Enhancing Employee Engagement with Copilot Studio and Digital Workplaces

Revolutionizing Employee Engagement

In today’s digital era, employee engagement is more than just a buzzword—it’s a vital factor that determines the success and innovation of any organization. The rise of AI technologies like Microsoft’s Copilot Studio, combined with advanced digital workplace solutions, is transforming how employees interact with their work and access information, fostering a more productive and engaged workforce.

At VystaPoint, we specialize in creating innovative Digital Workplaces powered by the Microsoft Power Platform. Our tailored business applications and automation solutions are designed to meet the evolving needs of modern organizations. But the game-changer? Copilot Studio, which takes employee engagement and productivity to the next level by integrating advanced AI technologies right into your daily operations.

AI Transforming the Way We Work

Microsoft introduced Copilot as part of its broader initiative to integrate AI into its products. The term "Copilot" refers to a suite of AI-powered tools embedded within Microsoft applications to assist users with various tasks.

Beginning in 2020 Microsoft introduced PowerPoint Designer and Excel insights, which provided AI-driven design suggestions to help PowerPoint users create visually appealing presentations by recommending design layouts and Excel automatic data analysis, trends and visualizations.

The evolution of AI within Microsoft’s ecosystem has been nothing short of remarkable, particularly with the transformation of what began in 2019 as Microsoft Power Virtual Agents. Initially released as a tool for creating basic conversational bots, Virtual Agent was limited to handling predefined topics and question-answer pairs. It required manual setup for each interaction, with a focus on straightforward, rule-based dialogues. However, the capabilities of this platform rapidly advanced. By 2023, Microsoft had integrated Copilot throughout its Office 365 suite of applications to enhance productivity and creativity and also rebranded Microsoft Power Virtual Agents as Copilot Studio, which expanded Power Virtual Agents beyond simple scripted conversations and into the realm of natural language processing (NLP). This allowed users to engage in more dynamic and fluid interactions, with the AI capable of understanding context, summarizing information, and generating responses in real time.

As we further advance into 2024, Copilot Studio is transforming once again. Now, it integrates not only chat but also voice agents and connects with APIs to interact with various apps across an organization. The most significant leap forward is its ability to proactively respond to real-time events, autonomously triggering actions and workflows without waiting for user input. This marks a shift from reactive, user-initiated interactions to proactive, event-driven engagement. Overall, these advancements represent a significant leap in how AI can assist users and organizations, moving from a model where AI waits for user input to one where it actively and intelligently manages tasks and processes.

Copilot Studio: Knowledge at Your Fingertips

A key feature of Copilot Studio is its ability to tap into the vast knowledge stored in Microsoft Graph, Dataverse, and Microsoft Fabric. By integrating data from various sources like calendars, emails, chats, documents, and more, employees can get instant, relevant answers to their questions.

For example, employees could ask, “What changes are there to next year’s dental plan?” or “What can you tell me about our healthcare program?” and the Copilot would respond with accurate, timely information pulled directly from SharePoint content or other internal sources. This reduces time spent searching for information and increases productivity.

Copilot provides a secure, ChatGPT-like experience tailored specifically for your organization’s internal data. Unlike external AI systems, which may learn from or expose sensitive information, Copilot is designed with robust security measures to protect your data at every level.

Example of Security Trimming in Action

Imagine a large organization where multiple teams access various documents and resources. When an employee interacts with Copilot, it operates under strict security protocols to ensure that sensitive information remains confidential.

Scenario 1: Access to Compensation Plans

Sales Manager Inquiry: A Sales Manager asks Copilot, “Can you provide the compensation plans for all sales representatives in the United States?” Copilot retrieves and presents the comprehensive compensation plans, as the Sales Manager has the necessary access permissions.

Scenario 2: Limited Access for Sales Representatives

Sales Representative Inquiry: Now, if a Sales Representative poses the same question, “What are the compensation plans for sales representatives in the U.S.?” Copilot recognizes that this user lacks the required permissions to view that information. Instead of returning sensitive data, it replies, “I cannot provide that information. Please contact your Sales Manager for assistance.”

Key Features of Copilot’s Security Model:

• Security Trimming: Copilot applies security trimming to ensure users only receive information they are authorized to access. This means that even within a vast repository of corporate data, sensitive documents are protected based on user permissions.
• Internal Data Privacy: Copilot does not learn from or expose your organization’s data externally. It only operates within the confines of your secured environment, ensuring that your proprietary information remains confidential and is not used to train external AI models.
• Role-Based Access Control: Copilot leverages existing security frameworks within your organization, ensuring that access to data is based on roles and permissions. This ensures compliance with internal policies and enhances data protection.

By integrating these security features, Copilot offers a powerful yet secure solution for accessing internal data, providing a streamlined experience while maintaining strict data confidentiality. This approach empowers employees to efficiently gather information relevant to their roles without compromising sensitive corporate data.

