If you’ve tried Copilot and come away thinking ehh it’s useful, but my mind hasn’t been blown, there’s a chance you haven’t experienced the version of Copilot you thought you had. And we’re not trying to be clever and cryptic here, there are actually different versions floating around!
This is because Microsoft uses the Copilot name across a number of products and features, and for many Microsoft 365 users, Copilot is already available in some form. So, it’s understandable that businesses might assume they’ve already tried the full Microsoft 365 Copilot experience. However, there’s a difference between the more basic Copilot experience and Microsoft 365 Copilot. The biggest difference isn’t necessarily what the two can do, it’s what they can see.
Okay now we do sound a bit cryptic… put simply, Copilot Basic can help with the work you have in front of you, while Microsoft 365 Copilot can use the wider context of your work across Microsoft 365.
What is the difference between Copilot Basic and Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Copilot Basic is useful for everyday tasks. You can use it to help rewrite an email, improve a piece of writing, summarise content or get some help with a document you’re working on. For many people, that is super useful as it can save time on small tasks and take some of the effort out of getting started.
The important thing to understand is that Copilot Basic generally works with the information you give it or the content you’re currently working with. It doesn’t automatically have the wider business context surrounding that piece of work. Microsoft 365 Copilot however is designed to go much further. It can work with information across your Microsoft 365 environment, including emails, Teams conversations, meetings, calendar information, files and documents, subject to the permissions already in place. This means it can bring information together rather than helping you work on one item at a time.
What can Copilot Basic vs Microsoft 365 Copilot do?
Of course, we’re not going to list everything as we’d be here all day and who has time with that! But to give you an example; with Copilot Basic, you might give it your meeting notes and ask it to tidy them up or help you create an agenda. It can work with what you’ve provided and help you make something useful from it.
Microsoft 365 Copilot has access to a much broader pool of relevant information. It could potentially help you pull together previous emails, Teams conversations, meeting information and related documents, giving you a much fuller picture of the relationship and the work that has already taken place. The request might be very similar, but the information available to answer it is very different.
What can Copilot Basic help you with?
We’re not here to tell you that Copilot Basic is terrible and that you need to make the switch immediately. In fact, for some people Copilot Basic works create and might be all you need! It can be particularly helpful for individual tasks such as rewriting an email, improving the wording of a document, summarising something you’re reading or turning rough notes into something more polished. It can also be useful when you know roughly what you want to say but aren’t quite sure how to say it. We’ve all had those days when an email that should take five minutes somehow takes half an hour.
The limitation comes when you want Copilot to understand the background behind what you’re doing. Copilot Basic doesn’t automatically know about the conversation you had with a customer last week, what was agreed in a meeting yesterday or which document contains the latest version of a proposal unless that information is provided to it. That means it can be a very useful assistant for individual tasks, but it has less of the wider picture stuff.
What can Microsoft 365 Copilot do differently?
This wider access means you can ask for way more help. For example, instead of asking Copilot to rewrite something you’ve already written, you can ask questions that require it to find and connect information from different places. You might ask it to summarise recent emails and Teams conversations about a particular project, identify the actions from a meeting, find the latest version of a proposal or help you prepare for an upcoming customer meeting using the information available across Microsoft 365. That’s a very different proposition from asking an AI tool to turn your jumbled collection of thoughts into a coherent email.
Why are some businesses underwhelmed by Copilot?
This is where we’re seeing some confusion about Copilot. A business may have tried the version of Copilot available to its users and found that, while it was handy, it didn’t really knock their socks off and feel like something that would transform the way people work. That’s a perfectly reasonable conclusion if you’ve only used Copilot for rewriting emails and summarising documents.
The problem is that businesses can end up judging the potential of Microsoft 365 Copilot based on an experience that doesn’t include its wider Microsoft 365 context. It’s a little like trying a sat-nav by asking it to tell you how to get from one end of a street to the other and then deciding it isn’t particularly useful. You’re technically using it, but you’re not really testing what it can do. The value of Microsoft 365 Copilot becomes much more obvious when you start using it to find, connect and summarise information that would otherwise require you to search through multiple emails, meetings, conversations and documents yourself.
