Unlocking Productivity with Microsoft Copilot: A Year in Review

As a Managed Services Provider and Microsoft AI Partner, Systems Engineering began its Microsoft Copilot journey over a year ago. Since then, we've gained firsthand experience using AI to streamline work, enhance productivity, and strengthen governance. This blog shares our path—what we tested, what's worked, and what comes next. 

Starting Smart: Pilot Program and Data Preparation

We began by provisioning a small number of M365 Copilot licenses for our software team. This allowed us to explore Copilot's functionality in a controlled environment and understand its integration with Microsoft 365 apps. From the outset, data security and governance were priorities. We audited SharePoint data permissions to reduce the risk of exposing sensitive information—laying the groundwork for responsible use.

We then developed an internal AI policy to guide employee usage across the business. This policy sets expectations for ethical, secure, and productive engagement with Copilot and future AI tools.

Expanding Usage Across Departments

As our confidence grew, we expanded access across teams. A survey of these users showed a wide range of practical applications that saved time and improved output. Here are some examples of how our employees are using Microsoft Copilot today:

Email Management 

• Email Prioritization: Search and prioritize those emails you need to respond to.  
• Email Composition: Simplify and rewrite longer emails for clarity. 
• Email Summarization: Create summaries from long email chains. 
• Quickly Draft Emails: Assist in drafting emails efficiently and professionally. 

Meeting Management 

• Meeting Summaries: Summarize and organize communications, notes, and documentation from meetings. 
• Action Item Highlights: Highlight action items and keep records of meetings. 
• Note-Taking: Transcribe and take notes during meetings. 
• Create a Meeting From an Email: Create a meeting with a suggested agenda and relevant attachments. 

Document and Content Creation 

• PowerPoint: Generate presentations from documents. 
• Teams: Assist in generating quizzes, curriculum, and presentations. 
• Word, OneNote, Loop: Rewrite and structure draft notes for sharing. 
• Copilot Chat: Aid in brainstorming, drafting content, and improving writing. 

Technical and Research Assistance 

• Excel Automation: Break down complex reports, add calculated columns, and visualize trends without writing formulas.
• Research: Provide technical answers and help generate procedures. 
• File Search: Search for files, chats, emails, and other content in your Microsoft tenant. 

These examples reflect real productivity gains—whether simplifying communication, organizing thoughts, or cutting down on repetitive tasks.

What's Next: AI Agents 

Looking ahead, Microsoft has declared 2025 the “Year of the Agent”—a reference to the emerging use of customized and shared AI agents. These agents, built-in Copilot Studio, are designed to automate tasks and extend Copilot's capabilities across the organization.

At Systems Engineering, we've been ahead of this trend. Over the past year, we've enhanced our internal “HelpHub” agent—an AI tool built to support our service teams. HelpHub accesses time-sensitive information from trusted systems, enabling employees to get answers fast. It's become an invaluable part of daily work, used across departments.

Advice for Getting Started

If your organization is holding back from adopting M365 Copilot or other AI tools, now is the time to act. The learning curve is real—but so are the rewards. Don't let the lack of a measurable ROI stall you. This will come with time.

Here is our advice to get started:

• Start with a clear plan and identify where Copilot can help.
• Understand your data and audit access permissions.
• Develop an AI Acceptable Use policy to guide responsible behavior.
• Don’t wait for perfect ROI—value will become clearer over time.

Currently, one-third of our employee-owners use Copilot daily, and this number is rising. We're now focusing on expanding Copilot agents, improving data governance with Microsoft Purview, and training teams to adopt best practices.

At Systems Engineering, we're not only leveraging Copilot to improve our performance—we're using these lessons to help our clients adopt AI in a secure, intentional, and value-driven way.

Michael Hynes, Software Manager at Systems Engineering since 2004, brings 25+ years of IT experience spanning development, architecture, and business solutions. He leads AI innovation, including Copilot for Microsoft 365, ensuring client success in every project. Based in Maine, Michael enjoys museums and creative pursuits.