Automating and Enhancing Employee Productivity

Copilot Studio goes well beyond direct conversational chat and allows organizations to build solutions that can perform actions, like opening helpdesk tickets or answering specific queries that may come via email, for example. By automating mundane, repetitive tasks, employees can focus on more strategic responsibilities and creative projects, leading to improved job satisfaction.

In a practical sense, Copilot Studio’s thousands of pre-built data connectors make it simple to automate processes across HR, IT, and other departments.

Lets take a look at an example of using Copilot to significantly enhance efficiency and streamline hiring for an open job posting:

Scenario: A hiring manager receives hundreds of resumes for a job opening.

Automation Steps:

1. Email Parsing and Resume Collection: Copilot monitors the email inbox for incoming resumes and automatically downloads them. Keyword Identification: It scans the subject lines and content of the emails to identify relevant applications.
2. Resume Analysis and Content Evaluation: Copilot reviews each resume for key qualifications, skills, and experiences relevant to the job description. It uses natural language processing (NLP) to extract important information. Comparative Assessment: It compares resumes against predefined criteria (e.g., required skills, years of experience, education level) and ranks them based on suitability.
3. Automated Scoring, Categorization and Ranking Resumes: Each resume is assigned a score based on how well it matches the job requirements. Resumes can be categorized into groups, such as “Highly Qualified,” “Moderately Qualified,” and “Not Qualified.” Highlighting Variants: If Copilot detects certain keywords or experiences that indicate exceptional candidates (like unique projects or leadership roles), it flags those for immediate attention.
4. Automated Feedback, Communication, Personalized Responses: Copilot can draft personalized emails to inform candidates of their application status (e.g., “Thank you for your application; we are reviewing it.”) or notify those who were not selected. Interview Scheduling: For highly qualified candidates, Copilot can propose interview times and send calendar invites without requiring manual intervention.
5. Workflow Triggers and Approval for Interviews: If the resumes indicate a strong match, Copilot can automatically trigger a workflow to notify the hiring manager and propose scheduling interviews. Diversity and Compliance Checks: It can also run checks to ensure that the candidate pool reflects diversity of hiring goals and complies with hiring regulations.

Benefits of This Automation:

• Time Savings: Reduces the burden on hiring managers, allowing them to focus on interviewing and engaging with candidates rather than sorting through resumes.
• Improved Candidate Experience: Candidates receive timely updates about their applications, enhancing their overall experience.
• Bias Reduction: By using consistent criteria for resume evaluation, the process can help minimize unconscious bias, leading to fairer hiring practices.
• Data-Driven Insights: Provides analytics on candidate sources, qualifications, and demographics, helping to refine future job postings and recruitment strategies.

Example Workflow:

1. Resume Received: Copilot downloads resumes from email.
2. Analysis Complete: Copilot ranks resumes based on predefined criteria.
3. Immediate Actions: Highly qualified candidates are flagged, and standard responses are sent to all applicants.
4. Interview Proposal: An email is sent to the hiring manager with top candidates and suggested interview times.

By automating the resume review process, organizations can enhance their hiring efficiency and focus on finding the best candidates more effectively.

?Copilot Licensing: Copilot Studio for Chatting with internal documents and automation workflow does not require per user Copilot licensing

How Copilot Studio and the Digital Workplace Elevate Engagement

At VystaPoint, we see the potential of combining Copilot Studio with a modern Digital Workplace to create an ecosystem that’s not only efficient but engaging for employees. By automating processes, creating intelligent workflows, and providing quick access to vital information, we create workplaces where employees feel empowered to focus on what truly matters.

In turn, this leads to:

• Higher engagement levels: Employees feel supported, with quick access to tools and information.
• Increased productivity: With AI handling the mundane, employees can focus on creative and strategic tasks.
• A more satisfied workforce: Automation of repetitive tasks reduces burnout, leading to happier, more fulfilled employees.

Understanding Licensing for Copilot

When considering the use of Copilot, it’s important to recognize that there are different licensing models depending on how you intend to utilize the tool. Here’s a breakdown of the two primary licensing scenarios:

1. Copilot for Microsoft 365

• Licensing Model: Copilot for Microsoft 365 is licensed per user. This means that each user who needs access to Copilot's features in applications like Word, Excel, and Outlook will require a per user individual license.

2. Copilot Studio

• Licensing Model: In contrast, Copilot Studio is used to create custom internal chat experiences and automated workflows. This licensing model is not based on a per-user fee. Instead, it may be structured based on usage, capacity, or specific features implemented within your organization.

Conclusion: Shaping the Future of Work with Copilot Studio

As we move further into the era of AI-driven workplaces, technologies like Copilot Studio are reshaping how we engage employees. This isn’t just about keeping up with technology—it’s about leveraging it to create more engaged, productive, and innovative teams. By combining Copilot Studio with VystaPoint’s Digital Workplace solutions, businesses can take the next step toward a smarter, more engaged workforce, ready to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

At VystaPoint, we’re committed to helping organizations transform their employee experience through cutting-edge technology and tailored digital workplace solutions. Let’s set the pace for the future, together.

Sign-Up to learn more about Copilot Studio with VystaPoint: Get Started!