AI in the Office: Your New Virtual Colleagues
Thomas, a project manager at Datalink, a digital services company, is juggling several tasks that morning. He needs to prepare a presentation for a client, respond to a dozen pending emails, and synthesize a 30-page technical report for his director. Previously, this day would have been stressful and probably punctuated by overtime hours.
But today, Thomas has two powerful allies: Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT Enterprise, accessible from his work computer. His day is organized differently. For the client presentation, he turns to Copilot directly in PowerPoint: « Create a 10-slide presentation on our cybersecurity solution for the banking sector. » For his report synthesis, he copies the document into ChatGPT Enterprise and asks: « Summarize this technical report in 2 pages, keeping all the essential points and key data. »
In just a few minutes, the two AI assistants have produced work that would have taken him hours. Thomas can now focus on customization, verification, and improvement of these drafts, rather than starting from scratch.
This reality is now that of many professionals. Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT Enterprise are radically transforming how we work. But how can you get the most out of these tools as an employee, not a decision-maker? Which tool should you prioritize depending on the tasks? What are the best practices to maximize their effectiveness? Let’s discover together how these assistants can become your best allies in the office.
AI Assistants in Business: Understanding the Essential Differences
Before diving into practical uses, let’s clarify the main differences between these two assistants from the end user’s perspective.
Microsoft Copilot is the assistant integrated into the Microsoft 365 environment (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, etc.). It appears directly in your daily applications and can access your documents, emails, and calendars to provide contextualized assistance.
ChatGPT Enterprise is the professional version of OpenAI’s famous ChatGPT. Accessible via a browser or dedicated application, it offers advanced capabilities for text generation, analysis, and problem-solving, as well as the ability to upload files for analysis.
The main difference? Copilot lives inside your usual work tools, while ChatGPT Enterprise is a separate assistant, more powerful but less integrated.
Five Daily Scenarios: Which Assistant to Prefer?
Let’s now analyze five common situations in the office and see which assistant proves most effective in each case.
1. Email Writing and Professional Communication
Practical Case: You need to respond to an unhappy client or write a delicate communication to the entire team.
The Ideal Assistant: Copilot in Outlook
Why: Integrated directly into your email, Copilot can analyze the history of exchanges with this client or colleague and suggest a response adapted to the context. It can adopt the appropriate tone (formal, empathetic, professional) while respecting your usual communication style.
How to Use It Effectively:
- Ask « Draft a professional and empathetic response to this email »
- Specify specific elements to include: « Mention our refund policy and suggest a call next week »
- Always adjust the proposal before sending to add your personal touch
2. Data Analysis and Reports
Practical Case: You have a complex Excel spreadsheet and need to extract insights or create an analysis report.
The Ideal Assistant: ChatGPT Enterprise
Why: Although Copilot exists in Excel, ChatGPT Enterprise’s advanced analytical capabilities are generally superior for interpreting complex data. You can upload your Excel file and ask precise questions about the data.
How to Use It Effectively:
- Upload your Excel file to ChatGPT Enterprise
- Start by asking for a general analysis: « What are the main trends in this data? »
- Then ask more specific questions: « What factors seem to most influence our sales? »
- Request visualizations: « How would you graphically represent these results? »
- Finish with « Write a synthetic report of these analyses in 3 paragraphs »
3. Preparation of Presentations and Visual Documents
Practical Case: You need to quickly create a professional presentation for a meeting or client.
The Ideal Assistant: Copilot in PowerPoint
Why: Copilot’s native integration in PowerPoint allows it to directly generate complete slides, with formatting and images, respecting your company’s templates. It can also draw inspiration from your existing documents to ensure consistency with your previous presentations.
How to Use It Effectively:
- Start with a clear instruction: « Create an 8-slide presentation on our digital marketing strategy for 2025 »
- Specify the structure: « Include an introduction, objectives, priority channels, budget, timeline, and KPIs »
- Customize after generation: visuals, examples, and data specific to your context
4. Meeting Summaries and Note-taking
Practical Case: You participate in numerous meetings and need effective reports.
The Ideal Assistant: Copilot in Teams (for Teams meetings) or ChatGPT Enterprise (for other meetings)
Why: Copilot can automatically generate summaries of Teams meetings, identify decisions and actions to be taken. For other meetings, you can submit your rough notes to ChatGPT Enterprise for clearer structuring and synthesis.
How to Use It Effectively:
- For Copilot in Teams: enable recording and transcription, then ask for a summary after the meeting
- For ChatGPT Enterprise: share your notes (even rough ones) and ask « Organize these meeting notes into a structured report with decisions made and actions to take »
5. Information Research and Strategic Watch
Practical Case: You need information on a sector, technology, or competitor to make an informed decision.
The Ideal Assistant: ChatGPT Enterprise
Why: ChatGPT’s general knowledge is more extensive and its ability to synthesize complex information is superior. It can provide you with an overview of a topic, explain technical concepts, or analyze market trends.
How to Use It Effectively:
- Ask precise questions: « Explain the main innovations in blockchain applied to logistics »
- Request comparisons: « What are the differences between Microsoft’s and Google’s approaches to generative AI? »
- Solicit different perspectives: « What are the arguments for and against this technology? »
- Always specify that you want up-to-date information (while keeping in mind that ChatGPT’s knowledge has a cutoff date)
Ten Tips to Maximize the Effectiveness of Your AI Assistants
Beyond specific use cases, here are ten practical tips to get the most out of these tools in your professional daily life:
1. Master the Art of Clear Instructions
The more precise your requests, the better the results. Include the desired format, tone, length, and target audience in your instructions.
