Executive Summary
- Microsoft BizChat might have a clunky name, but it’s a powerful AI tool that taps into your company’s data, offering insights from emails, meetings, and files through a simple chat interface.
- While 365 Copilot supercharges the functionality of Office apps, BizChat shines in one-to-one interactions that help you make sense of your email inbox, meeting schedule, and more.
- With features like email drafting and inbox summaries, BizChat makes everyday tasks a breeze, offering a productivity boost for business users with the Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on license.
Introduction
When it comes to business tools, names can be deceiving.
At first glance, “BizChat” might not sound like the next revolutionary tool for small businesses. In fact, it probably sounds like an abandoned piece of software from the early 2000s.
But don’t let the name fool you.
Microsoft BizChat could quickly become absolutely indispensable for your business, especially if you’re looking to streamline your everyday workflows with a little help from generative AI.
What is Microsoft BizChat?
So, what exactly is Microsoft BizChat?
While the name might give off some clunky enterprise software vibes, this tool is anything but outdated. Quite the opposite, in fact. Microsoft BizChat is potentially one of the most useful additions to the Microsoft 365 Copilot stable of products—and it’s one that could make a real difference to the way you work.
You’re probably tired of hearing about “AI assistants”, but BizChat is probably the closest you can get right now.
Think of it a bit like having ChatGPT plugged into your organisation’s data. So, rather than just asking about general topics from the web, you can actually ask questions about your customers, your email inbox, Teams meetings you’ve had, and more. It can even access your files (properly permissioned, of course) and keep you on top of the most important stuff using a natural language chat interface.
BizChat is also the only place you can currently make use of Copilot Pages, another new feature for 365 Copilot which allows you to take a response from the AI and turn it into a collaborative document to work on in real time with colleagues.
Microsoft BizChat vs. Microsoft 365 Copilot
There’s plenty of confusion around all these new AI-powered tools, so let’s clarify things a bit.
While Microsoft 365 Copilot upgrades the tried and true Office apps—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.—with AI superpowers, BizChat is squarely focused on the one-to-one experience. It’s the chat-focused counterpart to Copilot’s wider functionality.
You can easily flip between your traditional Copilot experience and BizChat with just a click. Choose “Web” to use the familiar chat experience, similar to ChatGPT with live web browsing, or switch to “Work” when you need to dive into a specific project discussion or brainstorming session within BizChat.
From this Work view, BizChat becomes your virtual team-mate to bounce ideas off, while Copilot’s other features continue to work in the background, helping to boost your productivity in individual apps as part of the wider Microsoft 365 Copilot platform.
How to access Microsoft BizChat
Provided you’re already subscribed to Microsoft 365 Copilot via an add-on license, accessing BizChat is a doddle.
Simply click on the Copilot icon within the Microsoft 365 app, or in the upper-right corner of your Outlook inbox, or just navigate directly to BizChat via www.microsoft365.com/copilot.
All users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on license can access these features, making it a pretty seamless addition for businesses already using the suite. No need for extra downloads or integrations—just click, chat, and collaborate. Nice.
5 top tips for getting the most out of Microsoft BizChat
Now that we’ve sold you on the value of BizChat—and you’ve forgiven the team for giving it that name—let’s help you get more out of the tool.
Here are five handy tips or prompts you can try with BizChat to give your everyday a boost.
- Draft follow-up messages from Teams meetings. After a productive Microsoft Teams meeting, ask BizChat to draft a message summarising the key action items for a specific colleague. Simply prompt it with, “Draft a message to [colleague’s name] summarising the next steps from our Teams meeting,” and you’ll get a clear, concise update ready to send.
- Get a summary of your recent Outlook inbox activity. Feeling overwhelmed by a flood of emails? Ask BizChat for a quick rundown of your recent Outlook inbox activity. Use a prompt like, “Summarise my new emails from today,” and BizChat will provide a snapshot of key messages, highlighting important updates and tasks.
- Create instant project plans. Enter a prompt like, “Create a project plan for launching a new product,” and BizChat will generate a structured plan, complete with timelines and task assignments.
- Draft emails quickly. Need to send a follow-up email after a client meeting? Provide BizChat with key points, and it will draft a polished email ready for your review.
- Get smart search results. Use BizChat to search across your shared files by asking questions like, “Show me the latest budget proposal for [client name],” and get instant results from your shared workspace.
Want to jump on board the AI revolution?
If you’re intrigued by what Microsoft 365 and BizChat have to offer, the team at Get Support is here to help.
Whether you’re looking to integrate AI tools into your workflow or simply want to learn more about what’s possible with Microsoft 365 Copilot, ask your Get Support Customer Success Manager for more details today or call our friendly team now on 01865 594000.
