SharePoint Copilot Prompts: Enterprise Guide to Getting Results with Microsoft 365 Copilot

Microsoft 365 Copilot in SharePoint: What It Actually Does

Microsoft 365 Copilot brings AI assistance to SharePoint in several distinct ways. Understanding what Copilot does where — and what prompts work best in each context — is essential for enterprise adoption.

Copilot Surfaces in SharePoint

Copilot in Microsoft 365 Chat (Teams/Web):

• Cross-app AI that can access SharePoint content based on your permissions
• Can search, summarize, and draft using documents stored in SharePoint
• Works across Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, and OneDrive simultaneously

Copilot in SharePoint Pages (Page Authoring):

• AI-assisted page creation: generate page text from prompts
• Rewrite and improve existing page content
• Create section summaries, generate FAQs from page content

SharePoint Agents (Custom AI Assistants):

• Scoped AI assistants pointed at specific SharePoint libraries or sites
• Users can query just the IT knowledge base or just the HR policies
• Configured by site owners without code

Copilot in SharePoint Search:

• Natural language search across SharePoint content
• Answers questions using document content, not just metadata

Effective Prompting: The CRAFT Framework

Good Copilot prompts follow a structure. Use CRAFT:

• Context: What situation are you in?
• Role: Who should Copilot act as?
• Action: What task should it perform?
• Format: How should the output be structured?
• Target: Who is the audience or output destination?

Weak prompt: "Summarize this document"

CRAFT prompt: "You are a communications specialist. Summarize this IT security policy document in plain language for non-technical employees. Format as 5 bullet points, each under 50 words, suitable for a company intranet announcement."

SharePoint Content Search Prompts

Use these in Microsoft 365 Chat (Copilot) to find and summarize SharePoint content:

Finding Documents

```

"Find all SharePoint documents related to our vendor onboarding process

and give me a summary of the key steps."

"What SharePoint documents discuss our data retention policy?

Give me the main requirements from each."

"Find the most recent version of the IT acceptable use policy in SharePoint

and summarize what employees are not allowed to do."

"Search SharePoint for all documents about the [Project Name] project

from the last 90 days and summarize the current status."

```

Synthesizing Across Documents

```

"Based on the documents in our HR SharePoint site, what are the steps

for submitting a leave of absence request? Format as a numbered checklist."

"Compare our two most recent annual reports stored in SharePoint.

What are the key differences in revenue, headcount, and strategic priorities?"

"I need to prepare for a meeting about [topic]. Review the relevant

SharePoint documents from the past 6 months and give me a briefing

with key facts, decisions made, and open questions."

```

SharePoint Page Authoring Prompts

When creating or editing SharePoint communication site pages:

Creating New Page Content

```

"Write the introduction section for a SharePoint page about our new

IT service desk. Audience: non-technical employees. Tone: friendly and

helpful. Include key contact information placeholders and what kinds

of requests the service desk handles."

"Create a 'Who We Are' section for the HR department SharePoint homepage.

Include team purpose, key services offered (listed as bullets),

and a call to action to contact HR."

"Write 5 quick tips for new employees learning to use SharePoint Online.

Format as a numbered list with a bold tip title and 2-3 sentence explanation."

```

Improving Existing Content

```

"Rewrite this paragraph to be clearer and more concise.

Use plain language, avoid jargon, and keep it under 100 words."

"This text reads too formally. Rewrite it in a conversational,

approachable tone appropriate for an employee intranet."

"Convert this bullet list into a well-structured paragraph that flows naturally

for a communications site news post."

```

Generating FAQ Content

```

"Based on this policy document [paste or reference], generate 8 FAQ questions

and answers that employees are likely to ask. Format as Q: [question] followed

by A: [answer of 2-4 sentences]."

"What questions would a new employee have after reading this onboarding guide?

Generate 5 FAQs with clear, concise answers."

```

SharePoint Agents: Building Your Organization's AI Assistants

SharePoint agents are custom Copilot instances scoped to specific content. They're created directly in SharePoint without any code.

Creating a SharePoint Agent

• Navigate to the SharePoint library or site you want to scope
• Click the Copilot icon → "Create an agent"
• Give the agent a name and description
• Select content sources (this library, this site, specific subsites)
• Write the agent's instructions (system prompt)
• Publish for colleagues to use

Agent System Prompt Examples

HR Policy Agent:

```

You are the HR Policy Assistant for [Company Name]. Your role is to help

employees find answers to HR-related questions based on our official HR

policies stored in SharePoint.

Always cite the specific policy document and section when answering.

If a question isn't covered in the HR policies, say so clearly and direct

the employee to contact HR directly at [email protected].

Do not speculate about policies not documented. Do not answer questions

about individual employee situations (salaries, performance, disciplinary actions).

Always remind employees that policies may be updated and to check SharePoint

for the latest version.

```

IT Knowledge Base Agent:

```

You are the IT Support Knowledge Base Assistant for [Company Name].

Help employees troubleshoot common IT issues and find answers in our

IT knowledge base documentation.

When answering: (1) Provide step-by-step instructions when applicable,

(2) Note the SharePoint document you're referencing, (3) If the issue

isn't in the knowledge base, direct the user to submit a ticket at

[helpdesk URL] rather than speculating.

You support Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint, Windows 11, and

standard office equipment. For complex issues, escalate to the IT team.

