Intranet search agent (Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat)

We have compiled all sorts of useful information on our Intranet (SharePoint). The pages are short and contain information/instructions on a specific topic. For example, “What software can I install on my workstation” or “How do I use the internal hour categories in the time recording application”.

I like these concise, precise instructions. Over time, they accumulate a lot and this brings with it a few problems.

1. Finding instructions. Is the instruction on allowed applications located under IT or information security? Or somewhere else?
2. The answer to a question is sometimes actually a compilation of the contents of several instructions. First, you should be able to find all the instructions related to the topic and then form an overall picture of them.

The same challenges plague Intranets produced in other ways. If the answer to your question is “it can be found on the Intranet,” you usually know you’re in trouble.

What if we provided end users with an agent that had access to the material on the Intranet. They could ask questions in natural language and it would compile a reasonable answer to the question based on the content found on the Intranet.

A modern search engine that utilizes generative artificial intelligence.

Let’s try.

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat Agent

Let’s build an agent using the easiest method. That is, by creating an agent directly from M365 Copilot Chat using the ” Create an agent ” feature. This requires the user to have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.

Agent configuration

You can create an agent by describing what you want it to do. However, let’s be boring and go straight to configuring our agent’s behavior.

We change the agent icon and give it a name (FF Intranet Agent). The Description is displayed to users. Instructions tell the agent what we expect from it and how we want it to behave. If you don’t like the answers or style the agent gives, you can change its behavior by adding instructions.

Next, let’s get to the most important part. Let’s define the knowledge sources on which the agent will base its answers. This time, we will not give the agent any other knowledge source than the home page of our SharePoint Intranet. This automatically also covers the subpages of the site. We do not want the agent to search for answers to the questions asked on the Internet, so the Web Search option must be turned off.

You can provide up to 20 different data sources to the agent. In addition to SharePoint sites, you can also provide files or Microsoft Graph connectors.

Actions cannot be added to an agent created this way (yet). And we don’t want them in this agent.

This agent also does not need to generate code (Code interpreter) or images (Image generator), so these features are also left unactivated.

However, it is a good idea to create a few starter prompts to help users get started.

Everything is ready! Let’s press “Create” and wait a moment.

By default, the agent cannot be used by anyone but me. Let’s test its operation with the “Go to agent” button.

Testing the agent

The agent appears on the right side of Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat.

But will it find anything?

I have never booked a meeting room at Kamppi Huippu (where our office is located). Are there instructions on the Intranet?

It is found. The answer also specifies the sources from which the information was extracted. This answer has compiled information from three different contents.

What about timesheets? If I am sick all day and I mark my absence in our HR system (Personio), do I still have to mark the same hours separately in the timesheet system?

Fortunately, no.

After testing it for a while, I’m surprised at how well the agent finds answers. This seems useful.

Sharing an agent with others

How do I make my agents available to others? You can edit your own agents in a somewhat illogical way by going to Create an agent.

Now by selecting “My Copilot Agents”, you can browse and edit previously created agents. Let’s move on to editing the FF Intranet Agent.

Click the “Share” button at the top of the page and select an agent to share with the entire organization.

In practice, sharing is done by sending this link to other users. This allows others to use the agent for their own purposes. The agent does not automatically appear available to others in M365 Copilot Chat.

Who sees and what?

The agent only returns information to the user about content that the user has read permissions. This means that data sources can also safely include SharePoint sites that not all users have access to.

If you add document libraries, their folders or individual documents as data sources, they can be shared with the agent’s users automatically along with the agent. This is only possible if the agent is shared with the Entra ID group. I would be careful with this so that SharePoint shares don’t get mixed up.

How does a colleague get an agent?

When a colleague opens the address intended for sharing an agent, they are directed to add that agent to the Copilot chat.

After adding, he can use it. The agent remains in the user’s agent list.

The user cannot modify or re-share the agent shared with them.

Agent governance?

As we just saw, there is little control over the agents created in this way (yet). Microsoft 365 Copilot license holders are free to create and share agents with each other. They do not need to be approved by anyone to publish and/or share them.

The agents created this way also don’t reside in any Power Platform environment. They are stored in the tenant’s Cosmos DB database. Confusing? A little.

Required licenses

Creating an agent requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot license from the user. Agents can be used either with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license or with a pay-as-you-go model. The latter option is very attractive, as it allows agents to be used by a large group of employees without everyone having to purchase Copilot licenses.

Summary

Our simple agent example is a great example of how these tools can be used to build something truly useful in next to no time. Admittedly, our company’s Intranet is probably an excellent target for this kind of solution due to its simple structure and content.

But it’s still good.

The following article will go over how to make this agent available to all employees, including those who do not have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.