Microsoft Copilot Update: What Wave 2 Brings to the Table

October 24, 2024

Microsoft’s biggest Copilot update since its initial launch has arrived. Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2, announced in September, is packed with features that aren’t just about doing more—they’re about working smarter, collaborating better, and driving more results.

Features like Copilot Pages, Python in Excel, and customizable Copilot Agents give you the tools to disrupt old workflows and create value in new ways.

We’ll explore how these Copilot updates can make your organization more productive, efficient, and innovative.

A screenshot of Microsoft Copilot integrated with a project management document. The screen shows a project milestone list, workback schedule, and task owners in a table format. Copilot is assisting with generating insights for managing project details, including identifying the working team and outlining proposals. — Courtesy of Microsoft

Copilot Pages

Copilot Pages is a dynamic platform where teams can create, edit, and iterate on AI-generated content in real time. Whether you’re drafting strategies, reports, or brainstorming ideas, Copilot Pages brings AI into the mix to help you work faster and smarter.

No more endless revisions or back-and-forth emails. You and your team can collaborate on the same content, making updates and refining as you go.

A screenshot showing Microsoft Excel with Copilot and Python code integration. The spreadsheet includes sales data for electric vehicle chargers, and Copilot is running Python code to generate visualizations and perform advanced data analysis. — Courtesy of Microsoft

Copilot in Excel with Python

With Copilot in Excel with Python, anyone can now perform advanced analyses like forecasting, risk assessments, and even machine learning—without needing to code.

No matter your level of expertise, Copilot in Excel makes it easy to extract meaningful insights from your data. And that means better, faster decision-making for your business.

A screenshot of Microsoft Copilot being used in PowerPoint. The slide titled "Reducing Carbon Footprint" is displayed, and Copilot is suggesting options on the right side of the screen to help create a presentation, provide content insights, and add images or additional slides. — Courtesy of Microsoft

Copilot in PowerPoint and Copilot in Word

Copilot in PowerPoint helps you build presentations in minutes, with a Narrative Builder that creates outlines and drafts from your prompts. Need to tweak your slides? Copilot has you covered with your company’s branding, logos, and templates at the ready.

With Brand manager, Copilot will take your company’s branded template and create presentations that are both enterprise-ready and on-brand. Microsoft has also announced that Copilot will soon be able to grab company-approved images from your SharePoint Asset Library and insert them into presentations.

In Copilot in Word, creating reports or documents is just as fast. You can pull data from emails, meetings, or other apps and have Copilot craft your content. It’s writing—but faster, more efficient, and tailored to your needs.

A screenshot showing Microsoft Copilot in action within Microsoft Outlook. The image displays an email thread with subject lines related to inquiries and customer questions, with Copilot helping to summarize key tasks like providing urgent input and responding to localization questions. — Courtesy of Microsoft

Copilot in Teams and Copilot in Outlook

With Copilot in Teams, meetings are smarter. Copilot listens to both spoken conversations and chats, making sure nothing important is missed. Whether you’re following up on a question or tracking key decisions, Copilot always keeps you in the loop.

And when it comes to communication, Copilot in Outlook helps you cut through the clutter. Its new Prioritize My Inbox feature finds the emails that matter most, summarizing key points and delivering insights so you can stay focused on what moves the needle.

A screenshot of a support interaction using Microsoft Copilot in a service scenario. The screen shows a field service agent resolving an error code for a charger overheating issue, with step-by-step instructions provided by Copilot to address the problem. — Courtesy of Microsoft

Copilot Studio

Customization is key to innovation. With Copilot Studio, you can build Copilot Agents that automate tasks specific to your business. Whether it’s automating customer service, managing approvals, or handling repetitive workflows, Copilot Agents free up your team to focus on higher-impact work.

These agents are built to fit your business’s unique needs, helping you think bigger, work smarter, and stay ahead of the competition.

OneDrive Summarization

Finding the right information can be a time sink. Copilot in OneDrive solves that problem by summarizing and comparing multiple documents at once. It cuts through the clutter, helping you focus on the details that matter.

What’s Next in Your AI Journey?

Should you take advantage of Copilot's built-in features, or explore other AI solutions that align with your unique goals?

No matter where you are in your AI journey, our HBS experts are here to help. We'll guide you in choosing the right path for your business—whether it's harnessing the power of Copilot or building a custom solution that's all your own.

Ready to discover the best AI solution for your business? Let’s start the conversation.

Contact HBS today to learn more about how AI can transform your business.

AI, Copilot, Microsoft, Microsoft 365