Microsoft Scenario Library Finance Build a business case

Available with: Microsoft 365 Copilot for Finance

Finance scenario: Build a business case

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Scenario

Enable better collaboration and faster analysis of investment decisions.

1. Define investment opportunity

Ask Copilot to create a project brief including data from emails, competitive research, and financial records pulled from Copilot Studio agents. Copy the brief into Word and further edit using Copilot in Word.

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Copilot Studio Agent

Benefit: Streamline the review process and quickly understand key issues to be addressed with the potential investment.

Meet with the business development team to learn about the various options available and gather financial information. Use Copilot in Teams to suggest questions and summarize the meeting.

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Copilot in Teams

Benefit: Ensure a productive meeting by using Copilot in Teams to suggest questions and clarify what people said. Use the recap for a summary and action items.

Try in Copilot Lab: Keep things moving

Analyze financial data with Copilot in Excel. Use Copilot for Finance to pull in ERP system insights. The use Copilot in Excel to make suggestions and provide guidance like how to use the FORECAST function.

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Copilot in Excel

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Copilot for Finance (Preview)

Benefit: Eliminate time spent searching for data and information from across complex systems.

Prompt Copilot to get the latest sales forecasts from your email. Use Copilot in Excel to filter the information and produce trend charts. Update the project brief in Word with the latest charts and tables.

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Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat2

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Copilot in Excel

Benefit: Collaborate effectively across teams and
functions (e.g., legal, transportation) in a secure way. Use data for decision making in meetings and discussion.

Try in Copilot Lab: Find insights

Once the business case analysis is complete, use Copilot in PowerPoint to turn the project brief into a set of slides for the executive presentation.

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Copilot in PowerPoint

Benefit: Save time by using Copilot in PowerPoint to revise content and organize the slides.

Try in Copilot Lab: Organize your thoughts

After the business case has been implemented for six months, use Copilot for Finance to conduct a variance analysis and capture project KPIs.

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Copilot in Excel

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Copilot for Finance (Preview)

Benefit: Speed analysis by using Copilot for Finance to accelerate variance analyses.

KPIs

Opportunity to impact key functional area KPIs

How Microsoft Copilot can help average request times

Microsoft Copilot can help with lowering resolution times which in turn ​leads to increased agent productivity and higher customer satisfaction rates.​
Boost productivity​
  • Rapidly find information​
  • Diagnose problems faster​
  • Check for similar issues and resolutions​
  • Quickly send follow-up communications​

How Copilot can improve risk management

Finance teams grapple with complex tasks—from credit and collections to risk management and compliance. Get real-time insights and strategic recommendations. By automating mundane tasks, Microsoft Copilot frees up time for critical decisions, streamlining audits, simplifying collections, and accelerating financial reporting.
Speed data analysis and reporting
  • Quickly analyze trends
  • Generate informative charts
  • Create strategy presentations

How Microsoft Copilot can reduce finance department spending

As a cost center, Finance teams face the challenge of constantly achieving more with fewer resources. By assisting with everyday tasks, Microsoft Copilot can help increase time for additional analysis, proactive audits, collections processes, and financial reporting.
Keep communication lines open
  • Draft communications such as approval requests, status emails, and supplier communications
  • Summarize stakeholder meetings around budget status and approvals
  • Create sourcing strategy decks

How Copilot can help reduce spend on financial systems and tooling

Microsoft Copilot can be extended into processes to bring data together and speed decision-making without performing expensive updates to financial systems.
Inform your decisions:
  • Draft budgets and spreadsheets
  • Search for cost variances across different options

How Microsoft Copilot can help reduce days sales outstanding

Collections play a crucial role in any business. Timely and efficient collections help ensure healthy cash flow, liquidity, and operational efficiency. 
Improve collections process
  • Use Copilot to organize information from past interactions
  • Draft communications with Copilot clearly outlining the collection process
  • Analyze different payment methods and its effectiveness

The content in this example scenario is for demonstration purposes only. You should evaluate how Copilot aligns with your organization’s business processes, regulatory requirements, and responsible AI principles.