Business operations makeover with Microsoft Copilot

The world has never been evolving more rapidly than it is today. In such a fast-paced environment, AI technologies went from a new gimmick to a widely used tool in IT, healthcare, finance, transportation, retail, you name it. The use of generative AI has nearly doubled in 2024, and the numbers keep growing, with an impressive 75% of knowledge workers now relying on it daily.

Implementing AI in an established company can seem daunting. However, a business that is well-off now might struggle to keep up with competitors in the future if it does not embrace progress. Updating processes involve investing in new specialists, training, and overcoming initial challenges. But imagine having an AI assistant by your side, specifically tailored to your needs and able to improve your business on the spot.

Let’s talk about Microsoft Dynamics 365 Copilot, a user-friendly AI-powered virtual assistant designed to automate repetitive tasks and deliver real-time insights to help businesses work smarter. So, how can different business units benefit from the AI makeover? 

Microsoft Copilot for Dynamics 365 Sales 

The sales department is the face of any company. What they do is present the products and services, build relationships with customers, and manage billing matters. Dynamics 365 Sales assists them in this endeavor. It allows for reviewing open sales tasks, new assignments, tracking pipelines, and progress toward key performance indicators (KPIs) using embedded charts and dashboards.  

By querying Copilot within Dynamics 365 Sales using natural language or prebuilt prompts, the sales department can streamline routine tasks: 

• Summarize an account, an opportunity, or a lead: 
  • Get annual and estimated revenues. 
  • Review all products associated with the opportunity, along with the budget. 
  • Monitor the strengths and weaknesses of the competitors. 
  • Receive a list of possible contacts based on the lead’s email address. 
• View recent changes in records: 
  • Get a list of recently updated sales records. 
  • View the recently assigned leads and opportunities. 
  • Change the fields you wish to see. 
• Enhance the Teams meetings: 
  • List meetings scheduled for the near future. 
  • Detect the mentioned brand names in real time. 
  • Surface a SWOT analysis and overview the brand. 
  • Consider related open opportunities and cases. 
• Get assistance with emails: 
  • Edit AI-generated drafts and send email messages. 
  • Summarize emails. 
  • Get related CRM records. 
  • Display unanswered emails and sales-specific next steps suggestions. 

With the extensive list of what Copilot takes off the Sales team’s plate, they can focus on interactions with clients, providing feedback, and closing the deals.  

Microsoft Copilot for Dynamics 365 Field Service 

While the sales department can be compared with the face of a company, the field service department is its backbone. Dynamics 365 Field Service helps them render concepts into reality by managing and coordinating work that happens outside the main office. For example, the idea may be to improve connectivity. In this case, field workers install and test 5G towers, optimize coverage, and troubleshoot connectivity issues, turning plans for digital transformation into functional networks.

When working at customer locations, it is crucial to keep the communication between all parties in synch: customer service agents, dispatchers, frontline managers and workers. This synchronization is the primary purpose of D365 Field Service. You can manage onsite visits, resources, vehicle state, and availability, optimize the routes and the time spent on the road, stay on top of the customers’ feedback, and react accordingly.

The number of things to keep in mind every moment might seem overwhelming. That is exactly when Microsoft Copilot gives you a helping hand in: 

• Access all your work order details in one place; no app-switching is needed. 
• Check the resources allocated to a specific work order. 
• View and access the files or work orders Copilot referenced for its response. 
• Schedule new work orders. 
• Prioritize and sort scheduled work orders. 
• Request Copilot to brainstorm solutions for urgent issues. 
• Create work orders directly from an Outlook email or a Teams conversation summary generated by AI. 
• Select the perfect resources for specific tasks. 
• Keep spare parts in stock. 

Microsoft Copilot for Dynamics 365 Finance  

Finance is closely tied to all aspects of business operations, much like blood flow that circulates throughout the body, supporting every function. Within the Microsoft ecosystem, many tools are powered by AI, and Dynamics 365 Finance — an ERP solution for medium to large global enterprises — is no exception.

Imagine your organization running more smoothly with streamlined operations, improved product delivery, and modernized logistics and procurement processes. Add transparency across financial departments, fostering better communication and making it easier to adapt to changing financial needs. The result? A more informed workforce, reduced costs, real-time insights, process automation, and better budget planning.

But it doesn’t stop there. When paired with Copilot, a tool designed to make data interaction more intuitive and efficient, Dynamics 365 Finance becomes even more powerful. Here’s how:

• Access financial data through natural language conversations: 
  • Render complex financial questions to easy-to-understand answers. 
  • Communicate with data on a first-name basis. 
• Generate AI-driven summaries: 
  • Improve collections management. 
  • Reduce manual work.  
  • Increase the accuracy of receivables forecasting. 
• Gain quick access to detailed customer insights: 
  • See their interactions. 
  • Analyze payment history. 
  • View financial data. 
• Accurately forecast for better budgeting: 
  • Predict cash flow and budgetary needs with a higher degree of precision. 
  • Make proactive decisions rather than reactive ones. 
• Optimize quote-to-cash process: 
  • Accelerate and automate key stages in the revenue cycle.  
  • Reducing bottlenecks.  
  • Ensure timely payments. 
• Enhance variance analysis: 
  • Find out why certain financial outcomes deviate from forecasts. 
  • Make more informed strategic adjustments. 
• Personalize customer communication with machine learning algorithms: 
  • Enhance engagement. 
  • Improve retention rates. 

