As someone responsible for implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central solutions, I know that success in your sales department depends on two factors: operational agility and precision in information. Copilot combines generative artificial intelligence and contextual automation to drive both pillars, from the first quote to the final payment.
In this article I will guide you, step by step, through all the added Copilot features you can already activate—and those coming in future waves—to transform the quote-to-cash process. You will see how to generate product descriptions in seconds, create quotes by voice, automate order entry from email, and anticipate delay or non-payment risks before they affect the customer.
Get ready to discover how these capabilities translate into fewer clicks, consistent documents and faster decisions, and why implementing Copilot today strengthens your competitive advantage tomorrow.
Automatic generation of commercial content
Copilot turns the item card into a marketing text generator. Within the card I simply select Draft with Copilot and receive several drafts based on the product’s name, attributes and category; I just need to review and approve them to publish.
I can fine-tune tone, format and length by choosing options such as Formal, Creative, single paragraph or bullet list. I can also specify which attributes (color, material, capacity…) should be highlighted, which improves SEO consistency and brand voice across the entire catalog.
Uploading a photo is enough to start the item card. When loading the image, Copilot detects the appropriate category and proposes attributes and initial marketing text, minimizing manual entry when creating large collections.
Once the description is ready, one click sends it to Shopify along with the image, price and inventory, ensuring the online store stays aligned with Business Central without repetitive tasks.
The 2024 Release Wave 2 roadmap adds the ability to fill in variants, units of measure and substitutions based on similar items, further accelerating product creation and ensuring complete data before the first sale.
Best practices to get the most out of it
- Define rich attributes from the very beginning: the more data Copilot has, the more persuasive the text will be.
- Set a fixed corporate tone so that all descriptions maintain consistency and better positioning.
- Always validate the draft: AI speeds things up, but human oversight ensures technical accuracy and regulatory compliance.
With these capabilities I go from investing minutes to just seconds per item, achieve uniform descriptions optimized for search engines, and accelerate the launch of new products online.
PRO TIP – Automatic generation of commercial contentSet up a custom field “Brand Tone” on the item card (e.g. “technical-premium” or “proximity-sustainable”) and call that value within the prompt: “Draft description with tone {Brand Tone}”. This guarantees SEO uniformity across the entire catalog, and if your strategy changes, you only need to update one field to regenerate thousands of texts without reviewing them one by one.
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Assisted creation of quotes, orders and invoices
Copilot replaces the old “fill in line by line” with a conversational and predictive flow. All it takes is typing—or dictating—”load 50 units of the DC 150 kW charger for July” for the system to analyze the text, identify the customer and create the document with lines, prices and availability already calculated. The heart of this magic is Suggest Sales Lines, which accepts free text, Excel files and guided prompts, and operates with two distinct skills—Find Products and Fill Document—to complete the order in seconds.
Smart autocomplete reduces errors and speeds up data entry. When a field is left empty (payment terms, shipping method, sales agent, due date…), Copilot proposes the most likely value based on historical patterns, so I only confirm or dismiss the suggestion. This Autofill is already part of 2025 Wave 1 and extends to both cards and sales documents.
Natural language interaction covers the entire “quote → invoice” cycle. From the side chat I can issue commands such as “Convert this offer to an order and mark it urgent” or “Invoice everything shipped this week.” Copilot interprets the intent, executes the action and displays a summary for validation before posting.
Emails are drafted automatically, summary included. When sending the quote, the message body is pre-filled with a clear explanation—amount, deadline and terms—so the customer understands it without opening the attached PDF, increasing the acceptance rate.
Operational best practices
- Always describe quantities and units in the same sentence so that Suggest Sales Lines recognizes the pattern without ambiguity.
- Accept or adjust Autofill proposals; they feed the model and refine future suggestions.
- Review the generated email: personalizing the introduction maintains a human touch and reinforces customer trust.
With these capabilities I transform minutes of typing into seconds of validation, maintain document consistency and free up time to focus on negotiation and after-sales service.
PRO TIP – Assisted creation of quotes, orders and invoicesCreate a prompt flow called “Express Quote” in Copilot Studio that combines Suggest Sales Lines + Autofill + email sending. Then add an action button to the order toolbar. With one click you launch the flow: Copilot completes the lines, proposes terms, generates the PDF and drafts the email ready to send. You will turn phone meetings into formal quotes in less than a minute.
