Domain 1 of 3 · Chapter 3 of 4

Chat, Agents, and App Experiences

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Included in this chapter:

  • Chat vs an agent: open-ended vs scoped
  • When to build your own agent
  • What Copilot does in each Microsoft 365 app
  • Exam patterns: matching the experience to the job

Copilot Chat vs an agent vs in-app Copilot

DimensionCopilot ChatAgent (Agent Builder)In-app Copilot
What it isGeneral open-ended assistantScoped, purpose-built assistantCopilot inside a specific app
Best forOne-off, varied questionsA repeatable, role/task scenarioActing on the file you have open
Knowledge sourceContext you give it, plus the web; work data only with the Microsoft 365 Copilot licenseA fixed source you configure (e.g. a SharePoint site)The current document, mailbox, or meeting
SetupNone, prompt from scratch each timeConfigured once with instructions plus knowledgeBuilt in, no setup
Reuse / sharingPersonal session, not shareable as a unitShareable so a team reuses the same assistantPer user, per app
Typical example"Summarize this paste and list risks"Project FAQ bot grounded on the project site"Rewrite this paragraph" in Word

Decision tree

Working inside a fileyou have open?YesIn-app CopilotWord, Excel, Outlook, TeamsNoSame question asked againand again by a team, fromone knowledge source?No: one-offCopilot Chatopen-ended, prompt each timeYesSmall team, simple Q&A?vs dept / multi-step workflowYesBuild in Agent Builderin the Copilot app, then shareNoCopilot Studiobroad audience, advanced
Cheat sheet

Cheat sheet

  • Copilot Chat is the open-ended assistant; an agent is scoped
  • Build your own agent when a Chat prompt would be repeated by a team
  • Don't build an agent for a one-off question
  • Copilot in Word drafts, rewrites, and summarizes documents
  • Copilot in Excel analyzes data, writes formulas, and surfaces insights
  • Copilot in PowerPoint builds a deck from a prompt or a file
  • Copilot in Outlook summarizes threads, drafts replies, and coaches tone
  • Copilot in Teams recaps meetings and answers questions about them
  • Match the Copilot task to the app that owns the content
  • In-app Copilot acts on the open file; Chat and agents are separate experiences
  • Type / in Draft with Copilot to ground a draft in your own files
  • Prioritize my inbox ranks incoming mail by who and what is in it
  • Change a generated draft's tone from the dropdown, then regenerate
  • An agent is custom instructions plus curated knowledge plus actions
  • Agents use actions and connectors to reach external systems; chat cannot
  • Check the Agent Store for a prebuilt agent before building from scratch
  • Use Agent Builder and templates to create simple agents quickly without code
  • Copilot Studio agents keep session context across turns and long-running steps

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Also tested in

References

  1. Overview of Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat
  2. Agents for Microsoft 365 Copilot
  3. Choose between Agent Builder in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Studio to build your agent
  4. Official Microsoft Copilot Studio documentation
  5. Welcome to Copilot in Word
  6. Get started with Copilot in Excel
  7. Create a new presentation with Copilot in PowerPoint
  8. Frequently asked questions about Copilot in PowerPoint FAQ
  9. Summarize an email thread with Copilot in Outlook
  10. Draft an email message with Copilot in Outlook
  11. Get email coaching with Copilot in Outlook
  12. Catch up on meetings with Microsoft 365 Copilot in Teams