When Microsoft first announced Copilot for Microsoft 365, expectations skyrocketed. AI built directly into Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams, using all your existing Microsoft 365 data! It felt like the future of work had arrived.
The truth today is more balanced: some parts of Copilot are incredibly useful right now, while others are still catching up to the hype.
And if you’re an SMB, knowing the difference matters.
Start Here: Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat (Included at No Extra Cost)
This is the best place for most people to begin.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat—accessible in Teams, the web, and the mobile app—is essentially ChatGPT with full enterprise-grade data protection. You can safely:
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Paste emails
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Upload documents
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Ask questions about your content
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Brainstorm ideas
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Summarize long texts
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Get help writing anything from proposals to internal comms
And because your Microsoft 365 data stays secure, you don’t have the privacy concerns you get with public AI tools.
If you have Microsoft 365, you’re already paying for this, and it’s excellent!
Anyone who writes, plans, communicates, or analyzes information should be using it daily.
The Add-On: Copilot for Microsoft 365 ($40/user/month)
This is the version built directly into Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams.
For some users, it’s great, especially those who:
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Spend hours in meetings
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Need automatic Teams meeting transcripts
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Want quick meeting summaries or action lists
But for most SMBs, the value doesn’t justify the cost yet. The data access and document-grounded answers still feel inconsistent, and advanced features like multilingual meeting transcription struggle (especially here in Montreal, where switching between French and English is the norm).
Our take: This add-on is good for heavy meeting users, but not worth it for most employees.
Where AI Is Already Delivering Big Results
While the add-on matures, other AI tools are already game-changers for SMBs.
1. Writing & Translation
Emails, proposals, and client communication, AI is now an everyday productivity booster.
And if your business works in both French and English, the gains are huge.
2. Summarization
Turn lengthy reports, contracts, or policies into clean, useful summaries in seconds.
3. Brainstorming & Ideation
Marketing ideas, strategic planning, project outlines. AI dramatically speeds up the creative process.
4. Virtual Agents (Chatbots)
Right now, this is one of the most powerful AI applications for SMBs.
By creating an agent connected to specific content, such as client agreements, HR policies, or product documentation. You can ask questions such as:
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“When does Client X’s agreement expire?”
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“What’s our warranty on Product Y?”
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“Where is the procedure for onboarding a new employee?”
No searching, no guessing.
Just instant answers from a controlled data set.
So, Hype or Real Productivity Tool?
Here’s the honest answer:
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Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat (free) → Absolutely worth using today. Secure, powerful, and a huge productivity boost.
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Copilot for Microsoft 365 add-on ($40/user/month) → Useful for meeting-heavy roles, but not yet for everyone.
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Other AI uses (writing, translation, summarization, agents) → Already delivering real business value.
Microsoft has a long track record of improving their products over time, and Copilot will continue to get better. But right now, the smartest strategy for SMBs is to:
– Adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat across the company
– Use AI for writing, communication, and summaries
– Explore virtual agents for document-heavy workflows
