As part of ICM’s AI Friday series, we are sharing straightforward ways businesses can use AI tools to save time and improve everyday tasks.
Writing emails is an essential part of business, but it can also take up a surprising amount of the working day. Customer updates, follow-ups, meeting confirmations and internal messages may only take a few minutes each, but that time quickly adds up.
Microsoft Copilot in Outlook can help by creating a first draft from a short description of what you need to say. You remain in control of the message: Copilot provides a starting point, and you review, personalise and approve it before anything is sent.
Used properly, it can help your team communicate more quickly and consistently without making emails sound robotic or impersonal. This guide explains how to write business emails with Microsoft Copilot, give it better instructions and check the finished message before sending.
What can Microsoft Copilot do in Outlook?
When composing an email, you can give Copilot a plain-English instruction, known as a prompt. Copilot uses that instruction to produce a complete draft that you can keep, rewrite or adjust.
For example, you could ask:
Write a friendly and professional email to a customer explaining that there will be a slight delay with their order. Apologise for the inconvenience, reassure them that we are working to complete it and explain that we will keep them updated throughout the process.
Copilot will turn those instructions into a structured email with an opening, a clear explanation and an appropriate closing. You can then add the customer’s name, the revised delivery date and any information specific to their order.
Depending on your version of Outlook and your organisation’s Microsoft 365 setup, Copilot may also allow you to change the tone or length of the draft and generate a different version.
Why use Copilot for business emails?
Copilot is particularly useful when you know what you need to communicate but do not want to spend time deciding how to phrase it.
It can help you:
- Create a usable first draft quickly
- Maintain a friendly and professional tone
- Structure information in a logical order
- Reduce writer’s block
- Shorten an email that has become too detailed
- Make communication more consistent across a team
- Adapt a message for customers, suppliers or colleagues
The biggest benefit is not that Copilot writes instead of you. It removes the blank page and gives you something useful to review and improve.
How to draft an email with Copilot in Outlook
The precise position of the Copilot button can vary slightly between versions of Outlook, but the general process is straightforward:
- Open Outlook and start a new email.
- Select the Copilot icon and choose Draft with Copilot or Draft.
- Describe the email you want Copilot to write.
- Select Generate.
- Review the draft and adjust its tone, length or wording if required.
- Add any customer-specific information and check the complete message.
- Send it only when you are satisfied that everything is correct.
If you cannot see the Copilot option, availability may depend on your Microsoft 365 plan, Copilot licence, Outlook version and your organisation’s settings. Your IT provider or Microsoft 365 administrator can check this for you.
How to write a better Copilot prompt
The quality of the draft depends heavily on the instructions you provide. A vague prompt usually produces a generic email. A useful prompt gives Copilot enough context to understand the purpose, audience and desired outcome.
Include these six points where relevant:
- Who is receiving the email? A customer, supplier, colleague or prospective client.
- Why are you writing? State the purpose clearly.
- What facts must be included? Add dates, next steps and essential details.
- What tone should it use? Friendly, professional, concise, reassuring or firm.
- What should the recipient do next? Reply, approve, call, attend or provide information.
- How long should it be? Ask for a short email if brevity matters.
Compare these two prompts:
Basic prompt:
Write an email about an order delay.
Better prompt:
Write a short, friendly and professional email to an existing customer explaining that their order will arrive two working days later than expected. Apologise for the delay, confirm that the order is being prioritised and tell them that we will provide another update tomorrow afternoon. Ask them to reply if the revised date creates a problem.
The second prompt gives Copilot a defined audience, timescale, tone, reassurance and next step. That should result in a much more useful first draft.
Practical Copilot prompts for everyday emails
Here are some starting prompts that can be adapted for common business situations.
Following up after a meeting
Write a concise follow-up email to a prospective customer after an introductory meeting. Thank them for their time, summarise the three agreed priorities listed below and confirm that I will send the proposal by Friday. Use a friendly and confident tone.
Chasing information politely
Write a polite email to a supplier asking for the outstanding technical information we requested last week. Explain that we need it by Wednesday to keep the project on schedule, and ask them to let us know immediately if that deadline is not possible.
Confirming an appointment
Write a short professional email confirming our meeting at 10:30am on Tuesday. Include the office address, advise the visitor to ask for Sarah on arrival and invite them to reply with any accessibility or parking requirements.
Responding to a complaint
Draft an empathetic acknowledgement email to a customer who has reported a service problem. Thank them for bringing it to our attention, apologise for their experience and confirm that the matter has been passed to our service manager for investigation. Do not promise an outcome. State that we will update them by 3pm tomorrow.
These prompts should always be updated with the real facts before they are used.
Always review an AI-generated email
Copilot is a drafting assistant, not the final decision-maker. It can produce polished wording that sounds convincing even when a detail is incomplete, incorrect or more definite than you intended.
Before sending, check:
- Names, dates, prices and order details
- Deadlines and promises
- Technical or legal statements
- Whether the tone suits the recipient
- Whether the requested next step is clear
- Whether any sensitive information should be removed
- Whether the email genuinely sounds like you and your business
You are responsible for the message that leaves your mailbox. A quick human review is therefore essential, even when the first draft looks excellent.
Start with low-risk, repetitive emails
If your team is new to Copilot, begin with straightforward messages such as meeting confirmations, routine updates and internal announcements. These provide an opportunity to learn how much detail a good prompt needs without using AI for sensitive or high-risk communications.
Once employees become comfortable reviewing and improving the drafts, the same approach can be applied to more complex emails with suitable controls and guidance.
It can also help to agree some simple internal rules covering:
- Which types of email Copilot can be used for
- What information employees should avoid entering
- Who must approve sensitive communications
- How factual claims and commitments should be checked
- The tone and language expected from your organisation
Get more from Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft Copilot can do much more than draft emails, but the technology delivers the greatest value when it is introduced with the right Microsoft 365 setup, sensible policies and practical staff guidance.
Intuitive Computer Management helps businesses across the West Midlands get more from Microsoft 365, Microsoft Copilot and AI-powered productivity tools.
If you would like to explore where Copilot could save time in your organisation, call 01384 913 914 or contact the ICM team for an informal discussion.
