In this post and video, I’ll teach you how to create and use Copilot agents in SharePoint and Teams. My example is a common one. With all of your company policies stored in SharePoint, the agent will allow users to ask questions about the policies or the contents of the policies. The agent will answer the questions, and also provide a reference to the company policy that it got its information from. Keep reading to see reference links and example scenarios as well, toward the end of this post. I’ve also created an online course called Copilot Power User.
Getting Started
Creating Copilot Agents in SharePoint
1. Navigate to a Document Library:
- First, go to your SharePoint site and select the document library containing the company policies. This library was “Documents,” and the site is referred to as our company “Policy Center”.
2. Create an Agent:
- One way is to click “New” on the home page or in the library, and selected “Agent” from the dropdown menu. You can also click Create an agent in the library
3. Edit the Agent:
- Your new agent has been created in a single click. On this screen, you can open the agent to start trying prompts, or you can go straight to Edit it.
- The first time you create an agent on a library, another agent for the whole site will automatically be created, with the name of the site as its name.
Configuring the Agent
1. Identity:
- To make your agent more relevant, you can change its name. I changed mine to “Policies Agent.” The icon and description can also be customized, to make it clear that this agent is for answering questions about company policies.
2. Sources:
- The agent automatically includes the current site and library as its sources. This means that in this case, it would use the content from the “Policy Center” site’s “Documents” library contents to answer questions.
- If needed, you can add additional sites, libraries, folders, or specific files to the agent’s sources to broaden its knowledge base.
3. Behavior:
- Type a Welcome message and starter prompts to guide users on how to interact with the agent. For example, I included prompts like “Ask about a policy.”
- For the Instructions for agent, this is where you define the agent’s tone and instructions to be built into the prompt. I chose a casual tone and described the agent as a “company policy expert.” This ensured that the agent would respond in a friendly and knowledgeable manner.
- Save your changes.
Interacting with the Agent
1. Ask Questions:
- With the agent set up, try asking questions about your files. The agent provides answers based on the content in the source(s). For example, I asked about the company’s dress code, and the agent responded with information from the relevant policy document. It will let you know which specific file it used as a reference, with a link to open the file to read more.
2. Specific File Queries:
- You can even select a specific file and ask questions related to that file. For instance, I selected the “Bring Your Own Device” policy and asked, “Can I bring my own laptop?” The agent responded with details from the selected document.
More Features with Copilot Agents in SharePoint
1. Compare Files:
- You can select multiple files and ask the agent to compare them. This feature is useful for identifying differences between similar documents. This is a great, conversational way to understand the differences between any two files that are selected.
2. Teams Integration:
- In the agent’s drop-down on the right, you can click Copy link for Teams and paste it into a Teams group chat. This adds the agent to the conversation, allowing users to ask questions directly in the chat. The agent responded with relevant information from the SharePoint library.
Managing Copilot Agents in SharePoint
1. Approval and Default Settings:
After an agent is created, only a site owner can set the agent as approved. This makes the agent available for site members and visitors in the agent picker. You can also set the agent as the site default, ensuring that it appears on the homepage, in the panel on the right. This makes it easy for users to start interacting with the agent and typing prompts as soon as they arrive on the site.
2. Site Assets:
Agents are stored in the Site Assets library under the “copilots” folder. This is where you can find and manage the agents you create. When an agent is approved, it automatically gets moved to the “approved” folder in that folder. Now that you have learned how to create an agent, take a look at a couple of examples of practical applications of agents in everyday use.
Practical Applications
1. Training Library Agent:
I created an agent for a training library to answer questions about training materials. This agent could provide information on various SharePoint training topics, such as how to edit a SharePoint page or create a Power Automate flow.
2. Video Agent:
I created an agent for a video library to generate quiz questions from video content. This was particularly useful for creating training quizzes. I configured the agent to generate multiple-choice questions based on the content of specific videos.
Editing Pages with Copilot
1. Text Web Part:
In a text web part, you can use the Copilot icon to auto-rewrite or adjust content. For example, I asked Copilot to introduce the company policies in a professional tone. Copilot generated a well-written introduction, which I then inserted into the page. Here is a screenshot, see that you can either have it rewrite or adjust, or both.
Conclusion
Future Enhancements
Stay tuned! There are more features to look forward to in Copilot for SharePoint. Microsoft has showcased several upcoming features at recent conferences like Ignite.
Here is my 30 minute demonstration video, to see all of these steps.
References
Get started with Copilot agents in SharePOint https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/get-started-with-sharepoint-agents-69e2faf9-2c1e-4baa-8305-23e625021bcf
Write with Copilot in SharePoint rich text editor https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/write-with-copilot-in-sharepoint-rich-text-editor-afc720be-666b-4d87-801e-b8ff62f309bb
Frequently asked questions about Copilot in SharePoint https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/frequently-asked-questions-about-copilot-in-sharepoint-eb1b7668-3d98-4a93-98ef-f0c6dfc694f0
Microsoft Scenario Library https://adoption.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot-scenario-library
My course “Copilot Power User” https://www.iwmentor.com/courses/microsoft-copilot
Scenarios for agents
Here are some ideas for you, to encourage user adoption of Copilot in your organization.
- Employee Onboarding Resource Hub
- Scenario: A SharePoint site serves as the company’s onboarding hub with training materials, welcome guides, and FAQ lists.
- Agent Use Case: The agent assists new hires by answering questions like, “Where can I find the training schedule?” or “What is the company’s vacation policy?” and provides links to relevant documents or pages.
- Customer Support Knowledge Base
- Scenario: A SharePoint library stores customer service documentation, troubleshooting guides, and product manuals.
- Agent Use Case: The agent supports customer service representatives by responding to queries like, “How do I resolve error code 404?” or “What is the warranty policy for Product ABC?” with step-by-step instructions or direct links to documents.
- Here are three more examples of document libraries where adding an agent could be highly beneficial:
- Sales and Marketing Resources Library
- Content: Brochures, sales decks, product specs, pricing sheets, case studies, and marketing guidelines.
- Agent Use Case: Sales or marketing staff can quickly ask, “What is the latest product brochure for [Product Name]?” or “Do we have a case study for a healthcare client?” The agent could locate the relevant document or provide a summary.
- HR Policies and Procedures Library
- Content: Employee handbooks, leave policies, payroll guidelines, training schedules, and compliance documents.
- Agent Use Case: Employees can query the agent for information like, “What is the parental leave policy?” or “Where can I find the form for requesting remote work?” The agent could return the document or a summarized answer.
- Legal and Compliance Documents Library
- Content: Contracts, NDAs, regulatory compliance documents, audit reports, and legal templates.
- Agent Use Case: Legal teams or employees can ask the agent questions like, “What is the standard NDA for vendors?” or “What are the key points in the GDPR compliance document?” The agent can pull relevant clauses or provide document summaries.
- Project Management Dashboard Assistance
- Scenario: A SharePoint site contains a project dashboard with task lists, project timelines, and status updates.
- Agent Use Case: The agent helps project managers by summarizing the progress of specific projects, identifying overdue tasks, and answering questions like, “Which tasks are due this week?” or “What is the completion status of Project XYZ?”