Learn from the experts: Copilot in Dynamics 365 Finance 

Abigail: “Copilot for Finance will also be available in Excel. Here we found an interesting use case, related to data migration, for example when you move to a new Finance system. In short: the Copilot for Finance in Excel helps to automate the process of reconciliation and the integration of financial data from multiple and disconnected data sources.

When you implement a new Finance system and you migrate the data from one or more legacy systems and databases to the new system, at some point you need to reconcile the data and make sure nothing has been overlooked. Copilot for Finance in Excel can be used to map the data between the two systems and then offer a reconciliation report. This is a feature we would very much like to explore, since data migration can be a long and harsh process.”

Now everyone is talking about Generative AI and Copilot, where do our consultants see the most added value and how do they prepare for successful customer implementations?

Tudor: “We test and use Copilot in our work as much as possible, to learn quickly the possibilities but also any limitations. In my day-to-day work as a consultant, Copilot is already helping me a lot in for example Teams, to summarize meetings, make lists of action items, etc. Together with customers, we are exploring Copilot but also opportunities for more advanced Machine Learning models, for example, to train models on data that our customer already has.”

Abigail: “As consultants, we can better guide our customers when we are well aware of the possibilities. A customer might come with a list of ideas and requirements, but we should know upfront what the possibilities and limitations of Copilot are. When we see areas where a customer can go faster or become more efficient, we can be prescriptive, based on our expertise.

I compare Copilot with a car: do you take it to go 10 meters ahead? No, but if it helps you to go 100 km ahead in less time, you will take it for sure. So yes, there are many functionalities, but we need to know first where it’s actually useful.”

Tudor: “It’s also important to consider Copilot in the bigger picture of implementing AI in your application landscape. It’s very important that customers have an AI Roadmap, including a Data Strategy: how will AI help you to realize your business objectives? It’s not about a point solution with Copilot here and there. Customers need to have a Center of Excellence and the capabilities and resources that help them achieve their long-term goals. That is where HSO can support and help improve business results.”