Working more effectively with Copilot

1. Working more effectively with Copilot

We've been using Copilot to create, understand, and collaborate. And it's been working well. But here's what we've learned: the quality of what Copilot gives us depends heavily on what we ask for. Let's see what this means in practice.

2. Getting started

We're at Horizon Technologies, and we need to draft a project brief for a new customer retention initiative. Let's start with a basic prompt. "Write a project brief about customer retention."

3. Getting specific output

Look at what we got. It's professional. It's correct. But it's also completely generic. There's nothing here specific to our situation, our customers, or our goals. This could be any company's project brief. Now watch what happens when we're more specific.

4. The prompting framework

Here's a framework for building better prompts. Think of it in four parts: Goal - What response do we want from Copilot? Be specific about the outcome. Context - Why do we need it and who is involved? This helps Copilot understand the situation. Source - Which information sources or samples should Copilot use? This is grounding. Expectations - How should Copilot respond? Think about tone, format, and length.

5. The prompting framework in action

Let's apply this framework to our project brief. "Generate a one-page project brief to reduce churn from 12% to 8% for a customer retention initiative, for an enterprise client in the healthcare sector. We're experiencing 12% churn in the first 90 days, with exit interviews showing the top issues are lack of onboarding support and infrequent check-ins. Format should include problem statement, objectives, approach and success metrics."

6. Specific prompts deliver results

Let's look at the difference. Now we're getting somewhere. This output is specific, actionable, and actually useful. Same tool, better results. We gave Copilot our goal, the context about our audience and situation, and clear expectations.

7. Adding content

But here's where the framework gets even more powerful – by referencing other documents as the source.

8. Adding content

Here, we have a customer research report with data about why healthcare clients leave. Let's draft a project brief that incorporates these findings.

9. Adding content

In the Copilot prompt box, we click on "Add content" and select our research document.

10. Grounding with real data

Now we prompt: “Generate a one-page project brief to reduce churn from 12% to 8% for a customer retention initiative, for an enterprise client in the healthcare sector. Use the attached customer research report. Format should include problem statement, objectives, approach and success metrics.”

11. Grounding with real data

Perfect. Now our brief includes actual data from our research - specific pain points, customer feedback, and evidence. This is grounding - telling Copilot which sources to pull from.

12. Verifying our sources

And notice the citations -

13. Verifying our sources

numbered references showing where Copilot pulled information from the research report. We can click any citation to verify the source and accuracy.

14. Three key takeaways

So, here's what we've learned. Write better prompts using the four-part framework - Goal, Context, Source, and Expectations. Ground Copilot by referencing other documents. And use citations to verify the information.

15. Let's practice!

Time to practice!

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