Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini for your ERP? What office AI can and can't do with weclapp, Shopify and hotel data
You pay for Microsoft 365 Copilot or Gemini. Can it answer weclapp, Shopify or ASA HOTEL questions? Where office AI stops and Steward fits in.
“We already have Copilot”
It is a common objection to any new AI tool. If your company uses Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, you may already pay for Microsoft 365 Copilot or Gemini for Google Workspace. Why not use them for business questions too?
The honest answer: office AI is excellent at the work it was built for, and that work is mostly documents, email, meetings and chats. Your orders, invoices, stock and reservations live somewhere else.
What office AI does very well
Copilot and Gemini are built into the tools your team uses all day:
- Summarizing long email threads and meetings.
- Drafting documents, presentations and replies.
- Finding the right file in SharePoint, OneDrive or Google Drive.
- Analyzing a spreadsheet you already have.
They use the permissions of your Microsoft or Google account, so people see only the files and emails they already have access to. For knowledge work, that is a strong offering.
Where office AI stops
Your ERP, shop and hotel system are not documents. They are live business systems with their own APIs, permissions and rules.
- No ready-made, maintained connection to weclapp, Shopify or ASA HOTEL. Office AI can analyze an export of your orders, but the export is out of date as soon as it is created.
- Custom connectors are an IT project. Both platforms can be extended with connectors and agents, but someone has to build, secure and maintain them for each system.
- Changes to business records need special care. Changing an article price or posting a room charge is different from editing a document. It needs an approval step that business owners, not IT, control.
- Rules belong to the business system. Office AI does not know that refunds should always be reviewed or which ASA methods your account may call.
How Steward fits next to office AI
Steward is built for the part office AI does not cover: live business systems, used by a team, with controlled changes.
- Ready connections to weclapp, Shopify and ASA HOTEL. An administrator sets them up without a development project.
- Project roles. Viewers follow results, Contributors use configured connections and prepare changes, and Managers approve. Invited project members need no separate connection grant.
- Proposals and approvals for every change by default, with always-review rules for sensitive actions.
- Shared projects for teams such as finance, e-commerce or reception, with scheduled reports.
- Downloadable results. Tables and files you can take back into Excel, Word or Google Sheets. See answers and downloads.
Side by side
| Microsoft 365 Copilot / Gemini for Workspace | Steward | |
|---|---|---|
| Best at | Email, documents, meetings, files | ERP, shop and hotel data |
| weclapp, Shopify, ASA HOTEL | Through exports or custom connectors | Built-in connections |
| Permissions based on | Your Microsoft or Google account | Per-system Read, Write and Approve |
| Changes to business records | Not its focus | Proposals with approval |
| Recurring reports from business systems | Not its focus | Scheduled tasks |
| Setup for business systems | IT project | Connect in Settings |
Use both, for what each does best
A typical week might look like this:
- Steward: “Which customers are more than 30 days overdue?” A table appears in the finance project.
- Copilot or Gemini: “Draft a friendly reminder email to these five customers.” This happens in Outlook or Gmail.
- Steward: “Prepare a 5 % price increase for the ‘Accessories’ group.” The proposal waits for the sales manager’s approval.
- Copilot or Gemini: “Write the customer announcement about the new prices.”
Get started
Keep your office AI for documents and email. Connect your business system to Steward, starting with weclapp, Shopify or ASA HOTEL, and ask your first question in Read only mode.