Dynamics 365 Finance and Copilot are a dream team combining the power of AI and data-driven decision-making. This way, your business is not just keeping up with the competition; it is staying ahead.

Microsoft Copilot for Dynamics 365 Project Operations 

Imagine the sales, project management, resourcing, and finance working in a shared space where they can exchange relevant information about current projects. Each department can use the application to meet their specific needs. The right people with the right skills are assigned to the right tasks. They collaborate in a transparent and interactive environment, with time and expenses tracked. Managers have all this information at their fingertips, and leaders receive business insights in a timely manner. This is what Dynamics 365 Project Operations offers out of the box.

The tool is powerful on its own. However, the chat-format Copilot assistant allows project managers to streamline project planning and execution. The main features that are brought to Dynamics 365 Project Operations by its AI assistant are:

• Task plan recommendations  
• Risk assessment and mitigation 
• Project status reports 

Task plan recommendations  

This feature, powered by Azure Open AI’s natural language processing, analyzes the project name and description to create modifiable tasks. You can tailor these tasks to fit your specific project needs and even add manual tasks to the list. Once created, tasks can be edited, removed, or appended, just like manually created ones. 

Risk assessment and mitigation 

You assess potential risks, receive suggestions for mitigation plans, and track ongoing issues. Copilot analyzes project metadata such as scope, schedule, and budget in order to identify risks and alert stakeholders. The mitigation plan offers recommended steps to address and minimize these risks, helping keep the project on track and reducing unfavorable impacts. 

Project status reports 

With this feature, you can generate project status reports based on critical KPIs, work, and financial activity recorded on the project. AI-generated summaries provide managers with a solid foundation for crafting reports that balance technical detail with readability for a general audience. The status reports include:

• Title banner that indicates whether the report is internal or external, along with user identity, creation date, project name, and report status. 
• An icon showing that the content was AI-generated. 
• An overview of the current and recent project status based on financial, resource, effort, and schedule data. (This is the only editable section). 
• Visual representations derived from project data, including financial, task-related, and effort-related charts. 

To learn more about Microsoft Copilot for Dynamics 365 Project Operations, check out another blog post of ours.

Copilot in Planner  

Another vital sign of a successful business is effective planning, which always begins with a clear strategic vision. However, it requires keeping in mind the results of market analysis, potential risks, available resources, and many details that might escape your memory due to their overwhelming number. Microsoft provides a range of solutions to effectively address this issue for various types of audiences: Project Desktop, Project Online, Project Operations, and Planner.

Microsoft Planner is an excellent choice for teams looking for an easy-to-use task management tool for internal collaboration. It enables you to track the time spent on each task, visualize task dependencies, and allocate resources efficiently, all with the support of an AI assistant. The planner also features Copilot capabilities and introduces Project Management Agent: 

Find your fit: Copilot solutions for your business 

AI is the talk of the town, buzzing with endless possibilities for transforming business processes. Yet, with so many options for innovation, it’s easy to get lost in the noise, leaving many unsure where to start. At proMX, we have built a solid reputation for delivering exceptional AI integration thanks to our deep expertise as a trusted Microsoft Partner.

Back in October 2024, we hosted a program designed to help businesses select the right Microsoft project tools. For those willing to step further into the AI world, we have created a new opportunity: Starting on January 15, 2025, we are launching a 4-step program to help you navigate this journey effectively and position your business for the future:

1. Webinar: Gain a full understating of the different features Microsoft Copilot offers.  
2. Discovery session: Get a 1:1 consultation with an in-depth analysis of your business requirements and applicable use cases. 
3. Tailored demo: Experience Copilot with your own tailored use cases. 
4. Proof of concept (POC): Receive your own personal Copilot/AI Assistant ready to start learning. 

With guidance from seasoned experts in the field, you’ll be able to navigate the world of personal assistants confidently:

• Felix Ndugwa, Technical Specialist at Microsoft, brings deep expertise to help you understand the capabilities of AI and how it integrates with your existing systems. 
• Malcolm Domecq, Business Development Executive at proMX, offers a wealth of experience in aligning technology solutions with business goals. 
• Vince Lopiccola, Business Development Manager at proMX, provides a personalized approach to help you identify what best fits your team’s unique needs. 

Sign up for the webinar or contact us if you have any questions. We’re here to help you every step of the way!