PriyaPatel
TLDR:
- Microsoft is introducing Copilot for Finance in Microsoft 365 to streamline financial tasks.
- Copilot for Finance helps finance teams automate workflows and provide insights in the flow of work.
Today, Microsoft announced the public preview of Microsoft Copilot for Finance, the newest offering in Microsoft 365 designed specifically for finance teams. This new tool aims to transform modern finance by streamlining financial tasks, automating workflows, and providing valuable insights to finance professionals. Copilot for Finance is part of the Copilot suite, which also includes Copilot for Sales and Copilot for Service.
Finance departments often face challenges in taking on more strategic work due to the time-consuming nature of operational tasks. Copilot for Finance seeks to address this issue by helping to free up time for finance professionals to focus on delivering insights and counsel to the business. The tool leverages AI-powered, role-based workflow automation and provides recommendations and guided actions within the daily work of finance teams.
Copilot for Finance includes features such as conducting variance analysis in Excel, simplifying the reconciliation process, providing customer account details in Outlook, and creating presentation-ready visuals from raw data in Excel. The tool integrates with existing financial data sources, including ERP systems like Microsoft Dynamics 365 and SAP.
Businesses like dentsu, Lumen Technologies, Northern Trust, and Visa have already seen the benefits of using Copilot in their finance, sales, and service departments, empowering their employees to make data-driven decisions and improve efficiency. Microsoft’s own finance organization has been using AI and automation tools to modernize operations and reduce financial risk, and they have provided valuable insights to inform the Copilot for Finance product capabilities and roadmap.
Companies interested in trying out the new Copilot for Finance can visit the preview page on the Microsoft website to get started.