Sales Order Agent and autonomous order entry
Sales Order Agent is the first autonomous agent that Microsoft incorporates into Business Central to execute end-to-end capture of orders received by email. It monitors a shared inbox, analyzes the customer’s request, resolves queries by email, validates inventory and leaves the quote or order ready for your review.
How it works behind the inbox
- Continuous mailbox monitoring: a background process reviews the sales@yourcompany.com folder every 20 s—or the frequency you configure—and creates a task for each detected thread.
- Automatic customer identification from the sender and their linked contacts; if the customer does not exist, it asks you to register them before continuing.(, )
- Multi-turn conversation: when data is missing (model, quantity, date) the agent maintains an intelligent exchange to clarify them without your intervention.
- Availability and price verification before generating the document; if there is insufficient stock, it reflects this in the response.
- PDF quote generation with the requested lines and all tax details; it attaches it to the email and awaits customer approval.
- Conversion to order after the customer’s “OK,” including the encrypted PDF again and full thread traceability.
- Full transparency: every agent action is recorded in the timeline and can be undone or adjusted before sending any external communication.
Setup in two minutes
In Copilot & agent capabilities you activate the feature, choose the email account it will monitor and define whether it should create quotes, convert them to orders and request your review at each step. Only one agent per company is allowed, but you can give access to multiple users to oversee its work.
AvailabilityIn the public preview (version 26) it is enabled for environments in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia; Microsoft plans its GA in July 2025 along with additional localizations.
Operational best practices
- Use a dedicated inbox to separate orders from general conversations and improve agent accuracy.
- Enrich item cards with attributes and descriptive texts: the agent will locate products with less ambiguity.
- Keep email review enabled at the beginning; this trains the team in the new flow and ensures a tone consistent with your brand.
PRO TIPCreate a rule in Exchange that redirects any email containing the word “order” or “quote confirmation” to the agent’s inbox. This ensures that Sales Order Agent processes all incoming orders without missing any, while the main inbox remains free for value-added commercial management.
Intelligent support in stock, logistics and shipping
Copilot monitors the supply chain in real time and minimizes the typical stumbling blocks of fulfillment. These are the capabilities that deliver the most value during pick-pack-ship:
Dynamic suggestion of substitute itemsWhen the requested item is out of stock, I select Suggest with Copilot on the substitutions page and the AI scans descriptions, attributes and GTINs to locate compatible alternatives. It displays up to ten proposals with a similarity score (High, Medium, Low) that helps me decide on the spot.
Conflict detection during pick & packWhile generating or posting a Warehouse Pick, Copilot reviews availability (reservations, blocked lots, dedicated bins) and alerts me if the pickable quantity is less than the ordered quantity, preventing shortages at the loading dock. It relies on the metrics from the Pick Summary page, including Pickable Qty., Avail. Qty. Excluding Shipment Bin and higher-priority reservations.
Partial shipment proposal with realistic datesIf I cannot fulfill the complete order, I simply request “Propose partial shipment” and the AI fills in the Qty. to Ship and Shipping Advice fields following the rules for customers who accept staggered deliveries; it also calculates the next availability window.()
Automatic drafting of the shipment confirmation emailWhen posting the shipment, I activate Draft email with Copilot and receive a message that includes the tracking number, ETA and a “View my order” link. I just review the text and click Send thanks to the native integration with Enhanced Email.
PRO TIP
Set up a “Shipping Notify” email template in Enhanced Email with placeholders $TrackingNumber$, $ETA$ and $SubstituteItem$. When Copilot drafts the notification, it will fill in those fields automatically and drive a higher CTR by giving the customer all tracking data at a glance.
Bank reconciliation and AI-guided collections
Copilot brings artificial intelligence to the financial heart of Business Central: it reconciles more statement lines in less time and automates collection reminders with a tone that adjusts to the customer’s history.
