Outlook’s new AI view helps you focus on the emails that matter most

The daily challenge of email overload

Most business owners and employees know the feeling: you sit down at your desk or pick up your phone, open Outlook, and suddenly you’re staring at a wall of emails. Customer questions, supplier updates, staff communications, calendar invites, newsletters, and the occasional suspicious message all demand attention.

Sorting through them takes time. According to various workplace studies, office workers can spend up to 2.5 hours each day managing email. That’s a huge chunk of the workday lost to scanning, filtering, and flagging what’s important.

And here’s the real danger: when inboxes are overflowing, it’s all too easy to miss something critical. A customer deadline, an internal update, or a security alert could slip through the cracks if it doesn’t stand out. The cost of a missed message can be anything from a delayed project to a damaged client relationship.

Microsoft’s answer: AI-powered inbox management

To help reduce this problem, Microsoft is rolling out a new feature in Outlook for iOS and Android. Powered by CoPilot, Microsoft’s artificial intelligence assistant, the new Priority view is designed to help people focus on the emails that matter most.

Instead of showing everything in one endless list, Outlook will soon automatically sort your inbox into two simple categories:

• High Priority – messages that are likely to be important or require immediate action.

• Needs Replies – messages where someone is waiting for a response from you.

By doing this, Outlook isn’t just making your inbox look cleaner. It’s using CoPilot’s intelligence to highlight what really requires your attention, cutting down the time you spend scanning and second-guessing.

How Priority view works

CoPilot doesn’t just guess based on random keywords. It uses Microsoft’s AI models to look at the context of your communications. That includes who the sender is, the tone of the message, whether similar messages were previously marked important, and how quickly you normally respond to certain people or topics.

This is part of Microsoft’s broader strategy of embedding CoPilot into everyday tools. Instead of being a separate app, CoPilot is being built directly into Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and other Microsoft 365 services. That way, AI works in the background to reduce workload rather than adding extra steps.

For example, in Outlook specifically, Priority view will help:

• Identify critical communications – A message from a key client won’t get lost under promotional emails.

• Remind you to reply – If someone is waiting for a response, it will surface the thread so you can act.

• Organize while you work – Instead of manually flagging or starring emails, the system does it for you.
  
  

Why this matters for small to medium businesses

For small and medium businesses (SMBs), where staff often juggle multiple responsibilities, email overload is more than just an annoyance. It can directly impact productivity and customer satisfaction.

• Time efficiency: Every hour spent managing email is an hour not spent on growing the business or serving clients.

• Reduced mistakes: Employees are less likely to overlook urgent tasks when Outlook highlights them automatically.

• Lower stress: Knowing that important messages will stand out reduces the mental load of inbox management.

When you think about it, SMBs rarely have dedicated administrative staff to triage communication. Features like Priority view essentially give every employee a digital assistant, helping them keep pace without extra headcount.

Limitations to keep in mind

While this new tool is promising, it’s not universal yet. Microsoft has confirmed that:

• Priority view will roll out gradually, with availability expanding into late 2025.

• It is currently limited to businesses using Microsoft 365 with a CoPilot license. CoPilot itself is a paid add-on, not part of the standard Microsoft 365 subscription.

• As with all AI-driven tools, there will be a period of adjustment. Some messages may be misclassified until the system learns your preferences.

For businesses considering whether to invest in CoPilot, these points are important. While Priority view can save time and reduce errors, it comes at a cost and requires planning for adoption.

The bigger picture: Outlook and AI integration

This development isn’t happening in isolation. Microsoft has been steadily weaving AI into Outlook and the wider Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

Some examples include:

• Suggested replies: Quick, AI-generated responses to common messages.

• Meeting summaries in Teams: CoPilot can create detailed notes after a meeting ends.

• Email drafting support: Outlook can now suggest full drafts or refine text for clarity and tone.

• Search improvements: AI is helping users find files, messages, or contacts faster.

Together, these features are shifting Outlook from being just a communications tool to becoming an intelligent productivity hub.

Security and data considerations

Of course, whenever AI is used to scan and sort communications, questions about data security and privacy naturally follow. Microsoft has stated that CoPilot complies with existing Microsoft 365 security frameworks. Data is handled within the same enterprise-grade protections already built into Microsoft’s cloud.

For Canadian businesses, this means compliance with regulations such as PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act), provided your Microsoft 365 environment is configured correctly. Still, businesses should regularly review their data policies and ensure staff understand how these tools interact with sensitive information.

Preparing your business for AI-driven Outlook features

If you’re considering adopting CoPilot for Outlook, here are a few steps to prepare:

1. Review licensing needs – Since CoPilot is an add-on, evaluate which staff roles would benefit most from the Priority view feature.

2. Train employees – New tools are only effective if staff know how to use them. Simple guidance on what “High Priority” means versus “Needs Replies” can prevent confusion.

3. Set expectations – AI will make mistakes at first. Encourage staff to manually reclassify emails where needed to help the system learn.

4. Monitor compliance – Ensure your Microsoft 365 environment is properly configured for Canadian data security standards.

5. Plan for expansion – AI features will continue to grow, so think ahead about how CoPilot can be used in other areas such as Teams, Excel, or Word.

Looking ahead

Outlook’s Priority view is just one example of how AI is being brought into everyday workflows. For SMBs, it signals a broader trend: tools once reserved for large enterprises are now accessible at a smaller scale.

While the rollout may take time, the direction is clear. Microsoft is betting that CoPilot will become an essential part of how businesses handle not only email, but most digital communication and collaboration tasks.

For businesses in Victoria, BC, and across Canada, keeping an eye on these developments now can ensure you’re not left behind when the tools become mainstream.

Robertson Technology Group: Supporting SMBs across Canada

At Robertson Technology Group, based in Victoria, BC, we understand the challenges small and medium businesses face when balancing productivity and cybersecurity. Email is just one piece of a much larger technology puzzle. That’s why we provide managed technology security and support solutions designed specifically for businesses with 5 to 200 employees. By handling everything from system management to risk monitoring, we take the burden off your team so you can focus on what you do best.

What sets us apart is our personalized approach. We don’t treat clients as numbers — we take the time to understand your operations and tailor solutions to fit your goals. From choosing the right Microsoft 365 tools to leveraging AI for smarter security, our team ensures you have reliable, secure, and efficient systems. With clients supported across Canada, Robertson Technology Group is your trusted partner for technology and cybersecurity needs, today and into the future.