D365 Functional Solution Architect
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In today’s rapidly evolving business environment, financial institutions and organizations are increasingly looking for innovative ways to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and optimize decision-making. One such innovation is the integration of AI-powered tools, such as Microsoft Copilot, a sophisticated artificial intelligence assistant, Copilot leverages machine learning and natural language processing to assist in various. For finance professionals, Copilot for Finance combines Microsoft 365 Copilot with a role-based agent that connects to your existing financial data. It leverages generative AI to surface insights, automate routine tasks, and support everything from data analysis to strategic planning.
Collections in Outlook: An overview
Copilot for Finance transforms the collections experience for accounts receivable (AR) teams by integrating directly with Outlook and streamlining communication with customers.
With this integration, AR professionals can:
- Access real-time customer data pulled directly from the ERP system – eliminating the need for manual lookups.
- View summarized inbound emails within Outlook to speed up response times and reduce clutter.
- Generate professional customer communication emails using AI-assisted suggestions.
- Update ERP records seamlessly by logging transactions, contact details, action items, and communication notes – ensuring a single source of truth.
- Gain detailed customer insights from within Outlook, including transaction history, past communication, and key contact information, via the customer card.
This holistic view enables AR teams to act faster, communicate more effectively, and maintain accurate records – all without leaving their inbox.
Get deeper customer insights – Right from your inbox
Copilot for Finance makes it easy to view key customer information directly within Outlook. When you click into the customer card from an email, you’ll see detailed insights across the following sections:
- Customer details – View essential information including address, legal entity, and industry classification.
- Aging history – Access a visual summary of aged invoice balances, based on predefined period groupings in Dynamics 365 Finance.
- Outstanding invoices – Browse a list of pending invoices. Users can download free text and sales order invoices to easily attach them to email drafts for faster, more informed communication.
This consolidated view empowers finance teams to respond with context and confidence – without toggling between systems.
Further readings: Learn how Copilot for Finance brings smarter efficiency.
Pre-requisites for using this feature
- A Copilot for Finance license must be assigned to the user.
- The Copilot for Finance Outlook add-in needs to be installed.
- Environment access (e.g., SAP, Business Central, or Dynamics 365) must be configured in Outlook. This setup is typically handled by the infrastructure team.
- Users must select the appropriate environment when launching the add-in in Outlook
How to add the Copilot for Finance add-in in Outlook?
Open the Outlook app.
Navigate to the Home tab and click on the Apps (or More Apps) menu.
In the search bar, type “Copilot for Finance.”
Locate Microsoft 365 Copilot for Finance in the search results.
Click Add or Enable to activate the add-in.
Once added, the Copilot for Finance add-in is ready for use within Outlook.
Note: Before the add-in can be used for customer responses, the infrastructure team must configure the required environment – such as Business Central, SAP, or Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations.
How to Use Copilot for Finance in Outlook?
You can use Outlook to draft and send replies to customer emails.
Click on “Connect with ERP” (e.g., Dynamics 365, Business Central, etc.).
Select the desired environment using the available options.
Choose the appropriate environment, such as the production environment.
The business user needs to add their email and link it with the corresponding ERP customer.
A prompt will appear asking to add the contact from the newly received customer email.
Press “Save” to store the contact details and link them to the ERP customer profile.
Once a customer email is received…
The email view displays the last correspondence, along with a customer summary.
Click on “Suggest a Reply.”
Select the type of response you’d like to generate. Using generative AI, Copilot will suggest a reply.
Click “Add to Draft” to include the AI-generated response and any attachments in your Outlook reply.
You can adjust the tone of the response by clicking the “Adjust” button. Choose from options like formal or friendly, based on the context (e.g., renegotiating payment terms). Click “Regenerate” to update the response accordingly.
To view customer details, click on the customer’s name. You’ll be able to see all related invoices, which can be updated based on your communication and terms.
Click on “…” (More Options) to attach the invoice to the email, download it, or update the status.
Select “Update” to change the invoice status based on your latest communication with the customer. This update will reflect in the Collection Coordinator role within the ERP system.
Navigation: Go to Credit and Collections → Workspaces → Collection Coordinator Role.
Click on “View Customer Details” to see actions taken through the Outlook add-in or any notes added for reference.
Check the invoice status via tabs such as Disputed, Promise to Pay, etc. Status updates can also be made directly within the ERP system.
Note: This add-in currently supports the Accounts Receivable and Credit and Collections modules only.Conclusion
Copilot for Finance in Outlook bridges the gap between communication and financial data by streamlining responses, surfacing insights, and enabling faster decision-making – all within your inbox. For questions or assistance with implementation, feel free to reach out to us at marketing@confiz.com.
