Use Microsoft Copilot in Outlook to Draft Professional Emails

What This Does

Copilot in Outlook drafts professional emails for you — useful when you need to communicate formally with the DON, administrator, families, or external providers and want the right tone without spending 20 minutes writing.

Before You Start

• You have Outlook open on your facility computer or personal device
• Your facility has a Microsoft 365 subscription (Copilot is included in M365 Business Standard and above)
• You're composing a new email or replying to one

Steps

1. Find the Copilot feature

Open Outlook and start a new email (or click Reply on an existing one). Look for the Copilot icon in the email compose toolbar — it looks like a small blue sparkle or star icon. It may also appear as a "Draft with Copilot" button. If you don't see it, your facility's Microsoft 365 plan may not include Copilot — ask your IT department.

2. Tell Copilot what you need

Click the Copilot icon. A small text box appears prompting you to "Describe what you'd like to write." Type a brief description of your message — keep it informal and factual here, Copilot will write the professional version:

Example: "Email to our DON about a resident in Room 12 who had a fall today. He's OK, MD was notified, x-ray ordered, family called. Asking about any additional protocols we should follow."

3. Set the tone

Below the description box, you'll see tone options: Direct, Casual, Formal, or Enthusiastic. For communications with the DON or administrator, select Formal. For family emails, Direct or Formal works well.

4. Review and use the result

Click Generate. Copilot drafts the full email. Read it carefully — verify the clinical facts are accurate and the tone matches your intent. Click Keep it to transfer the draft to your email compose window, then make any adjustments and send.

Real Example

Scenario: You need to email the administrator about a pattern you've noticed — three falls on your unit in the last two weeks, and you want to flag it before the DON does.

What you type in Copilot: "Email to the administrator about three falls on my unit in the past two weeks. I want to flag the pattern proactively, note we've reviewed each resident's fall prevention plan, and ask for a brief meeting to discuss if we need additional interventions or environmental changes. Tone should be professional and solution-focused."

What you get: A professional, non-alarmist email that positions you as proactive rather than reactive — which is exactly what you want when escalating clinical concerns upward.

Tips

• Use Copilot for any email you find yourself rewriting multiple times or feeling uncertain about the right tone.
• For sensitive topics (family complaints, disciplinary concerns), always have the DON or supervisor review before sending.
• If the draft is too long, tell Copilot "Make it shorter and more direct" in the follow-up box.

Tool interfaces change — if the Copilot button has moved, look for similar AI/magic/smart options in the compose toolbar or the three-dot menu.