copilot in Excel requires a licence and the feature to be enabled.

You take away

A report template and a data quality checklist.
Ask about the training

Copilot for managers and leadership

How AI can support decision material, meetings and follow-up – and which rules are needed for how AI is used.

Audience
Managers and leaders
Level
Foundation
Duration
about 2 hours

Learning goals

  • produce clearer decision material
  • structure meetings and follow-up
  • plan with Copilot's support
  • set boundaries for responsible AI use

Modules

decision material · meeting structure · planning · performance follow-up · governance · responsible AI

Practical case

A real piece of decision material is improved and discussed in terms of risks and review.

Afterwards

Participants have a first draft of how AI should be used and reviewed in their own organisation.

Requirements

Copilot Chat. More modules if the organisation has Microsoft 365 Copilot.

You take away

Draft guidelines for AI use in your own organisation.
Ask about the training

Agents and automation

An in-depth look at how Copilot agents and Copilot Studio can support recurring processes.

Audience
Business developers, IT and key users
Level
Advanced
Duration
about 4 hours

Learning goals

  • understand what a Copilot agent is
  • see how Copilot Studio can be used
  • choose suitable knowledge sources
  • describe a process that suits an agent
  • understand permissions and limitations

Modules

Copilot agents · Copilot Studio · knowledge sources · processes · permissions · usage limits

Practical case

Participants sketch an agent for one of their own processes and review risks and permissions.

Afterwards

Participants know whether an agent suits the process and what is needed before anything is built.

Requirements

Copilot Studio requires a licence and permissions. Content is adapted to your environment and IT guidelines.

You take away

A process map and requirements list for a possible agent.
Ask about the training

Next Case's training is independent and is not sponsored, authorised or approved by Microsoft. Microsoft and Copilot are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

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An introduction to Copilot and a practical prompt pack to get going.

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A tailored workshop based on employees' roles and real work tasks.

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Mapping, training and ongoing support when AI is to be used in everyday work, not just tried out.

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