Lab 02 - The manager's morning inbox

Lab 02 - The manager’s morning inbox

Time: 45 minutes Where: Outlook (web or desktop) Goal: process in 45 minutes the mail that would otherwise take half a day. Chapter: Copilot in Outlook

Situation: It is Monday morning after a week of business travel. There are 17 e-mails in your inbox. The management meeting is on Thursday.

Task 2.1 – What’s on fire? (5 min)

In Outlook open the Copilot pane (Copilot icon on the ribbon) and enter:

Go through my e-mails from the last week. Which 5 need my reaction or decision? For each, give the sender, exactly what they want from me and by when. Sort by urgency.

Check that the list contains the complaint from RSC Stred, the D1 WIM decision and the materials for the management meeting.

Task 2.2 – Summarize a long thread (5 min)

  1. Open the e-mail RE: D1 WIM Prešov – posun dodávky senzorov.
  2. Click Summarize above the e-mail.
  3. Then add in the Copilot pane:
Which options does Tomáš propose, what does each cost and which one does he recommend? Put it in a table.

Task 2.3 – Reply with a decision (10 min)

  1. In the same thread click Reply and choose Draft with Copilot.
  2. Enter:
Reply to Tomáš that I agree with option A. Ask him to inform the customer RSC Východ by Friday and to send me the draft text first. Confirm to Peter Hudec that he will get the justification of the budget overrun by 15 October. Short and friendly. Write the reply in Slovak.
  1. Adjust length/tone (e.g. Shorter, More formal) and insert the draft. Don’t send it – save it as a draft.

Task 2.4 – Sensitive reply to a customer + coaching (10 min)

  1. Open the complaint from Ing. Ján Mráz (variable message sign R1).
  2. Write yourself a short, slightly “defensive” reply, e.g.: “The fault was not on our side, it was a network outage of the operator. We fixed it as soon as we could.”
  3. Click Coaching by Copilot (Get coaching) and read the suggestions.
  4. Then let Copilot write a better version:
Write a professional and empathetic reply to this complaint in Slovak. Acknowledge that the outage was serious and that we missed the 4-hour response time. Explain that the cause was a failed LTE modem and an overheated cabinet, the modem has been replaced and we will add cabinet ventilation within 2 weeks. We will send a written corrective action plan by Friday and propose a personal meeting about the SLA. Do not mention any financial compensation.

Task 2.5 – Tasks and deadlines (8 min)

In the Copilot pane enter:

Create a list of all tasks and deadlines for me from the e-mails of the last week. Table: task, from whom, deadline, priority (high/medium/low). Sort by deadline.

Flag the three most important e-mails – they will appear in your Microsoft To Do list.

Task 2.6 – Schedule a meeting (7 min)

  1. Open Tomáš’s e-mail Termín so SENSOTEC – potrebujeme 45 min budúci týždeň.
  2. Use Schedule with Copilot, or in the Copilot pane:
Schedule a 45-minute online meeting with Tomáš Baláž next Tuesday or Wednesday morning about the SENSOTEC amendment and the D1 WIM schedule. Propose an agenda with 4 items.
  1. Check the proposed time and agenda. Save, don’t send the invitation (attendees are fictional).

Bonus

  • Try inbox triage: “Move newsletters and information e-mails from the last week to a new folder To read.” (if available in your tenant, Copilot asks for confirmation first).
  • Klaus Berger’s e-mail is in English – ask Copilot for a summary in Slovak and a reply in English.
  • Open the Porada vedenia event in the Calendar and use Prepare with Copilot.

Check

  • I have a list of 5 urgent e-mails
  • The draft to Tomáš contains the decision (option A), Friday and 15 October
  • The reply to the complaint is empathetic and promises nothing I can’t deliver
  • I have a task table with deadlines and 3 flagged e-mails