Mark Hay

AI for Work / Copilot for business

Put Copilot to work on the business task in front of you.

Start with an email, meeting, decision or piece of planning. Prepare a clear request here, then take it to the Copilot your organisation uses.

Choose a business task How it works

Prepare a business task for Copilot

Choose the work, describe what you need and name the sources. You will get a request to take into your organisation’s approved Copilot.

Separate decisions, actions and questions from meeting notes. Where to try it: Teams / Copilot Chat, where available.

If you are unsure about your licence or access, use the first option. App features and work-data access depend on your plan and organisation settings.

This builder assembles text locally. It does not connect to Microsoft, run an AI model or save these fields. Reloading clears them. Use descriptions rather than confidential source content.

Your Copilot request

Updates as you edit. This is a structured request, not an AI-generated answer.

To prepare a request, add the task and its sources.

Check the result before using it

  • Compare decisions against the original notes.
  • Confirm owners and dates with the people involved.
  • Check that proposals were not presented as agreed actions.
Open Microsoft 365 Copilot (new tab)

Opens Microsoft separately. Nothing from this form is sent automatically.

Turn the checked result into useful work

Record an agreed action, source and review date in Owner Support. Copy across only what you have checked; this request and Copilot’s answer are not transferred automatically.

Open Owner Support

From task to checked result

This site prepares your request. It does not connect to Microsoft, read your work files or run Copilot for you.

  1. 1.

    Describe the task

    Choose what you need, add the audience and explain the result you want. Use sample or non-sensitive details here.

  2. 2.

    Copy the prepared request

    Paste it into your organisation-approved Copilot. Add only the sources and information you are permitted to use there.

  3. 3.

    Check before using

    Compare the answer with your sources. Confirm figures, commitments and named actions before sharing or acting on it.

Work with the access you have

Chat and public research

Copilot Chat can use public web information and material you supply, where enabled. Name the sources and period. Ask for original links and dates, then open them yourself. It cannot replace checking the evidence.

Outlook and app context

Eligible Outlook experiences can use supported email, calendar and related context without the broader Copilot licence. Other app features vary. Confirm the account, client and organisation settings before assuming what it can see or change.

Broader work-data access

A Microsoft 365 Copilot licence provides broader work grounding within your existing permissions. Current guidance calls this Work IQ; its control replaces the older Work/Web tabs where available. If your screen differs, check the official guide or your administrator.

Read the Copilot guide

Guidance checked 3 October 2026 against Microsoft’s Copilot Chat overview and source and Work IQ guidance. Features and rollout vary. This is independent guidance, not Microsoft support.

If the answer is not good enough

It is vague

Name the audience, decision and output. Ask for a short draft using one named source, then refine the useful part.

It invented a fact or commitment

Ask it to show the source passage for each material claim. Remove unsupported claims and keep unknown prices, dates and owners unconfirmed.

It cannot find a file

Check your own access and the exact file version. Provide a permitted excerpt or attachment in Copilot. Do not ask it to guess the missing content.

It did not search the web

Check whether web search is enabled. Request a research plan when browsing is unavailable; a remembered answer is not verified current evidence.

Make one workflow worth repeating

Choose a recurring job, such as a weekly client update. First record the usual time and what “ready to use” means. Try the same source-led request on three ordinary examples, including one with missing information. Count checking and correction time too. Keep it only if the whole job becomes easier and the checked result meets your standard.

Keep a reusable request with its source rules, approval boundary, owner and review date. Recheck it when the source, policy or assistant changes. Drafting, approval and sending remain separate steps.

Prepare reusable instructionsRead the business notes

More help preparing the work

These browser tools help structure your input. The critic and extractor use rule-based checks; they do not call an AI model.

Prompt library

Browse starting patterns for communication, planning and decisions.

Browse the library

Request critic

Check a request for missing context and unclear instructions.

Review a request

If you save work in these helpers, it stays in this browser profile. Browser storage is not encrypted; avoid sensitive client or business information.

Using a different assistant?

The same habits of clear context, relevant sources and careful review apply. Guides for ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini remain available.

Compare assistants and read their guides

Discuss a team workflow

You can share an idea for practical AI support or a workshop. Existing professional commitments take priority; an enquiry does not book time or confirm availability.

Discuss a practical workshopWorkshop outline