Prompt like a pro: Powering effective communication with Microsoft 365 Copilot in Teams Phone

Microsoft 365 Copilot is transforming work in ways big and small. You may already be using this feature to get a summary of a meeting you couldn’t join or to analyze chat for key information. It has definitely changed the way I work and allowed me to be more productive with less effort.

But Copilot can do more, so let’s talk about how to add intelligence to your calls in Microsoft Teams. This powerful feature improves the way we communicate and collaborate. It helps you organize and iterate on ideas, lets you quickly connect with colleagues, and gives you a smarter way to capture and act on information during and after a call.

Co-pilot for Teams phones

When you integrate Copilot into Teams Phone, it works for both VOIP (calls with other Teams users) and PTSN (calls using Teams’ phone number). So no matter how you connect, you can use Copilot the same way. Check it out in your Teams meeting. However, the nature of unscheduled phone calls can vary, so we’ll show you a few different scenarios showing how to enable smart calling using Copilot.

Tag Team Customer Engagement: Share situations and forward customer calls

Let’s say you’re on a call with a customer who has a lot of questions. Copilot can help you stay focused and make sure you understand what was discussed by creating a summary of the conversation so far.

But what if you can’t answer all of the questions and need to forward the answers to a colleague who can? Copilot is here to help once again! To keep your colleagues updated, you can ask Copilot to generate a list of your outstanding questions before performing a consultative transfer.

You can then send it along with a summary of the conversation when you forward the call.

Some great examples of what you can do with Copilot during a call include: But what happens after the call? In this second scenario, we’ll look at some ways you can help in the days, weeks, or anytime after the call.

Recall Assistance: Retrieve information from past calls

Let’s say you had a call with a colleague a few days ago. You remember reviewing the sales presentation with them and getting feedback from them. But I can’t remember exactly what their feedback was. Don’t worry. Copilot can help.

Ask Copilot to summarize your call feedback.
In the chat box, you can use natural language to ask Copilot to remind you of feedback shared by your colleagues. In just a few seconds, Copilot generates a complete list of your feedback with citations linking to the exact text in the transcript, so you don’t have to spend time reviewing the entire recording.

Project planning assistance: tracking and following up on details

When planning a project, there are always many details to keep track of and action items for everyone on the team to follow up on. Copilot allows you to simplify and organize your planning and create a list of action items based on what was discussed on the call.

Create a table to track action items and due dates

For example, if you chat with your colleagues on your Teams Phone about an upcoming event, you can ask Copilot to create a table showing each item, who is responsible for completing it, and when it is due. Copilot reviews your conversation, extracts all the information you need, and organizes it clearly in a table.

Unlimited Ideas: Brainstorm with Copilot

Next time you’re brainstorming with colleagues on a call, ask Copilot to help you come up with new ideas. Copilot takes into account all the information discussed, as well as general information about the topic, and generates a list of key items in the workflow and additional tasks that may need to be completed.

Let’s take event planning as an example. To make your event a success, Copilot can give you some new ideas for workflow to consider.

Additional prompt to try Copilot on your Teams phone

In addition to the examples above, you can use Copilot on your Teams phone in many of the same ways you can use it in Teams meetings.

Here are some additional prompts you can try:

During a call:

1. “Copilot, can you help us brainstorm some ideas for the next steps in this project?
2. “Copilot, can you briefly summarize the issues we identified?”
3. “Co-pilot, can you list the potential solutions we have discussed to the issues raised?”

After the call:

1. “Create a work schedule based on the deadlines we discussed.”
2. “To summarize the feedback shared: [enter specific topic discussed]”
3. “Organize decisions and open currency entries into a table.”

Don’t hesitate to try your own method. Start delivering your message like a pro today and see the difference in your productivity. The more you prompt and see Copilot’s responses, the better you’ll be able to think of ways to get help with more tasks.

Please share your favorite message in the comments. We’d love to see what ideas you come up with!

For more information on how to use Copilot with Teams calling, see the instructions from Copilot Lab. Get started with Copilot on your Microsoft Teams phone.

Look for additional tips to get the most out of Copilot with Microsoft Teams coming soon.