Bank reconciliation with Bank Reconciliation Assist
Within the Bank Account Reconciliation page I now find the “Reconcile with Copilot” action. When I click it, the AI increases the percentage of reconciled items and, for those that remain open, proposes the appropriate general ledger account based on the amount, date and description of the transaction.(, )
After importing the statement (MT940, CAMT.053, CSV) the system marks direct matches in green; Copilot’s new suggestions appear in amber with a contextual message: “Could correspond to G/L 62500 – Bank charges (High confidence)”. I accept or adjust in the same view and post the residual lines without opening the general ledger.
This feature has been available since version 23.1 (Update 24) in preview mode and is activated in Feature Management; it only requires Business Central online. Microsoft expects GA for all localizations before September 2025.
Intelligent collections with Collections Copilot
When I open an email from a past-due customer in Outlook, the Copilot for Finance side panel connects in real time to Business Central and displays the outstanding balance, overdue invoices and average payment days. With one click I generate a friendly reminder, a formal notice or a payment plan, always aligned with the tone used in previous communications.
The message automatically inserts payment links and attaches the PDF of each invoice, so the customer can settle the debt without leaving the email. The entire exchange is recorded on the customer card and updates the aging instantly.
Tangible benefits
- Less manual work reconciling statements and classifying commissions.
- Reduction in DSO (Days Sales Outstanding) by guiding collections with the optimal tone.
- Unified visibility: Outlook, Business Central and Copilot share the same data without switching windows.
PRO TIPDefine a new field “Risk Rating” (A, B, C) in the Customer Posting Group table. Create three Collections templates in Copilot Studio that vary tone, deadline and frequency according to the rating. This way, level A customers will receive soft and spaced reminders, while level C customers will receive more direct notices and an automatic link for a payment plan, all without manual intervention.
Guided analytics and executive summaries
Copilot transforms Business Central data into actionable information without having to export to Excel. Through Analysis Assist, summaries in the FactBox and cash flow prediction, I turn endless lists into AI-backed decisions.
Assisted analysis directly in lists
I activate analysis mode in any list, open a new tab and type:
“Average sales over the last 12 months by category and sort them from highest to lowest”
In seconds, Analysis Assist creates the board with fields in rows and columns, filters, pivots and totals; I just drag a field to refine the view. The AI suggests groupings and calculations (“average margin,” “standard deviation”) that accelerate trend detection without leaving Business Central.
Instant summaries in the FactBox
When I open a customer, order or item card, I click “Summarize with Copilot” and receive two or three sentences highlighting available credit, overdue orders and key KPIs. The points are linked: I click on “overdue” and jump to the aged balances report. I get context instantly and can drill down only if necessary.
Real-time financial prediction
Copilot leverages Azure AI to generate a cash flow analysis that cross-references documents with future due dates, sales forecasts and historical non-payment patterns. The result is an interactive chart that highlights negative gaps or surpluses and proposes corrective actions—for example, requesting financing or renegotiating terms—before the treasury suffers.
Direct benefits
- Speed: from manual reports to views in seconds.
- Depth: I detect trends and anomalies without macros or Power BI.
- Proactivity: I anticipate liquidity and delay problems, not just measure them.
PRO TIPSave your favorite Analysis Assist tabs as personal views and check the Show when opening page option. This way the team opens each morning with their updated dashboard and does not waste time configuring filters or downloads.
Omnichannel conversational experience
Copilot opens a continuous dialogue channel between Business Central, Outlook and Teams, so that all your commercial interactions flow in natural language.
Chat within Business Central
In the right panel I activate Chat with Copilot and ask, for example: “Who are my five customers with overdue orders?” or “Create an order identical to Fabrikam’s last one.” Copilot interprets the intent, returns the answer linked to the records or directly generates the document, ready for me to review before posting. I also navigate more easily: a command “open the Contoso customer card” takes me to the destination without going through menus.
Outlook Inbox: from email to quote in one click
The Business Central add-in for Outlook adds a side panel with Contact insights: I see the balance, sales history and can create or send quotes and invoices without leaving the email. When the message includes quantities and prices, Copilot detects the items and pre-fills the lines—the experience Microsoft internally calls Scan & Act. This way I respond to a customer request with a draft quote in seconds.(, )
Microsoft Teams: meetings that update the customer card
During a video call, Copilot in Teams takes notes, summarizes key points and suggests tasks. With the Business Central app for Teams I attach that summary to the order or customer timeline, so the team sees context and pending actions without leaving Teams.
