Let’s face it, your email inbox can feel like a never-ending chore. Juggling countless threads, remembering to follow up, and figuring out what’s actually urgent is a job in itself. The good news is that artificial intelligence can lend a hand. With the right tools, you can turn Microsoft Outlook from a source of stress into a smart assistant that helps you manage the load.
This guide will walk you through setting up and using both the built-in AI for Outlook email and some powerful third-party tools. You’ll learn how to save time, write better emails, and even automate entire workflows so you can focus on more important work.
What you’ll need to get started with AI for outlook email
Before we jump in, here’s a quick list of what you’ll need to follow along:
- An active Microsoft Outlook account, which usually comes with a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Business plan.
- Admin permissions for your Microsoft 365 setup if you plan on installing third-party add-ins for your whole team.
- An account for any third-party tool you want to try. Many offer free trials, so you can test them out before committing.
How to set up and use AI for Outlook email: a step-by-step guide
Putting AI to work in Outlook is a process. We’ll start with the simple, built-in features that give you a quick win, then move on to more advanced tools that can automate work from start to finish.
Step 1: Use Outlook’s built-in AI assistant for AI for outlook email (Microsoft Copilot)
Microsoft Copilot is the AI assistant that’s already part of Outlook for Microsoft 365 subscribers. It’s built to help you with individual tasks like drafting emails, summarizing long conversations, and offering feedback on your writing.
How to get it running
For most people with a Microsoft 365 subscription, there’s nothing you need to do. Copilot is probably already waiting for you in Outlook. Just look for the Copilot icon in the toolbar when you’re writing a new email or reading a thread. If you’re using a company account and don’t see it, your IT admin might need to need to switch it on for you.
How to use it for everyday tasks
- Drafting emails: When you need to compose an email, click the "Draft with Copilot" button. Give it a simple instruction, like, "Write a follow-up to this email, agree to their timeline, and ask for the project brief." The AI will generate a draft for you to edit and send.
- Summarizing threads: If you’re lost in a long email chain, click "Summary by Copilot" at the top of the thread. It will give you a quick rundown of the key points so you don’t have to read every single reply.
- Getting feedback on your tone: Before you send an important email, try the "Coaching by Copilot" feature. It looks at your draft and gives you tips on its tone, clarity, and overall sentiment, helping you make sure your message comes across the right way.
Where it falls short Copilot is great for personal productivity, but it has its boundaries. It mainly sticks to the Microsoft world, which means it can’t connect to your other business tools like Zendesk, Freshdesk, or Jira Service Management. It can help you write an email about a support ticket, but it can’t triage that ticket or look up customer details in your help desk. For that kind of work, you need a different type of tool.
Step 2: Install a third-party AI writing add-in for AI for outlook email
Third-party add-ins are a good way to add specialized AI features to Outlook. They often focus on things like advanced grammar checks, better tone control, or smarter email management.
How to install an add-in
Adding one is pretty easy.
- In Outlook, go to the Home tab and click "Get Add-ins." In newer versions, you might find this under "All Apps" > "Add Apps."
- Use the search bar in the store to find an AI tool you’re interested in. You could search for something like Grammarly for grammar or MailMaestro for tone suggestions.
- Click "Add" to install the add-in and follow the prompts to connect your account.
When to use one These tools come in handy when you need something more specific than what Copilot offers. For example, Grammarly is excellent for deep grammar and plagiarism checks, while a tool like MailMaestro gives you very specific control over your writing tone, which is useful for things like formal executive emails.
Pro Tip: Most add-ins have free versions or free trials. It’s smart to try a couple to see which one feels right for your writing style before you decide to pay for a subscription.
Looking at the bigger picture While these writing tools are helpful, they only solve part of the problem. They help you write emails faster, but they don’t do anything about the business processes that lead to those emails. Fixing that is where you can find some serious efficiency gains, and that requires a different kind of AI.
Step 3: Use an AI workflow assistant for actual AI for outlook email automation
Now it’s time to talk about the next step for AI for Outlook email: moving from writing help to workflow automation. An AI writing assistant helps you craft a message, but an AI workflow assistant automates the tasks behind that message. This is a huge deal for support, IT, and ops teams, where every email in a shared inbox is a task that needs to be done.
A platform like eesel AI connects to your existing tools including Outlook and your help desk to automate these processes. It’s not just about managing your inbox; it’s about handling the work that comes through it.
