Highlights from Microsoft Ignite 2023: A focus on Copilot 

Bing Chat Enterprise name changed to Copilot

Microsoft has officially revealed the rebranding of Bing Chat Enterprise, announcing that the name will be simplified to Copilot, from 1st of December 2023. It is a deliberate move by Microsoft to create a more cohesive experience for both consumers and commercial customers, aiming to unify interactions across the ecosystem. 

Introducing Microsoft Copilot Studio

A standout announcement from Ignite 2023 was the introduction of Microsoft Copilot Studio; an application that will not only allow users to customise existing Copilots, but also empower individuals to build their own. 

Upon closer inspection of the features embedded within Microsoft Copilot Studio, a resemblance to Micrsoft Power Virtual Agents becomes apparent. Microsoft has confirmed this alignment and has officially declared the retirement of Power Virtual Agents, with Microsoft Copilot Studio taking its place. 

This new low-code experience provides the opportunity for anyone to create personalised AI assistants with ease. Stay tuned for more information around this from us over the next couple of weeks.

Other new Copilot additions announced at Ignite 2023

Microsoft has also announced further additions to the Copilot suite, promising to elevate user experiences across various areas:

Copilot for Azure:

Aimed at enhancing customer productivity within the cloud, Copilot for Azure is designed to assist users with troubleshooting and identifying possible solutions for their workload.

Copilot for Service and Copilot for Sales:

This new copilot functionality is tailor-made for sellers and service agents, making it possible for them to easily build customer relationships that drive both loyalty and sales.

*The Copilot offerings can integrate with any CRM systems, such as Dynamics 365, Salesforce, Zoho, etc.

Read more about the changes here.

Copilot in Dynamics 365:

Over the last few months, the Dynamics 365 Applications have experienced the roll out of various Copilot features. However, in response to customer feedback, Microsoft has now introduced additional new features:

AI-powered experiences for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service:

Microsoft has introduced the addition of AI-powered experiences to D365 Field Service. Set to be available from December 2023, this new feature is designed to support off-site workers, enabling them to ask any query in natural language about their task and promptly receive an answer through Teams.

New Copilot experience in Dynamics 365 Sales

The evolution of Copilot within Dynamics 365 Sales takes another step forward with a new full screen view, now available in preview. Sellers can leverage prompts or natural language to quickly gain a comprehensive overview of critical information across customers, deals, forecasts, and more.

New Copilot feature in D365 Customer Insights

Launching in December, users will be able to instantly generate profile summaries using Copilot in D365 Customer Insights. These summaries incorporate a wealth of information. including demographics, transactional history, behavioural patterns, and analytical insights. This provides a seamless and efficient way of accessing comprehensive customer profiles at just the click of a button.

Copilot for Microsoft 365:

Copilot has already been introduced to the Microsoft 365 applications, but Microsoft has announced a wave of new features that focus on establishing Copilot as a full participant in collaboration. Additionally, these new capabilities will focus on personalisation and advanced mathematical analysis.

Some of the Copilot changes coming to the applications are:

• Microsoft Teams: Copilot will become an integral part of every meeting, automatically identifying key points, decisions, and much more.
• Microsoft Outlook: Synthesised summaries created through Copilot make it easy to understand everything you need to know about a meeting, including invitation details, related emails, essential documentation, etc.
• Microsoft Loop: Now accessible to the general public, Loop provides a flexible canvas for collaboration, where teams can ideate and create together with the support of generative AI.
• Microsoft Word: The new catchup and comment Copilot feature in Word ensures you are quickly up to date on any document revisions.
• Microsoft PowerPoint: Copilot aids in swiftly locating corporate brand assets and leverages Microsoft Designer to reimagine them using AI-generated visuals.

Power Platform Announcements at Ignite 2023

Evolution of Copilot in Power Automate 

Building on the success of Copilot in cloud flows and data digestion for process mining, Microsoft has now introduced Copilot for desktop flows. This addition will empower users to create desktop flows quicker than ever before, amplifying productivity and efficiency.

Microsoft Power Apps announcements 

Copilot in Canvas Apps

The presence of Copilot will now become the default for canvas apps backed by Dataverse. This means that users can pose questions and seamlessly extract answers from the Dataverse data that is available.

However, this feature is currently only available in private preview, and Microsoft has yet to announce when it will become available to the public.

Native apps for mobile users:

Mobile app users are in for an exciting change as Microsoft announces native rendering on any mobile device. This means users can expect a fresh interface and experience with the overall app performance increasing.

Advanced government features added to Managed Environments:

One of the most interesting Power Platform announcements is the addition of advanced government features in Managed Environments. These features include:

• Advisor in Managed Environments provides valuable advice and actionable insights to organisations on how to govern and secure their platform
• AI-generated app descriptions gives users a clear overview of applications enhancing understanding and usability (now available in public preview)
• Environment groups and rules empowers admin roles with control over environments. Admins can create groups and set custom rules for these (now available in public preview)

Microsoft Ignite 2023 showcased various exciting changes, with Copilot at the forefront of the announcements. From the rebranding of Bing Chat Enterprise to the evolutionary role Copilot will play in Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform, it is clear that Microsoft is creating a future defined by intelligent, customisable AI experiences that truly support users.

If you have any questions regarding the above information or would like to find out more about Copilot, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us by emailing us at info@pragmatiq.co.uk, calling us on 01908 038110 or filling out the contact form.