Use Outlook's AI to Manage Your High-Volume Email

What This Does

Outlook's built-in AI drafts professional email responses for you — so you can respond to the daily flood of emails from courts, attorneys, foster parents, schools, and families without spending an hour composing each one.

Before You Start

• You have Outlook open (desktop app or Outlook.com)
• You're using a Microsoft 365 account
• You have at least a handful of unread emails to reply to

Steps

1. Find Suggested Replies

Open any email you need to respond to. Look at the bottom of the email — you'll see 2–3 short reply suggestions like "Thank you, I'll follow up" or "I'll look into this." These are automatic and free with any Outlook account.

What you should see: Gray/blue pill-shaped suggested reply buttons at the bottom of the message.

2. Use "Reply with Copilot" for longer drafts

For emails that need a real response (not just an acknowledgment), click Reply, then look for the Copilot icon in the compose toolbar. Click it, then choose "Draft with Copilot."

Type a brief description: "Confirm receipt of the foster care placement request and ask for the child's medical records by Friday."

What you should see: A full draft email appears in your compose window.

3. Review and personalize

The draft will be professional but generic. Add any specific details (dates, names, case numbers) that only you know. Adjust the tone if needed — Outlook's drafts tend toward formal, which is usually right for court communications.

4. Use "Summarize" for long email threads

When you've been cc'd on a long court/attorney thread, click the Summarize button (Copilot pane) to get a 3-sentence summary of what's been decided and what action is needed from you.

Real Example

Scenario: A foster parent has sent you a 4-paragraph email describing concerning behaviors from a child in placement, asking what to do and when the next visit is.

What you do: Click Reply → Copilot icon → "Draft with Copilot" → type: "Acknowledge the concerns, thank them for reporting, confirm I will follow up with the child's therapist, and ask them to call the crisis line if behaviors escalate before my next home visit on [date]."

What you get: A complete, professional reply that addresses each concern without you having to compose it word by word after a long day.

Tips

• Use Copilot to draft emails to attorneys — tone-perfect formal language without having to think about it when you're exhausted
• For sensitive communications (family notification of court decisions), always write these yourself — AI can help edit but these deserve your personal attention
• The "Summarize" feature is best for those 30-email court threads you've been added to — catch up in 30 seconds

Tool interfaces change — if a button has moved, look for similar AI/magic/smart options in the same menu area.