How it’s different
- It connects to your company’s knowledge: Instead of using generic information, eesel AI trains securely on your company’s real business documents. This can be your public help center, internal wikis in Confluence or Google Docs, and even past ticket history from your help desk.
- It takes action in your other tools: Because it connects to your whole tech stack, eesel AI can do more than just write. It can automatically triage support tickets, draft smart replies for agents in Zendesk or Intercom, and answer internal questions for employees right in Slack or Microsoft Teams.
- You stay in control: You decide how it works. You can set up rules in plain English to define the AI’s tone, decide when it should pass a question to a human, and tell it exactly what actions it’s allowed to take.
| Feature | Microsoft Copilot | Third-Party Writing Add-ins | AI Workflow Assistant (e.g., eesel AI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Use | Personal productivity (drafting, summarizing) | Specialized writing help (grammar, tone) | Team-level process automation |
| Integration | Limited to Microsoft 365 ecosystem | Integrates with Outlook only | Connects to help desks, wikis, chat tools, etc. |
| Knowledge Source | General AI models | General AI models | Your company’s specific knowledge bases |
| Automation | Helps with single tasks | Helps with writing tasks only | Automates multi-step workflows (triage, reply) |
| Best For | Individuals needing quick writing help | Users needing advanced grammar/tone control | Support, IT, and Ops teams in shared inboxes |
How to get started (a general overview)
Setting up a workflow assistant like eesel AI is all about connecting it to your tools.
- Sign up for eesel AI and create your AI bot.
- Connect your knowledge sources, like your help center URL, a Confluence space, or a folder in Google Drive.
- Connect the platforms where you want the AI to work, like your help desk or chat tools. It works with Outlook through these platforms, where your emails are already being managed as tickets or messages.
- Customize how the AI behaves with simple prompts, then run tests on your past data to check its accuracy before you turn it on for live requests.
The point is this: while a tool like Copilot helps you work faster as an individual, a platform like eesel AI helps your whole team automate its work. This cuts down on repetitive tasks and lets issues get resolved much faster, sometimes without anyone needing to step in.
Tips for getting the most out of AI for Outlook email
Using AI well is a skill you build over time. Here are a few tips to make sure you’re getting helpful and accurate results.
- Be specific with your instructions: The more context you give the AI, a better its response will be. Instead of just saying "write a reply," try something more detailed: "Write a polite reply confirming we got the request and letting them know our standard response time is 24 hours."
- Always review before you send: Think of AI as your assistant, not your replacement. Always take a few seconds to read through any AI-generated text to check for accuracy, tone, and any weird phrasing.
- Know the privacy details: Be aware of what data your AI tool can see. For business use, it’s important to pick a platform like eesel AI that is built with security in mind, offers features like EU data residency, and promises that your private data won’t be used to train other models.
- Start small and grow from there: When you start automating workflows, don’t try to boil the ocean. Roll out the AI on one specific email queue or with a single team first. See how it does, get some feedback, and then expand its duties as you get more comfortable with it.
Go beyond a smarter inbox with AI for outlook email
You can start using AI for Outlook email right now. Built-in tools like Copilot give you an easy productivity bump for your personal inbox, and third-party add-ins are a great next step for more specific writing help.
But if your goal is to cut down on manual work for your whole team and automate the tasks that fill your inbox, you need a true workflow automation platform. eesel AI offers a complete solution that connects to all your tools, turning your team’s knowledge into an engine that gets work done on its own.
Ready to see how AI can do more than just write emails? Book a demo of eesel AI to learn how you can automate your support and IT workflows.
Frequently asked questions
A writing assistant like Microsoft Copilot helps you draft, summarize, or improve a single email. A full automation tool connects to your other business apps to handle the entire process behind the email, like triaging a support ticket or finding answers in your company wiki.
This is a critical concern, so you should always verify a tool’s security policies. Enterprise-grade platforms are built with security first, guaranteeing your data stays private and isn’t used to train other AI models. Avoid any tool that isn’t transparent about its data handling practices.
Not at all. Basic tools like Copilot or third-party add-ins are typically a one-click install from the Outlook store. Even powerful workflow platforms are designed to be set up using plain English commands, so you don’t need to know how to code.
Yes, this is a major benefit for teams. While Outlook has a "Focused Inbox" for personal use, advanced AI can automatically categorize, tag, and route incoming messages in a shared inbox based on their content, saving significant manual effort.
The best tools allow for deep customization. You should look for a platform that can train securely on your own knowledge base and documentation, and lets you set specific rules in plain language to guide the AI’s tone, voice, and behavior.
