Microsoft & AI Article Series
Work Smarter with Microsoft 365 automation
Think of it as hiring a digital assistant that works 24/7, doesn’t take breaks, and never forgets a task.
Most people use Microsoft 365 tools such as Outlook, Excel, Word, and Teams every day. But there's a secret: you can get much more done if you use the Automation tools built into the Microsoft 365 Ecosystem.
What Is Microsoft 365 Automation?
Microsoft 365 Automation means using tools like:
- Power Automate: Create automatic workflows that connect your apps.
- Microsoft Copilot: Help you write, summarize, or answer questions using AI.
- Teams, Excel, SharePoint, and Outlook: Streamline the way your team communicates, shares, and gets things done.
These tools help you stop repeating the same tasks. Instead of copying data, replying to every reminder, or sorting through emails manually, automation can handle those steps for you.
Why This Matters to Your Business
Manual work eats up time. The average worker spends hours each week on repetitive tasks that could be automated. According to Microsoft, businesses using AI-powered automation tools can boost productivity by up to 150% and save $3.70 for every dollar spent.
Imagine if your team didn’t have to:
- Send follow-up emails by hand.
- Copy data from emails to spreadsheets.
- Remind people of deadlines.
- Manually sort incoming forms.
Those little tasks add up—and they wear your team down.
Real-Life Ways Companies Use Automation
A few examples of how smart businesses are already using Microsoft 365 automation:
- HR Teams: Automatically send new hire forms and welcome messages as soon as someone signs their offer letter.
- Finance Departments: Extract invoice data from emails and log it directly into Excel or SharePoint—no typing needed.
- Sales Teams: Collect form data and store it neatly in a SharePoint list.
- Operations Staff: Track deadlines and send reminders in Teams without lifting a finger.
These small wins save hours each week and help teams focus on work that really matters.
How We Help at Virtual Instructor
At Virtual Instructor, we help businesses tap into the automation power they already have with Microsoft 365. We:
- Find the tasks you can automate.
- Build simple flows that run in the background.
- Train your team so they feel confident using automation.
- Track your time savings so you can see the results.
You don’t need to hire coders or buy new software. If you already use Microsoft 365, you already have what you need.
What If You’re New to This?
That’s okay. Automation sounds big and techy, but we break it down into steps that make sense. You tell us what slows you down, and we show you how to fix it with tools you already use.
You’ll feel more in control—and less overwhelmed.
Bonus: You Can Add AI to the Mix
Want to get even smarter? You can use Microsoft Copilot or Copilot Studio to combine automation with artificial intelligence. This means you can go from just automating tasks to intelligently improving how those tasks are done.
For example, instead of just sending reminders, Copilot could write the email for you based on your previous messages and tone.
Final Thoughts
If your business uses Microsoft 365 and you're still doing everything by hand, it's time to stop. Automation isn’t just for big tech teams anymore. It’s easy, it’s fast, and it helps small teams do big things.
Let’s make your apps work harder so your people don’t have to.