Poor Example: « Make me a text about our product »
Effective Example: « Write a description of our accounting software in 200 words, in a professional but accessible style, aimed at SMEs that don’t have internal accounting expertise »
2. Use the Right Tool for Each Task
As we’ve seen, each assistant has its strengths. Prefer Copilot for tasks integrated with Office 365 and ChatGPT Enterprise for complex analyses or creative content generation.
3. Systematically Verify Results
AI assistants can make factual errors or generate inaccuracies. Never take their output as gospel. Reread, check important figures and facts before use.
4. Iterate to Refine Results
If the first response isn’t satisfactory, clarify your request or ask for specific modifications. These tools excel in iterative improvement.
Example: « That’s a good start, but could you make the tone more dynamic and add a section on competitive advantages? »
5. Build a Library of Effective Prompts
Keep instructions that have given good results for reuse. Some employees even create shared documents with their best formulations for different tasks.
6. Combine the Strengths of Both Assistants
Don’t hesitate to use both tools complementarily. For example, generate a first draft with ChatGPT Enterprise, then refine it with Copilot in Word.
7. Respect Data Confidentiality
Be aware of your company’s policies regarding information you can share with these tools. Avoid submitting sensitive or confidential data without authorization.
8. Use « Assisted Brainstorming »
Before starting a complex task, ask the assistant to help structure your thinking or explore different possible approaches.
Example: « I need to design a marketing campaign for the launch of our new service. What would be the different possible approaches and their respective advantages? »
9. Automate Repetitive Tasks
Identify recurring tasks in your work and create instruction templates to partially automate them.
Example: Generation of weekly reports, answers to frequently asked questions, data formatting…
10. Develop Your Critical Thinking
Effective use of these tools doesn’t diminish the importance of your professional judgment; it enhances it. Develop your ability to quickly assess the quality and relevance of generated results.
Skills to Develop for the AI Assistant Era
To remain effective in this new work environment, certain skills are becoming increasingly important:
Prompt Engineering
The ability to formulate clear and effective instructions is becoming a valuable professional skill. Invest time in understanding how to structure your requests to get the best results.
Curation and Validation
Your added value now lies more in your ability to evaluate, validate, and improve AI-generated content than in its initial production.
Systemic and Contextual Thinking
While AI excels at specific tasks, your understanding of the global context, strategic issues, and human nuances becomes even more valuable.
Human-AI Collaboration
Learn to work in tandem with these assistants, understanding when to solicit them and when to prioritize human interaction.
Pitfalls to Avoid: Common User Mistakes
In the enthusiasm of adoption, many employees make these frequent mistakes:
Over-dependence
Some users become so dependent on assistants that they gradually lose their own writing or analytical skills. Continue to exercise your expertise.
Passive Acceptance
Never take assistant responses at face value. Always maintain a critical eye, especially on subjects within your professional expertise.
Under-utilization
Conversely, some employees only exploit a fraction of the potential of these tools, limiting them to basic tasks such as spell-checking. Regularly explore new use cases.
Inappropriate Information Sharing
Be aware that information shared with these assistants may be processed on external servers. Always respect your company’s confidentiality policies.
Conclusion: Becoming an AI « Super-user » at Work
As Copilot and ChatGPT Enterprise profoundly transform our professions, the question is no longer whether you will use them, but how to use them to significantly increase your professional value.
Employees who master these tools become « talent amplifiers » – capable of producing more, of better quality, and with more creativity. They can focus on the truly human aspects of their work: strategy, empathy, creativity, and interpersonal relationships.
For Thomas, our project manager at Datalink, the adoption of these assistants hasn’t just improved his productivity – it has transformed the very nature of his work. He now spends less time executing repetitive tasks and more time thinking about his clients’ real needs, collaborating with colleagues on innovative projects, and developing his strategic expertise.
So the real question isn’t « Copilot or ChatGPT Enterprise? », but rather « How to intelligently orchestrate these two assistants to become the best professional version of myself? »
FAQ about Using AI Assistants in Daily Work
How do I start with AI assistants if I’ve never used this type of tool before? Start with simple and familiar tasks, like writing emails or summarizing documents. Microsoft Copilot is generally more accessible for beginners thanks to its integration into tools you already know.
Can AI assistants replace my professional skills? No, they are designed to augment your capabilities, not replace them. Your expertise, judgment, and creativity remain essential. AI assistants are tools that allow you to focus on the higher value-added aspects of your work.
Is it risky to share company information with these assistants? Both platforms offer confidentiality guarantees for professional versions, but it’s essential to know and respect your company’s policy regarding data sharing. Avoid sharing highly sensitive or confidential information.
How do I know if the response generated by the assistant is correct? Always verify important information, particularly numbers, dates, and specific facts. Use your expertise and other sources to validate answers before using them in a professional context.
Is specific training required to effectively use these tools? Basic training on query formulation (prompt engineering) can significantly improve your efficiency with these tools. Many companies now offer internal workshops or guides to help their employees get the most out of AI assistants.
This practical article aims to help employees get the most out of AI assistants in their professional environment. What tips have you discovered for effectively using these tools? Please share your experience in the comments or contact us directly at TheAIExplorer.com.
