Microsoft Copilot has the power to transform how businesses work, from drafting emails to generating reports and analysing data. But the secret to unlocking it's real potential is teaching Copilot to understand your business data.
When Copilot has access to the right, well-organised information, it stops being a generic assistant and becomes an expert in your company, your customers, and your projects.
Let's make that happen ↓
Starting off right with Microsoft 365 and SharePoint
Copilot draws insights from the data that your already store across Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive.
Before you start using Copilot, you need to review where your data is stored. If important data across personal drives or external tools, Copilot won't be able to reach it. Centralise any documents that you want Copilot to be able to access, so it's easier for it to understand the context of your business.
Clean up and organise your data
Think of Microsoft Copilot as a new team member — it can only be as good as the information you let it access. If the data is messy, duplicated, or in the wrong place, then the output will be too.
- Review and delete outdated files or multiple versions
- Use consistent naming conventions for documents and folders
- Tag files with metadata, like project name/department/customer
- Spring clean every quarter to help ensure Copilot always pulls accurate data
Manage permissions
Copilot respects your existing M365 permissions, so you'll need to check that people only have permission to the correct data. Copilot won't be able to show someone a file they don't already have access to, which is great for security. But this also means Copilot will be able to seek access to files they didn't know they had permissions to view... imagine an employee asking Copilot about company-wide salaries and Copilot sharing sensitive information, all because the employee had permission to the wrong data.
But importantly, Copilot can't access documents that you don't have permission to access. So, before you rely on Copilot for insights and summaries, make sure it has access to everything it needs.
Connecting external data sources
If your business uses tools like Dynamics 365 or Power BI, you can integrate them with Copilot to learn from your wider ecosystem to give it a much clearer picture of how your business operates. You can also integrate apps outside the Microsoft ecosystem using Copilot Studio, to give access to additional business data.
Use context and prompt for context
Good data is the start, clear instructions come second. You need to use prompts that add context about your company, customers, and ways of working. Give Copilot information as if it's a colleague — it needs context and detail.
You can save prompt templates for your team to reuse too, to save even more time.
Keep testing and improving
Copilot evolves over time, so it'll keep understanding your business. Review responses, refine prompts, and share what works best with your team.
Training Copilot to understand your company isn't about simply giving it more and more data. It's about giving it the right information, in the right place, with the right context.
When you take the time to organise and integrate your data, Copilot can become a productivity partner.
Book one of our AI consultations to start your Copilot journey
