Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2: Everything You Need to Know

Recently, Microsoft announced new updates and features as part of their next phase of Copilot innovation, called Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2. These changes aim to improve Microsoft Copilot significantly.

This latest update brings exciting features like pages, integration of Python in Excel, and agents designed to revolutionise how businesses streamline their workflows, complex data, and communications.

According to Microsoft, the adoption rate of Copilot increased by more than 60% compared to the previous quarter, doubling Copilot users from enterprise to small businesses.

A survey indicated that companies utilising Copilot for content production experienced growth that was 75% faster, and on average, they saved 74 hours over a full year of use.

In this blog post, we will share new features added in Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2, with small tweaks and game-changing tools launched in September 2024.

You can find all the details about the update on the Microsoft website, but it may require navigating through multiple web pages. To simplify this process, we have compiled all the updates into a single blog post that we will update regularly to keep you informed.

Key Takeaways:

• Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2 updates include BizChat (featuring Business Chat) and new Copilot Pages - a dynamic, persistent canvas designed for multiplayer AI collaboration.

• There are advancements with Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps including Excel data analysis with Python, AI-driven file comparisons in OneDrive, dynamic storytelling in PowerPoint, managing your inbox in Outlook and more.

• Microsoft introduced a game-changing tool called "Copilot agents", making it easier and faster than ever to automate and execute business processes on your behalf—enabling you to scale your team like never before.

Copilot Pages

The first new feature introduced in Microsoft 365 Copilot is called "Pages." Microsoft refers to this as the "New UI for AI." It begins with a web-based Business Chat feature known as BizChat.

BizChat serves as a central hub that integrates all your data—web data, work data, and line-of-business data within your workflow. This feature transforms all your organisational content into a comprehensive, rich database of information and insights, allowing you to collaborate with Copilot as if it were a partner. It also turns every piece of content into a reusable business asset.

Pages take temporary AI-generated content and turn it into lasting information that you can edit, improve, and share with others. You and your team can work together on a Page using Copilot, seeing each person’s contributions in real-time.

This process allows you to add more content from your data, files, and web sources to your Page. It creates a new way of working—collaborating with humans and AI.

To avoid confusion, Pages are a part of Microsoft Loop, but they are distinct from it.

If you go to the Copilot Web (with those who have a licence), you can find the Copilot pages as shown in the below image.

Key Features of Copilot Pages

• Copilot Pages turn temporary generative AI content into lasting material you can edit and expand.

• You can share any page you create in Teams chats, channels, Outlook emails, meetings, or the Pages module in the Microsoft M365 app.

• You can collaborate with your teammates, see everyone's work in real-time and improve Copilot prompts together if you have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.

Copilot in the Microsoft 365 apps

Here are some of the slight tweaks and new features added to Microsoft Copilot in this Wave 2:

Copilot in Excel

The second major update in Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2 is the introduction of Python in Excel. Currently, Copilot in Excel with Python is available in public preview, and we can expect the full version to be released in Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 3.

Another significant development is that Copilot in Excel, which was previously in preview mode, is now generally available to all Microsoft 365 users.

In this latest version, Copilot in Excel can handle text and numerical data. Moreover, it can reason over structured data beyond just tables, enabling it to perform tasks such as adding filters and splitting text. Additionally, Copilot can assist in highlighting important information using formula-based conditional formatting.

You can easily request insights from Copilot using natural language, with no coding knowledge required. Whether you are looking for patterns or analysing trends in complex data, Copilot can help.

When using Copilot in Excel with Python, you can perform advanced analyses that were previously inaccessible. Simply describe the advanced analysis you want to carry out in natural language, and Copilot will automatically generate, explain, and insert the appropriate Python code into your Excel spreadsheet.

This feature unlocks powerful analytics capabilities through Python, enabling visualisations, data cleaning, machine learning, predictive analytics, and more—without needing to be proficient in Python yourself.

Additionally, Copilot in Excel with Python can produce stunning visuals that were either difficult or impossible to create before. Unique visualisations, such as heatmaps, pair plots, multiple plots, and violin plots, will help you better understand and communicate your analysis.

Copilot in Microsoft PowerPoint

Now, you can create your first presentation draft with Narrative Builder, a major update in PowerPoint.

The Narrative Builder in Microsoft PowerPoint helps you create a polished presentation quickly with the help of Copilot. You and Copilot can work together to build a solid first draft in just minutes, while you stay in charge of the creative process.

Copilot generates content by using your prompts to create an outline with topics you can edit and refine. Soon, you can add files to the outline to support your topics.

With the Brand Manager feature, Copilot can use your company's branded template, ensuring your presentations are ready for the enterprise and align with your brand. In the coming weeks, Copilot will also bring in company-approved images from your SharePoint Organisation Asset Library.

Copilot in Microsoft Teams

In Teams, there are a few new updates in the next phase of Wave 2. Now, you can ask Copilot if there were any questions you missed during a meeting.

Copilot will quickly analyse what was said and typed in the meeting chat as well as the transcript to see if anything went unanswered.

