Microsoft Teams Premium vs. Microsoft 365 Copilot – Which One is Right for Your Business?

Microsoft Teams Premium vs. Microsoft 365 Copilot – Which One is Right for Your Business?

When it comes to enhancing collaboration and productivity, Microsoft offers two powerful tools: Microsoft Teams Premium and Microsoft 365 Copilot. But with licensing costs at £7.70 per user/month for Teams Premium and £23.10 per user/month for Copilot 365, IT leaders need to assess where these investments deliver the most value.

Teams Premium focuses on improving meetings, security, and customer interactions, offering AI-powered meeting summaries, advanced webinar capabilities, and enhanced call management with the Queues App. In contrast, Copilot 365 is designed to streamline everyday collaboration with AI, automating meeting recaps, message drafting, and task management across Teams, Outlook, and other Microsoft 365 apps. Think of it as your own personal assistant.

So, which one should your organisation invest in? The answer depends on who in your business will use it and how. While some departments may benefit from structured, secure meetings and enhanced call handling, others may see greater efficiency through AI-driven automation. In many cases, a hybrid approach—deploying Teams Premium for external communication and Copilot 365 for internal productivity—may be the best strategy.

Microsoft Teams Premium: Smarter Meetings, Stronger Security, and Better Call Handling

For organisations that rely on structured meetings, external webinars, or high-volume customer interactions, Microsoft Teams Premium offers major advantages. One of its most valuable features is Intelligent Meeting Recap, which automatically summarises discussions, highlights key points, and extracts action items. For busy executives, project managers, and client-facing teams, this eliminates the need to rewatch meeting recordings or manually take notes, making follow-ups easier and more efficient.

Another game-changing feature is Live Translations & Captions, allowing real-time subtitles in multiple languages. This is a huge benefit for global teams or organisations working with international clients, ensuring seamless communication without language barriers. Advanced Meeting Protection adds another layer of security, with watermarking, end-to-end encryption, and sensitivity labels helping finance, HR, and legal teams safeguard confidential discussions.

Beyond meetings, Teams Premium enhances call handling with advanced capabilities like the Queues App, designed to streamline internal communication rather than serve as a customer-facing call center tool. The Queues App helps organisations manage call queues for Auto Attendants and Call Queues within Microsoft Teams, enabling users—typically receptionists, front desk staff, or IT service desks—to view, manage, and respond to incoming calls from a centralised interface. It supports visibility into queue activity, caller details, and the ability to take or redirect calls, making it valuable for internal coordination in departments like HR, facilities, or IT support, rather than external customer service or sales functions.

For organisations that regularly host virtual events, corporate training, or client-facing webinars, Teams Premium also delivers advanced webinar tools. Features such as custom registration, branded experiences, and attendee analytics give marketing and sales teams the ability to run high-quality, engaging online events. For businesses that prioritise structured, high-impact communication, Teams Premium offers a compelling return on investment.

Teams Premium vs. Copilot 365 – A Feature Comparison

Microsoft 365 Copilot: AI-Driven Productivity for Smarter Collaboration

While Microsoft Teams Premium enhances structured communication, Microsoft 365 Copilot transforms everyday collaboration through AI automation. A standout feature is AI-powered meeting summaries in Teams, which automatically captures action points, key discussion topics, and follow-ups. For executives, team leaders, and project managers, this eliminates the need to attend every meeting, ensuring they can stay informed without spending hours reviewing call recordings or notes.

Copilot’s AI also extends into email and messaging, helping Outlook and Teams users draft emails, generate responses, and summarise chat conversations. This is particularly useful for sales teams handling large volumes of outreach, customer service teams responding to queries, and executives managing high-priority communications. By reducing manual effort, Copilot frees up employees to focus on more valuable tasks.

Another powerful feature is Automated Task Extraction, which identifies tasks from Teams chats, emails, and meeting notes and syncs them into Microsoft Planner or To Do. This ensures teams don’t miss important follow-ups, making it an essential tool for project managers, HR professionals, and operations teams handling complex workflows.

For finance and data teams, Copilot’s AI-driven insights in Excel provide instant analysis of data trends, allowing teams to generate reports and make informed decisions more quickly. Rather than spending hours manipulating spreadsheets, users can let AI identify patterns and suggest data-driven actions. The overall benefit of Microsoft 365 Copilot is simple—it reduces manual workload, improves efficiency, and allows employees to focus on high-value work.

Microsoft Teams Premium vs. Microsoft 365 Copilot: Which One Do You Need?

Choosing between Microsoft Teams Premium and Microsoft 365 Copilot depends on which teams in your organisation will gain the most from each tool. If your business relies on structured, high-security meetings, client interactions, or customer support calls, Teams Premium is the right choice. It’s particularly beneficial for:

• Customer service teams managing inbound calls with the Queues App.
• HR, legal, and compliance teams handling sensitive discussions with advanced security features.
• Sales and marketing teams delivering branded webinars and external client meetings.

On the other hand, if your goal is to enhance everyday collaboration and reduce admin workload through AI automation, Copilot 365 is the smarter investment. It’s best suited for:

• Executives and leadership teams who need AI-powered meeting summaries to save time.
• Sales and customer support teams who benefit from faster, AI-assisted email and chat drafting.
• Operations and project management teams who need automated task tracking and workflow optimisation.

Harkirat Degun, Resonate Product Director, explains “For many businesses, the best approach isn’t choosing one—it’s deploying a combination of both. Customer service and sales teams may need Teams Premium for secure meetings and call handling, while internal teams benefit from Copilot’s AI-powered task automation and content creation tools. Aligning the right tool with the right departments ensures maximum return on investment and prevents unnecessary licensing costs.”

How Resonate Can Help You Get the Most from Microsoft Teams

Deciding which tools to invest in is just the first step—the real challenge is getting the most out of them. Resonate helps businesses fully adopt and optimise Microsoft Teams Premium, the Queues App, and Copilot 365’s AI-powered collaboration features.

Whether you need help setting up call management tools, training employees on AI collaboration features, or running adoption workshops, our consultancy services ensure your teams are using these tools effectively. Microsoft Teams is a powerful platform—but only if employees know how to make it work for them.

Final Thoughts: Supercharging Microsoft Teams for Your Organisation

Both Microsoft Teams Premium and Copilot 365 offer incredible opportunities to enhance collaboration and productivity. Teams Premium is ideal for structured, secure meetings and customer-facing communication, while Copilot 365 automates workflows, summarises discussions, and boosts communication efficiency with AI.

For IT leaders trying to maximise the value of Microsoft Teams, the key is deploying these tools where they’ll have the most impact. If you’re unsure where to start, Resonate can help you ensure adoption, drive real business value, and make Microsoft Teams work harder for your organisation. Get in touch today to find out how.