What about security and permissions?
The idea of an AI tool being able to work across company information can (and absolutely should!) raise questions about security. Microsoft 365 Copilot works within the permissions and security controls already applied to your Microsoft 365 environment. It doesn’t give a user access to files or information they wouldn’t otherwise be able to access. However, that makes it important to look at your existing permissions and information management before rolling it out more widely.
If files have been shared with people who don’t really need access to them, for example, Copilot can potentially make that information easier for those users to find. The underlying issue isn’t Copilot itself; it’s the permissions that were already in place. For businesses thinking about using Microsoft 365 Copilot, it’s worth making sure your Microsoft 365 environment is well organised and that access to sensitive information is being managed appropriately. If you’re not sure how to do that, don’t panic as we’ve got a guide you can use right here.
Is Microsoft 365 Copilot worth it?
This is a “how long is a piece of string” type question as there isn’t a single answer to this, and not every business needs the paid version. If you mainly want help writing emails, improving documents, summarising content and tackling everyday tasks, Copilot Basic may give you everything you need. If your teams spend a significant amount of time searching through emails, Teams conversations, meetings and documents to find information, Microsoft 365 Copilot could offer considerably more value. The important thing is to understand what you’re actually using before deciding whether Copilot has lived up to the hype.
It’s also worth thinking about the type of work you want AI to help with. If you’re looking for a writing assistant, the basic version may be perfectly adequate. If you want something that can help you make sense of the information already sitting across your Microsoft 365 environment, the full Microsoft 365 Copilot is going to be the better choice.
TL; DR
The main difference between Copilot Basic and Microsoft 365 Copilot is the amount of context they can work with. Copilot Basic is useful for tasks such as rewriting, summarising and improving content you’re working on. Microsoft 365 Copilot can go further by working with information across Microsoft 365, including emails, Teams, meetings, files and documents, based on your existing permissions. That wider context means it can help with more complex tasks, such as preparing for meetings, finding information and bringing together conversations and documents.
For some users, Copilot Basic will be enough. For businesses looking to use AI across their everyday Microsoft 365 workflows, the full Microsoft 365 Copilot can offer considerably more.
Want to discuss Copilot or any other aspect of your IT setup? Then book a free, no obligation chat with Mark to talk about how we could work together! It’s a chance to talk through your needs and get you on the path to finding the right IT support for your business.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Copilot Basic and Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Copilot Basic is designed to help with individual tasks, such as rewriting text, summarising content and improving documents. Microsoft 365 Copilot can work with information across your Microsoft 365 environment, including emails, Teams, meetings, files and documents, subject to your existing permissions.
Is Microsoft 365 Copilot better than Copilot Basic?
It depends on what you want to use it for. Copilot Basic can be perfectly suitable if you mainly need help with writing, summarising and individual tasks. Microsoft 365 Copilot offers more advanced capabilities because it can use a wider range of information from across Microsoft 365.
Can Microsoft 365 Copilot read my emails and Teams messages?
Microsoft 365 Copilot can work with emails, Teams messages, meetings and other Microsoft 365 information that the user already has permission to access. It does not override existing permissions or give users access to information they couldn’t normally access.
Do I need a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence?
It depends! The basic Copilot experience may be enough if you only want help with tasks such as writing and summarising. A Microsoft 365 Copilot licence is more relevant if you want to use AI to work across your Microsoft 365 data and help with tasks that require wider business context.
Is Microsoft 365 Copilot safe for business use?
Microsoft 365 Copilot is designed to work within your existing Microsoft 365 security and permissions. However, businesses should still review their permissions, file sharing and information management before introducing it, particularly if sensitive information is stored across Microsoft 365.