Copilot in Outlook

Many business owners and employees deal with email overload. Microsoft’s new feature, “Prioritise My Inbox” helps with this issue.

With Prioritise My Inbox, Copilot in Outlook quickly shows you the important messages. It analyses your inbox based on the content of your emails and your role, such as who you report to and which conversations you are involved in.

You no longer have to sift through long messages as Copilot provides a brief summary of each email and explains why it chose to prioritise it, highlighting key insights.

Soon, you will have the option to teach Copilot about specific topics, keywords, or people that matter to you, so those emails will be marked as high priority.

Copilot in Word

Copilot in Word helps you quickly access information from the web, Word documents, PowerPoint files, PDFs, encrypted documents, emails, and meetings. It brings this information right into your workflow, allowing you to create a solid first draft quickly.

Microsoft has made Copilot in Word an even better writing partner. Recent updates include a new start experience that suggests prompts to spark your creativity and the ability to collaborate with Copilot while working on specific parts of your document.

Copilot in OneDrive

In the Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2, Copilot in OneDrive helps you quickly find the information you need from all your files. It makes it easy to gain insights, summarise, and compare up to five files.

You will get a clear, easy-to-read summary of the details and differences between your files—without needing to open them.

Introducing Copilot Agents

Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2 includes a game-changing tool called Copilot Agent. These are AI assistants that can automate and manage business tasks.

They range from simple tools that respond to inquiries to complex systems that work independently, all within the secure Microsoft 365 environment.

What are Copilot Agents?

Copilot agents are unique AI assistants designed to enhance Microsoft Copilot by linking to your organisation's information and data.

These AI agents help you to make suggestions, automate and replace repetitive tasks with fully autonomous agents, and provide insights to help you make better decisions.

With pre-built tools like the Visual Creator agent, users can easily create AI-generated images and soon, videos. The new Agent Builder, found in Copilot Studio, makes it simple to create your own Copilot agents anywhere in BizChat or SharePoint saved as Copilot files.

Additionally, you can quickly connect agent builder to SharePoint data to build helpful knowledge resources they can share with colleagues in Teams or Outlook.

To interact with the agent, you can mention (@) it for immediate responses and customise it further in Copilot Studio for more advanced features.

Agents are not separate apps; they work directly with the tools you already use. This includes Microsoft 365, project management tools, customer support systems, and research databases.

Copilot Agents are designed to improve these tools, making them easier to use and more effective.

The agents and agent builder in BizChat will soon be available to all customers, and SharePoint's preview will start in early October – as announced by Microsoft.

Benefits of Using Copilot Agents

1. Increased Productivity: Agents handle routine tasks like data entry, scheduling, and report generation. This saves you time, allowing you to focus on more important and creative work.

2. Better Accuracy: Humans can make mistakes, especially with repetitive tasks. The Agents use precise algorithms to provide greater accuracy and consistency in your work. This is especially helpful in areas that require attention to detail, like research, customer support, risk analysis, and project management.

3. Personalised Help: The Agents offer personalised support by suggesting solutions that fit your needs. This tailored assistance makes your work easier and more efficient.

Use Case of Copilot Agent at Work

Project Management 

• Copilot Agents compile updates from team members for a clear project status. 

• They highlight key milestones, spot potential problems early, and suggest fixes. 

• They create focused agendas based on project priorities for more productive meetings.

Customer Support 

• Agents quickly find relevant solutions and past support tickets. 

• They help write clear replies to customer questions with troubleshooting steps and resources.

Sales and Marketing 

• They provide insights into a client's business, competitors, and industry for effective sales strategies. 

• They assist in creating tailored presentations that highlight the benefits of the company's products.

How can Aztech help?

Aztech helps to play a vital role in driving your innovation, improving operational efficiency, and safeguarding your business with its AI consulting services.

As a Microsoft Gold Partner, we are ready to help your organisation deploy Microsoft 365 and any upgrades. Using Microsoft Copilot, our team analyses your IT systems to identify improvements and suggest actions that enhance productivity and security.

We focus on key areas like data migration, security and compliance stack, and user adoption to ensure a smooth transition. This approach aligns your IT goals with your business objectives and prepares your organisation for success in the evolving digital landscape.

Summary

In Microsoft Copilot, you can now create and share content with Copilot Pages, integrate Python in Excel to conduct advanced analysis and create Copilot Agents to automate tasks and improve business processes.

Finally, a few enhancements in core apps like Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive will boost productivity, collaboration, data management, and content creation.

These updates help increase productivity by automating tasks, improving accuracy, automating business processes, and providing personalised support.

Businesses can use these features for project management, customer support, sales, and marketing, making their operations more efficient. With these new tools, Microsoft helps organisations grow, spark creativity, and stay competitive.

At Aztech, our team of Microsoft-certified experts helps you make the most of Microsoft products. We focus on creating a smooth, secure, and efficient workflow for your business.

Discover how Aztech can help you use Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2. Contact us today to learn more about our AI services.