Introduction
Microsoft released in Preview a great functionality to integrate Copilot custom agents directly into your existing Power Apps Canvas!
Copilot Studio is designed to create custom, AI-powered assistants within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Using “declarative agents“, these assistants anticipate user needs and automate complex tasks based on specific business rules. Companies can develop tailored assistants with Copilot Studio and integrate them into applications like Power Apps. This Microsoft low-code platform enables users to quickly build business applications by connecting to data sources, automating processes, and streamlining workflows.
Boost your Power Apps with a Custom Copilot
By embedding Copilot Studio assistants into Power Apps, organizations can offer proactive, contextual support directly within their custom applications. This AI-powered integration anticipates user needs, guides them through tasks, and automates routine processes, simplifying complex workflows and enhancing productivity.
Copilot Studio’s assistants align seamlessly with Power Apps’ low-code framework, allowing non-technical teams to deploy customized copilots tailored to specific business requirements easily. This integration reduces repetitive tasks and improves collaboration and decision-making by embedding intelligent assistance directly into everyday tools.
Benefits of using a Custom Copilot in your apps
- Contextual Help: Custom copilots provide real-time, relevant guidance within the app, helping users complete tasks smoothly.
- Enhanced User Experience: Custom copilots make Power Apps more intuitive, guiding users through complex steps and minimizing confusion.
- Tailored to Business Needs: Organizations can design copilots to fit specific workflows and business rules, ensuring a personalized user experience.
- Increased Efficiency: With optimized workflows and smart assistance, users can work faster and accomplish more in less time.
- Better Collaboration: Copilots make data and resources more accessible within the app, supporting teamwork and information sharing.
Use Case: optimizing vacation planning with a Custom Copilot
As the end of the year approaches, many employees are looking ahead to plan their vacation days for 2025. With a set number of available vacation days, the goal is to make the most of them by strategically aligning with public holidays in the canton of Vaud. This allows for creating long weekends without quickly exhausting the annual leave balance.
Stella, a virtual HR assistant, has been deployed to simplify this process. Stella provides relevant HR policy and procedural information directly through the Leave Requests app, tailored to each user’s context (such as location). Stella retrieves information from sources like SharePoint and the web by interpreting user requests, and delivering accurate and timely responses.
This custom copilot can be extended further to enable actions such as making calls, checking team schedules, and aligning vacation requests with colleagues’ availability—ensuring seamless team planning and coordination.
Integrating your Custom Copilot into Power Apps: a step-by-step guide
Prerequisites
- Create and publish a custom copilot in Copilot Studio within the same environment as your canvas app.
- Set up user authentication for the custom copilot using Microsoft Entra ID.
- Grantmakers and users with the necessary access to the copilot agent within the environment.
Connecting your Copilot
1. Open your canvas app in Edit mode.
2. In the command bar, go to “Settings” > “Updates” > “Preview“ tab, and toggle “App Copilot” to “On“.
3. A Copilot tab will appear in “Settings“. Select it.
4. Under “Connect a copilot”, choose a custom copilot that has been published and shared within the same environment as your canvas app.
5. After selecting a copilot, close the Settings dialogue box and publish the app. Once published, users can access the copilot within the app.
Note: The copilot won’t be visible when previewing the app in Power Apps Studio. To see the copilot in action, save and publish your app, then open it using the Power Apps mobile app or a web browser.
The difference between this feature and the Copilot Control
This feature allows you to add a custom copilot, created in Microsoft Copilot Studio, directly to a canvas app without requiring layout changes. It’s available on both the web and mobile devices, providing seamless integration with custom copilots from Copilot Studio.
In contrast, the Copilot control requires makers to modify the app layout to accommodate it and is only available on the web. The Copilot control enables users to ask questions about the app’s data or connect to a new custom copilot from Copilot Studio.
Conclusion
Adding a custom copilot to Power Apps is an effective way to enhance user experience and streamline workflows. By using Copilot Studio, businesses can create personalized assistants that guide users, automate tasks, and make information easily accessible—all within the applications they already use.
Ready to enhance your Power Apps experience with a custom AI-powered assistant?
Contact us today to learn how we can help you design and implement a customized Copilot that fits your unique business workflows and goals.
Discover how our tailored Copilot solutions can streamline your processes, boost productivity, and provide your team with intelligent, in-app support to drive efficiency and collaboration.