```

Project Document Agent:

```

You are a Project Assistant for the [Project Name] project team.

Your knowledge base contains all project documentation in the SharePoint

project site: project plans, status reports, meeting notes, and deliverables.

Help team members quickly find: current project status, open action items,

key decisions, milestones, and relevant documents.

Always cite the document and date for factual answers.

Do not make up status updates — only report what is documented.

```

Microsoft 365 Copilot for SharePoint Administrators

Prompts specifically useful for SharePoint admins and power users:

Governance and Administration

```

"I have a SharePoint site with 15,000 documents accumulated over 8 years.

Create a document cleanup strategy with specific steps for categorizing content,

identifying what to archive vs. delete, and implementing retention labels."

"Explain the steps to configure SharePoint Information Barriers for a law firm

that needs to prevent corporate M&A attorneys from accessing litigation files.

Include the PowerShell commands needed."

"Draft a SharePoint governance policy for a 2,000-person company.

Include sections on: site creation requests, naming conventions,

storage limits, external sharing rules, and site lifecycle management."

```

Communication and Training

```

"Write a company-wide email announcing our new SharePoint intranet launch.

Audience: non-technical employees across 5 departments.

Highlight: what's changing, what they need to do, where to get help.

Tone: enthusiastic but reassuring. Under 250 words."

"Create a one-page quick reference guide for employees learning SharePoint Online.

Cover: how to find documents, how to share files, how to create a team site,

and how to use search. Format for printing as a desk reference."

```

Governance Considerations Before Wide Copilot Deployment

Before deploying Copilot across your SharePoint environment, address these governance prerequisites:

Oversharing Audit

Copilot can surface content from anywhere the user has access. If permissions are too broad, users may see sensitive content through Copilot that they wouldn't have found through manual browsing.

Run the SharePoint Advanced Management access report to identify:

• Sites accessible to "Everyone in the company" that contain sensitive data
• Shared links (anonymous, organization-wide) for sensitive documents
• Libraries where sensitivity labels are missing

Content Quality Review

Copilot is only as good as your content. Before Copilot rollout:

• Remove or archive stale documents (>3 years old, no views in 12 months)
• Ensure current policies are in SharePoint, not just email or shared drives
• Validate that document metadata (titles, descriptions) is accurate
• Check that policy documents have clear version numbers and effective dates

Restricted SharePoint Search (Temporary Measure)

During initial Copilot rollout, consider enabling Restricted SharePoint Search. This limits Copilot's knowledge to a curated set of sites you've approved, giving you time to audit the broader environment.

Configure: SharePoint Admin Center → Settings → Restricted SharePoint Search → Enable and select approved sites.

Disable once full environment audit is complete (typically 30-60 days post-launch).

Measuring Copilot Adoption in SharePoint

Track Copilot usage via Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Reports → Copilot:

Key metrics to track monthly:

• Copilot-enabled users who used Copilot at least once (target: >60% monthly active)
• SharePoint-specific Copilot interactions vs. total Copilot interactions
• SharePoint agent queries (if agents deployed)
• User sentiment survey score (quarterly)

ROI signals to capture:

• Time saved on document search (survey: "How long did it take to find the information before vs. after Copilot?")
• Content creation time reduction (survey: "How has Copilot changed your page/document creation time?")
• Help desk ticket reduction for "where do I find X" questions

Building Your Organization's Copilot Prompt Library

Don't let Copilot adoption depend on each individual discovering effective prompts on their own. Build a shared prompt library:

• Create a SharePoint page: "Copilot Prompt Library"
• Organize by role (HR staff, IT team, Finance, Managers, All employees)
• Include: prompt text, expected output description, best used for
• Accept prompt submissions from employees (encourage sharing what works)
• Review and curate quarterly, adding proven prompts, removing ineffective ones

Sample prompt library page structure:

```

HR Staff Prompts

• Policy lookup: "Find our [policy name] policy and summarize the key requirements"
• Employee FAQ prep: "Generate 5 FAQs employees ask about [topic] based on our HR policies"
• Job description draft: "Draft a job description for a [role] at a [company size/industry] company"

IT Team Prompts

• Incident documentation: "Turn these bullet points into a formal incident report: [paste notes]"
• Knowledge article: "Convert this email thread about [issue] into a knowledge base article"
• Status update: "Summarize the SharePoint migration project status from these meeting notes"

All Employees

• Meeting prep: "Summarize what I need to know for a meeting about [topic] from recent SharePoint documents"
• Document summary: "Summarize this document and highlight the 3 things I need to know"

```

Conclusion

Microsoft 365 Copilot in SharePoint is a genuine productivity multiplier — but adoption requires intentional enablement: governance prerequisites, effective prompt training, SharePoint agents scoped to the right content, and a shared prompt library that compounds value across your organization.

EPC Group helps enterprises configure Copilot for SharePoint, implement governance prerequisites, and build adoption programs that drive measurable ROI. Contact us for a Copilot readiness assessment.