Key advantages
- Fewer clicks: I query, update and create documents from the conversation.
- Unified context: the same AI and the same data accompany the user wherever they work.
- Express onboarding: new sales reps learn to “talk” to the system before mastering the classic interface.
PRO TIPDefine a glossary of frequent commands in Copilot Studio—for example “Status of this order?”, “Resend invoice to customer”—and publish it as Chat suggestions. This way your team has automatically suggested shortcuts right when they start typing, accelerating adoption of the conversational experience.
Agent orchestration and advanced flows
I no longer depend on a single Copilot that does everything—I design a “team” of specialized agents that collaborate with each other and with Business Central. The new multi-agent orchestration in Copilot Studio allows each agent to take on a phase of the quote-to-cash process and delegate work to the next: a sales agent generates the quote, a logistics agent verifies stock and routes, and a finance agent schedules the invoice and reconciliation.
Copilot Tuning refines each agent with my own data and processes: I train the model on historical contracts, price lists or credit policies without writing code and obtain more precise responses than a generic copilot.
To automate repetitive steps I connect Agent Flows: flows built with natural language or a visual designer that replace Power Automate and run when an agent needs a deterministic action (for example, generating a serial number or updating an order status). I can even convert my existing Power Automate flows and manage them from the same console.
When a system lacks an API, I activate Computer Use: the agent navigates the interface like a human user—clicks, enters data and adapts if the screen changes—bringing automation to legacy ERPs or external transport portals.
Security and governance are maintained: each agent receives an identity in Microsoft Entra and inherits Purview policies, while the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol connects third-party agents without exposing sensitive data.
Key benefits
- Cross-module flows without code: sales, logistics and finance work in sequence without custom integrations.
- Scalability: I add or replace agents as the business grows, without rebuilding the entire process.
- Full observability: the console shows every step, metric and capacity cost for debugging and optimization.
PRO TIPDefine an orchestrator agent that listens for the event “order at risk of delay”; this agent can trigger an Agent Flow that:
- Queries Purchasing to advance the receipt,
- Alerts the customer with an email drafted by Copilot,
- Notifies the CFO if the margin falls below the threshold.With a single rule you get a coordinated and preventive response without involving your team in manual follow-up emails.
Practical conclusions for your business
Copilot is already ready to multiply your sales team’s productivity—you just need an activation plan and clear metrics to demonstrate the return. Below I outline the essential steps and the tangible benefits you will see within a few weeks.
Activate features in minutes
- Visit Feature Management and enable each capability marked as Copilot (product descriptions, Chat, Bank Reconciliation Assist, etc.). Some arrive as preview and require your explicit confirmation; others will be activated automatically from Update 25.4.
- Open Copilot & Agent Capabilities to grant permissions and review the Azure OpenAI data policy; from here you decide which users can try the features before mass deployment.()
- Use the quick path of the Release Wave: each new wave publishes a list of features with availability dates; enabling those that fit your process lets you pilot without waiting for global GA.
Measure the impact and celebrate results
- Record the “baseline”: measure how long it currently takes a user to create a quote, reconcile 100 transactions or draft a collection email.
- Compare after two weeks of use: independent studies report average savings of 26 minutes per day on office tasks when adopting Copilot; the percentage is usually higher for repetitive data entry profiles.
- Monitor financial KPIs: DSO, number of lines reconciled on the first pass and order-to-cash cycle time are indicators that react quickly to Copilot automation.
Key recommendations for frictionless adoption
- Start with a pilot group—typically inside sales and administration—to refine prompts and policies before scaling.
- Train on effective prompts: training users to “talk to the AI” has more impact than any technical adjustment.
- Integrate Copilot into your runbooks: document how and when to use it at each phase; this will reduce the learning curve for new employees.
PRO TIPCreate a Power BI dashboard that consumes the “Copilot Usage Telemetry” table (added after enabling the features) and visualizes time saved, most-used features and adoption by team. Sharing that data in the weekly meeting turns productivity improvement into a visible goal and motivates the rest of the organization to join in.