4 steps to adopting Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat
Turn AI intent into structured adoption.
This infographic outlines practical steps to deploy Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat securely and effectively across your organization:
Make Copilot Chat easy to access across apps and Windows,
Communicate its value as your secure, company-approved AI solution,
Reinforce security by redirecting other AI tools.
To get a clear rollout plan for Copilot Chat, view the infographic.
What is Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat and how is it licensed?
Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is an enterprise-ready AI chat experience that’s included with your existing Microsoft 365 subscription at no additional cost.
It’s designed for business use, so it:
- Runs in your Microsoft 365 environment
- Helps protect your organizational data
- Supports compliance needs while people search for information, generate content and ideas, or ask questions
Because it’s already part of Microsoft 365, you don’t need to buy a separate AI chat tool to get started. Your focus is mainly on enabling access, making it easy to find, and helping employees learn how to use it effectively.
How do we roll out Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat to employees?
You can think of the rollout in four straightforward steps:
1. **Make it available (enable and pin it)**
- Pin the Microsoft 365 Copilot app to the Windows taskbar so it’s visible on employees’ desktops.
- Pin Copilot Chat inside the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, Microsoft Teams, and Outlook so people can access it where they already work.
- Use Microsoft’s step-by-step pinning instructions to standardize this across devices.
2. **Make it safe (reduce Shadow IT and “bring your own AI”)**
- Configure DNS settings, firewall rules, proxy server redirects, or Azure Cloud Traffic Manager so that traffic to other AI assistants is redirected to **m365copilot.com**.
- This helps move employees away from unapproved AI tools and toward your secure, company-approved option.
3. **Make it known (communicate the launch)**
- Send an email announcement to all employees explaining that Copilot Chat is now available and approved for work use.
- Emphasize that it’s the secure, organization-supported AI solution and that it’s included with your Microsoft 365 subscription.
- You can adapt Microsoft’s email templates to match your tone and internal communication style.
4. **Make it impactful (drive adoption and skills)**
- Share simple, practical prompts so people can try Copilot Chat on real tasks—finding information, drafting emails, summarizing documents, or brainstorming ideas.
- Offer short training sessions or self-serve materials using the customizable guide provided by Microsoft.
- Encourage teams to bring examples of how they’re using Copilot Chat to reshape everyday workflows.
For additional guidance and ready-made resources, your Microsoft account team and the materials at **adoption.microsoft.com/copilot-chat** can help you tailor the rollout to your organization.
How do we encourage secure, effective use of Copilot Chat across the company?
There are three main levers: visibility, trust, and skills.
1. **Visibility: put Copilot Chat where people work**
- Pin Copilot Chat in Windows, Teams, Outlook, and the Microsoft 365 Copilot app so it’s always one click away.
- When employees see it in their everyday tools, they’re more likely to try it instead of going to consumer AI sites.
2. **Trust: position it as the approved, secure option**
- In your launch email and follow-up communications, clearly state that Copilot Chat is the **company-approved** AI solution.
- Explain that it’s designed to help protect organizational data and support compliance, unlike many public AI tools.
- Use network controls (DNS, firewall, proxy, Azure Traffic Manager) to redirect traffic from other AI assistants to **m365copilot.com**, which helps reduce Shadow IT and “bring your own AI” behavior.
3. **Skills: show people how to get value quickly**
- Share concrete prompt examples, such as:
- “Summarize this email thread and highlight the decisions made.”
- “Draft a first version of a project update for my manager based on these notes.”
- “List key risks and open questions from this document.”
- Run short enablement sessions using Microsoft’s customizable training guide so employees can practice live.
- Encourage teams to reimagine routine tasks—status reports, meeting prep, follow-up emails—using Copilot Chat.
By combining clear communication, technical safeguards, and practical training, you can gradually shift everyday work toward Copilot Chat and away from unapproved AI tools, while keeping data protection and compliance at the center of your approach.