For many Microsoft 365 customers, email overload remains a pressing concern: 85% of emails are read within 15 seconds, and on average, individuals scan four times as many emails as they send. Customers cannot simply declare an email as a chapter. As emails accumulate at an alarming rate, many people face the daunting task of sifting through crucial information and updates amidst the digital clutter. When individuals invest considerable time in inbox management, what is an alternative value proposition within our community that justifies this investment?
AI could empower staff to recapture some points and liberate space for additional strategic efforts. Studies among early Copilot customers revealed that top-performing organizations dedicated a significant portion of their workdays to email interactions, allocating approximately 25% to 45% of their time to this activity.
As AI takes hold, the notion of a traditional 9-to-5 workday is poised to evolve, with the prospect of a dwindling window of time devoted to sifting through overflowing inboxes. Develop a comprehensive strategy to manage email overload within your team by implementing the following four-step approach immediately.
Culminate Copilot conversations with concise summaries, eliminating the need for lengthy back-and-forth discussions to extract key takeaways. The AI-powered tool will also collect and highlight crucial movement objects for you, akin to the notes sent by the CEO’s chief of staff across multiple platforms, including email. Empower your team by integrating AI-generated summaries into their daily routine, enabling them to stay ahead of the curve with ease.
Searching for a crucial file or piece of information among thousands of emails in your inbox can be frustrating, with no clear indication of which message contains what you’re looking for. The Copilot tool enables advanced research capabilities by extending its investigative scope to include messages from various Group chats and files across multiple folders, streamlining the discovery process for users. Maryleen Emeric, Senior Director of Product Advertising and Marketing at Microsoft, shares a personal anecdote: “I recall receiving a brilliant PowerPoint presentation from someone, but I’m unsure if it was via email or during a meeting.” Embracing technology has drastically transformed my approach to seeking information, with a 100% success rate in uncovering the insights I need.
Your email’s primary draft is already written by Copilot, allowing you to focus on verifying its accuracy and adding further details. To maximize time efficiency, recommend starting with a Copilot-generated draft, even if users are unsure of what to write. Tom Heath, Senior Enterprise Program Manager at Microsoft, notes that the focus is on transforming behavior. “We must integrate mindfulness into our daily routines.”
With a draft at hand, Copilot expertly identifies the unclear or off-putting aspects of your message. The Copilot’s “Write” function enables email tone analysis, readability assessment, and emotional intelligence-based writing suggestions for recipients. The revised text is: Does your message convey a sense of courtesy, forthrightness, or subtle defensiveness? It may be particularly helpful for individuals who don’t take pleasure in writing, those whose English is a second language, or anyone seeking confidence before sending.
We’re all overwhelmed by email deluges. By developing an artificial intelligence-driven behavior, we can significantly streamline inbox management, freeing up precious time and alleviating stress while guaranteeing critical information remains prominent.
