Summarize a Supplier Thread and Draft a Reply with Copilot in Outlook

What This Does

If your business email runs on Outlook, Copilot can summarize a long supplier or franchisor-office thread at the top of the conversation and draft a reply you can adjust for length and tone. Use it when the thread is long and the reply is short, such as confirming a delivery date.

Before You Start

• You use Outlook for your business email
• Copilot is available in your Outlook. Microsoft's page says Copilot in Outlook works in Outlook for Microsoft 365, the new Outlook for Windows, and Outlook for Android and iOS. Whether you have it depends on your Microsoft 365 plan and license, which Microsoft's plan page and your IT contact can confirm. If you do not see the Copilot icon in the toolbar, it may not be included
• The thread is with a supplier or the franchisor's office, not a thread full of customer details

Data caution. Keep customer names, phone numbers, addresses, access notes and payment details out of threads you run through Copilot unless your franchisor and your own policy approve it. Use job codes such as "J-2231" in threads where you can. Check your Microsoft 365 data and privacy settings or ask your IT contact how your business email content is handled.

Steps

1. Summarize the thread

1. In your inbox, select the conversation.
2. In new Outlook, select the Summary by Copilot box at the top of the thread. In classic Outlook, select Summarize.
3. Copilot scans the thread for key points and shows the summary at the top of the email.

Microsoft's page says the summary may include numbered citations. Select a citation and it takes you to the matching email in the thread.

2. Click the citations

For every date, quantity or term in the summary, select its numbered citation and read the original message. The summary is a shortcut to the right email. It is not a replacement for reading it.

3. Draft a reply

1. Open the thread and select Reply. Alternatively, select Home > New Mail for a fresh message.
2. Select the Copilot icon in the toolbar. In new Outlook, select Draft from the drop-down menu. In classic Outlook, select Draft with Copilot.
3. In the Copilot box, type what the reply should do:

Confirm the delivery date of [date] and ask whether the order arrives in one delivery or two. Keep it to three sentences. Do not add any other dates, amounts or promises.

1. Select Generate. In new Outlook it is an arrow button.

4. Adjust length and tone

In new Outlook, select Make it shorter, Make it longer or Change Tone. In classic Outlook, select Adjust and pick an option. If the draft misses, select Retry in new Outlook or Regenerate in classic Outlook. You can also change your prompt text and select Generate again.

5. Keep it, edit it, send it yourself

Select Keep it in new Outlook or Keep in classic Outlook. Edit the draft until it sounds like you. Check it against the thread before you select Send.

Real Example

Scenario: A supplier thread about a restock for [Your Brand] (invented) has fourteen messages. The last one asks you to confirm a delivery date.

What you do: Open the thread and read the Summary by Copilot. Select the numbered citations that mention the date. Then use the draft prompt above.

What you get: A short reply confirming the date and asking about one delivery or two. You verify the date in the thread before you send.

Tips

• Microsoft's page says Copilot content may contain inaccuracies. Always review what it generates.
• Anything about prices, credits, terms or new dates is your decision. Delete sentences you did not ask for.
• Mobile works too. Microsoft's page describes the Copilot icon in the toolbar on iOS and Android, with the summary appearing under the email.

Tool interfaces change. If a button has moved, look for similar AI options in the same menu area.