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Do you feel like AI tools are just another promise: full of potential but never quite delivering in your daily workflow? Well, you’re in good company. Many teams I work with have dipped a toe in, tried a few prompts, and ended up wondering, ‘Is this really worth the effort?’
Over my 25 years in the IT industry, I’ve helped many businesses navigate this exact challenge. Regardless of the organisation's size, I’ve seen firsthand – both through my own experience and my clients – how transformative the right approach to AI can be.
This latest Copilot update isn’t just a refresh: it’s a reimagining of how AI can (and should) integrate seamlessly into the way you work every day. Today, I’ll walk you through why this matters, what’s changed, and most importantly, how you can start to take full advantage of your Copilot license today.
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What This Blog Covers:
- Where Curiosity Ends and Real Change Begins
- The Three Game-Changers: Notebooks, Create, and Agent Store
- Ready to Get Started? Here’s What to Do Next
- Looking Ahead: Get Ready for the Next Wave of Innovation
- It’s Time to Turn Potential into Progress
Where Curiosity Ends and Real Change Begins
Since it launched in 2023, Copilot has been the shiny new AI toy in the tech space. However, while many businesses can appreciate that this solution is a game-changer when it comes to AI-assisted productivity, most haven’t unlocked its true potential. They dabble in basic prompts – “let’s see what it does if I type this” — and test its basic capabilities, but few have actually changed how they work because of it. Understandably so, as there is only so much time you can spend figuring out all the features and still getting your work done.
The latest Copilot app update changes that. This refresh marks a new chapter: one that sees Copilot shifting from an interesting AI add-on to an indispensable productivity powerhouse.
Microsoft appreciates the fact that adoption isn’t just about giving people new tools — it’s about making those tools easier to find, understand, and embed into real workflows. In a nutshell, they have consolidated Copilot features like chat agents, notebooks, and document context awareness into one unified, deeply integrated experience.
Why Copilot Isn’t Just Another AI App
One of the questions I get asked all the time is “What makes Copilot different from all the other AI tools out there?” This is fair enough because there are a myriad of fantastic tools in the market — ChatGPT, Claude, Midjourney, you name it. But the thing with Copilot is this: It’s not just great at one thing. It’s good at everything. Now, you no longer need an extensive IT stack full of apps that do one thing or the other — just one, well-trained Copilot.
Need help with Excel formulas? It’s there. What about writing customer comms? No problem. Perhaps making sense of a 20-page strategy deck? There you go – anything else? It pays to be a generalist: Copilot has mastered this – with the added benefit of being embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem you already use.
Redefining What Productivity Software Can Do
This is not to say that the original version of Copilot was subpar – from its inception, Copilot’s feature set has been groundbreaking. I’ve found that the issue was user behaviour. Even after adoption, many organisations were still thinking in traditional ways and manually creating documents and hunting for data – thus driving the need for an update.
I often say Copilot isn’t meant to replace your work, it’s meant to reshape it. And by “reshape”, I mean making your work faster, smarter, and less repetitive.
The new app pulls together all of Copilot’s most powerful tools in one place, with clear prompts, guidance, and templates that encourage users (of all experience levels) to think with Copilot rather than before or after it. And honestly speaking, that’s the one thing that’s been missing.
The Three Game-Changers: Notebooks, Create, and Agent Store
So, what exactly does this update I’m raving about look like in practice? Let’s unpack the key features that I believe have taken productivity to new heights:
1. Copilot Notebooks: Your Personal AI Command Centre
Starting with my personal favourite: the new notebook experience. Imagine having an AI assistant that understands every nook and cranny of your workflow – that’s exactly what Copilot Notebooks does. You can pull in content from across your organisation — documents, chats, websites, and soon, OneNote notebooks — and then dissect that information in one place.
For me, it’s been a lifesaver when consolidating insights from scattered data sources (which let’s face it, we all spend a lot of time doing). I’m able to pull in everything I need, then ask Copilot questions across those sources to help me make clear and strategic recommendations in a much shorter amount of time. By being context-aware and task-focused, Copilot Notebooks ensures I don’t miss anything.
2. Copilot Create: Where Creativity Meets Context
From robotic copy to nightmarish images, we’ve all seen AI content go awry at some point. Using generative tools to create content isn’t new, but Copilot Create is different because it’s a much more personalised experience. By understanding your tone of voice and personal brand, so to speak, it delivers content that is more meaningful, contextual, and needs a lot less fixing.
Whether it’s documents, surveys, presentations, or even quizzes, Copilot Create now generates tailored content that’s already aligned with your voice. You would then spend more time editing than sitting in front of a blank screen with a cursor blinking aggressively at you. (In case you were wondering, this blog is not, in fact, AI-generated – we still value human-to-human communication – but it could have been!)
3. Agent Store: From Templates to Tailored Automations
Last but certainly not least, I like to call this one the “secret agent” of the new Copilot app — and for good reason. The Agent Store is still relatively underused, but it might be the most transformative feature yet. It gives you ready-made templates for things like research assistants, data analysts, and even writing coaches (because AI is here to help – or in this case, enhance – not replace after all).
As you might’ve guessed, these templates are a starting point: you can customise them to fit your business needs, or build entirely new agents around your own internal processes. Want to automate competitor tracking? Draft performance reviews? Have an agent that reminds teams of project milestones? You can build it and hit the ground running.
Ready to Get Started? Here’s What to Do Next
While the latest app update has made Copilot as user-friendly as it's ever been, you still need to embrace the learning curve. It may sound cliché, but being a lifelong learner is what is going to help you stay on top of emerging trends. Rest assured, this will not be the last update.
My advice would be to check out the Copilot Academy: Microsoft’s guided training resource. It’s particularly essential for less tech-savvy users. Short, focused training sessions can make the difference between stagnation and transformation.
Navigating any new tech solution can be daunting to say the least: encourage a growth mindset shift across your organisation. Instead of falling into old patterns of behaviour (i.e., manual workflows), start by thinking, “Can Copilot do this first?”
Looking Ahead: Get Ready for the Next Wave of Innovation
This new app is the foundation for something even bigger. I mentioned earlier that this won’t be the last update. The next one is on the horizon: Microsoft is rolling out updates to OneNote soon.
Those of you who have iOS devices will be pleased to know that Microsoft has even developed a dedicated Mac app. All of these improvements have been made to create a truly adaptive AI experience that meets users where they are and helps them go even further.
As it stands, we’re just scratching the surface of what Copilot can do. But if 90% of users start engaging at the same level as the top 10%, the productivity gains will be exponential.
It’s Time to Turn Potential into Progress
You’re not alone if you feel overwhelmed or hesitant about where to begin. Every professional today is learning how to integrate AI in a way that feels natural and meaningful. But the best part is that you’ve already got the right tools in front of you (and a trusted partner, like Babble, to help you).
Remember, the biggest challenge most teams face isn’t with the technology itself – but understanding how to make the most of it. Many people are still stuck doing things the long way: searching manually, creating from scratch, and doing repetitive tasks.
I’m here to help you reimagine your day-to-day work with Microsoft 365. I’ve seen how much time, clarity, and impact Copilot can unlock when you start using it the way it was meant to be used.
But don’t take my word for it. Open Copilot today, choose one feature — like Notebooks or the Agent Store — and put it to work on something real. Even small steps forward can build confidence quickly.
