Microsoft 365 Copilot's Newest Features: What You Need to Know Now

Be sure to register here for the "Ntiva Tech Mastery On-Demand Webinar Series"

Meet Your New AI Super Assistants 

Microsoft 365 Copilot is no longer just a single assistant. The latest release introduces specialized AI agents called Researcher and Analyst. Each one is designed to tackle different types of work. These super assistants combine speed, accuracy, and integration to handle tasks that used to take hours.

Researcher: Smarter Information Gathering

The new Researcher agent specializes in gathering and synthesizing qualitative data from across multiple sources. Instead of spending hours pulling together information for a strategy document, you can ask Researcher to compile a competitive analysis, summarize industry trends, or highlight emerging risks. 

For example, you might ask: “Compare the top three players in our market and provide a sourced summary of their strengths and weaknesses.” Within seconds, Researcher generates a clean, professional report that you can use as a foundation for decision-making or presentations. 

This isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about accelerating the work that normally eats up valuable time, so your team can focus on interpretation, strategy, and action. 

Analyst: Your On-Demand Data Expert 

Where Researcher focuses on words and context, Analyst focuses on numbers. This agent crunches data, identifies patterns, and generates visuals that make complex information easier to understand. 

Imagine dropping in last quarter’s sales spreadsheet and asking Analyst to find trends or outliers. In moments, you get insights into why revenue spiked in one region but dipped in another. With a single click, you can create a polished chart for your leadership meeting—no manual pivot tables required. 

The best part? Researcher and Analyst integrate seamlessly. You can pass insights back and forth, starting with big-picture context and drilling down into hard data without ever leaving the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

Ready to dive deeper? Check out the Ultimate Guide to Microsoft Copilot. 

Collaboration with Lasting Context

Long-running projects often lose momentum when context is scattered across meetings, emails, and chats. Copilot Notebooks address this challenge by keeping project history in one place so teams can build on prior work instead of starting over.

Microsoft 365 Copilot Notebooks 

Copilot Notebooks act as persistent, shared workspaces where AI remembers the full history of a project. Instead of restarting every time you need help, you can keep refining in the same thread. 

For example, if your team is preparing a new service launch, different teammates can add drafts, questions, and attachments over several weeks. The Notebook evolves into a living document that reflects contributions from everyone without losing context. 

The result: fewer repeated questions, less duplication, and smoother handoffs between stakeholders.

Find Anything, Faster...

Information gets buried across Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Outlook. Copilot Power Search brings it all together with context-aware, plain-language search. Power Search lets you locate files, conversations, and documents by asking simple questions instead of remembering exact file names. 

For example, you might say: “Show me the slide deck from last October about the security audit.” Copilot retrieves the correct file instantly, even if the title doesn’t match. If you’ve been discussing a client project in Teams, you can ask for “all related contracts” and it understands the context.

The result: less time spent digging through folders and more time spent moving work forward.

Tailor Copilot to Your Business

Every organization has unique processes that require tailored solutions. Copilot Creator gives teams the ability to design custom assistants that align with their workflows.

Microsoft 365 Copilot Creator 

With Creator, non-developers can build specialized Copilot agents in just a few hours. 

For example, HR might design an onboarding Copilot trained on company policies and training modules. The agent could guide new employees' step by step through setup, compliance, and introductions. 

The result: a flexible AI toolkit that adapts to the way your business actually works.

Pro Tips for Maximizing Copilot

New features are exciting, but success with Copilot depends on how you use them. Here are five practical tips to keep in mind:

1. Be specific in your prompts. Copilot can handle broad questions, but you’ll get better results by including clear parameters. 

2. Refine instead of restarting. Keep the thread going. Copilot remembers context and adapts as you give feedback. 
 
3. Leverage organizational context. Ensure Copilot has access to the right SharePoint libraries, Teams channels, and OneDrive folders. 

4. Always fact-check critical outputs. Copilot is powerful, but it’s not infallible. Verify numbers and compliance-related content before publishing. 

5. Combine tools for maximum impact. Start with Researcher, validate with Analyst, store in a Notebook, and then build a reusable Creator agent.

You can also explore more in our post on Microsoft Copilot tips and tricks.

How Copilot Features Work Together 

Let’s tie it all together. Imagine you’re preparing for a board meeting to present an expansion plan. Here’s how the new Copilot features work in sequence:  

• Researcher compiles the competitive landscape, highlighting key players and market risks. 
  

• Analyst takes that information and projects revenue scenarios based on your sales data. 
  

• Power Search pulls up historic performance decks and contracts. 
  

• Notebook stores all inputs and keeps the leadership team aligned in one place. 
  

• Creator packages the process into a reusable assistant, so future planning cycles are faster and more consistent.

What used to be a multi-week process is now compressed into just a few days, with every step documented and repeatable.

Practical Next Steps for Using Copilot

Microsoft continues to roll out new Copilot features almost every month. To get the most out of these updates, it’s important to move beyond simply reading about the tools and begin using them in real projects. Building habits now will make it easier for your team to take advantage of new capabilities as soon as they launch.

Here are a few simple ways to start experimenting today:

• Test Researcher and Analyst with a current business problem to see how insights flow from words to numbers.

• Move an active initiative into a Copilot Notebook so your team can experience the value of saved context.

• Use Power Search the next time you’re digging for a hard-to-find file or conversation.

• Build a lightweight Creator agent for a recurring workflow, even if it’s just personal, to get comfortable with customization.

By weaving these tools into real workflows now, your organization will be better prepared to adapt quickly as Copilot continues to evolve.

Moving Forward with Microsoft 365 Copilot 

Microsoft 365 Copilot is no longer just a digital helper. It is becoming the backbone of digital workplace transformation, helping teams analyze data, collaborate in context, and optimize workflows with AI. At Ntiva, we help organizations adopt Copilot strategically, ensuring security, compliance, and ROI are built into every step. 

Ready to unlock the full power of Microsoft 365 Copilot? Talk to an Ntiva expert today.