Artificial intelligence (AI) systems have completely changed the game when it comes to workplace technology. Natural language processing models, like ChatGPT, are well-known. However, there are other specific AI integrations for Microsoft 365 features that will significantly improve your workplace efficiency.
| “Often, the biggest reason why businesses who haven’t yet implemented AI are behind the curve is simply because they don’t understand what it can do. There’s so much more that AI solutions can achieve beyond content generation.” – Mario Arjona, Chief of Staff, Outsource Solutions Group |
As your company accrues massive amounts of customer data, it can quickly become unmanageable for humans alone. Specifically, the average organization gathers 60% more data each year, says CloudSecureTech. If this trend continues over several years, AI capabilities will be required to handle it all.
That’s why this article will explore why integrating AI with Microsoft 365 at businesses is a wise idea. We’ll explore which AI tools you can integrate into your 365 environment and what the benefits of doing so would be.
Microsoft Office 365 AI Integrations You Could Use
In Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams incorporates AI through real-time translation and transcription services, intelligent meeting capture, and AI-powered insights. These features facilitate communication across different languages and provide summaries of meetings that highlight important discussions and action items.
The Intelligent Recap feature in Microsoft Teams uses AI to provide automated meeting summaries. Intelligent Recap also highlights important segments of the meeting, which are identified based on AI analysis of the conversation’s content.
These crystal clear meeting insights, and focus on key action items, will help your team become more efficient and enhance user experiences. 70% of workers feel that the biggest waste of time is miscommunication, and both Intelligent Recap notes and translations help you avoid that.
In Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word includes Editor, a feature that uses machine learning to provide advanced proofreading and style suggestions. Additionally, Resume Assistant uses LinkedIn data to help users craft job applications by showing examples and suggested skills based on job listings. Your HR team could also use this tool to draft job postings.
Researcher also helps users find reliable sources and content related to their document within Word. Having this tool will streamline the research process if that’s a key business process at your company.
| Discover More About AI’s Capabilities in Microsoft 365 |
In Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel’s AI functionalities include the Ideas feature, which provides insights by analyzing data trends and suggesting visualizations like charts and pivot tables. Another AI integration is the Data Types tool, which pulls in rich data from various Microsoft sources directly into Excel.
These AI integrations help businesses analyze data more effectively and make informed decisions faster. Automated insights and data integrations also reduce manual data handling, allowing teams to focus on strategic analysis and application instead.
However, since these features pull sensitive data from various protected sources to suggest data-driven insights, there is a potential risk of exposing confidential information during transmissions. Fortunately, this risk is relatively easy to mitigate simply by ensuring that Excel’s data privacy settings are configured to limit how much data is shared with Microsoft.
| Looking for Additional Assistance Keeping Your Microsoft 365 Apps Secure? |
In Microsoft PowerPoint
PowerPoint includes AI-driven tools like Designer and Presenter Coach. Designer suggests high-quality layout and design options, while Presenter Coach offers real-time feedback on presentation delivery. Considering that the average employee takes 1 full hour to create a PowerPoint presentation by hand, these tools can save a significant amount of time.
Therefore, businesses can create high-impact presentations with less effort and train employees to deliver them effectively. This results in enhanced communication skills within teams and more engaging presentations for stakeholders.
In Microsoft Outlook
There are several AI-powered features available with Microsoft Outlook. Let’s look at 3 key features, Focused Inbox, Suggested Replies, and Cortana.
| Feature | Description | Benefits |
| Focused Inbox | Uses AI to sort emails, highlighting those deemed most important based on user interactions. | Reduces email clutter, allowing employees to focus on critical messages. |
| Suggested Replies | Provides quick response options that are generated based on the content of the received email. | Streamlines communication by suggesting relevant replies. |
| Cortana | Uses AI to assist with scheduling by suggesting meeting times and setting reminders from emails. | Enhances organizational efficiency by automating calendar and reminder tasks, reducing the cognitive load on employees. |
In Microsoft SharePoint
SharePoint leverages AI through content management tools that automatically tag and organize content. AI-driven search capabilities enhance the ability to find relevant documents quickly using natural language queries.
With these AI capabilities, businesses can better manage knowledge, enhance compliance through better organized and classified data, and reduce the time employees spend searching for information.
Stay on the Cutting-Edge of AI in Business With Expert Consultants
While all of these features are great, there’s even more that you can do to enhance team collaboration and create more efficient workflows. For instance, adding Microsoft Copilot for productivity can help you get more out of every Microsoft AI feature.
If you’re not sure how, you can trust Outsource Solutions Group’s expert IT consultants to lead the way. We are Microsoft specialists who can also help keep everything in check after you’ve implemented your perfect solution. Our 24/7 network monitoring and IT support will give you additional backup if you need any further assistance.
Contact us today to learn more.
