Build an onboarding buddy for new hires
Task · Copilot Studio: knowledge agent
Time saved · 2-4 hrs to build, then 1-2 hrs per new hire (estimate, not measured)
⚠️ Licensing: you need a Copilot Studio license (prepaid Copilot Credits or pay-as-you-go through Azure), a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, or a Copilot Studio trial. A trial lets you build and test in the test chat, but you can't publish. Agent usage is metered in Copilot Credits; for Microsoft 365 Copilot licensed users, generative answers and tenant grounding used in Copilot Chat, Teams or SharePoint are zero-rated. Steps follow Copilot Studio's standard experience: if your Home page shows a New experience toggle, Microsoft's quickstart turns it off.
Steps
- Create the agent from the Home page with the description below
- Select Add knowledge > SharePoint (Featured) and add your onboarding or intranet site URL, with a detailed description
- For a checklist, select Add knowledge again, choose SharePoint in the Upload file section, select Browse items and pick your onboarding tasks list (up to 10 lists at a time)
- On the Overview page, add up to 10 Suggested prompts such as 'What do I need to do in week one?'. They show in Teams and Microsoft Copilot, not in the test pane
- Edit the greeting: select the intro message in the test pane to open the Conversation Start topic, replace the text, and select Save
- Test, publish, and share it with new hires through Teams
Prompt / template
Description (paste on the Home page): An onboarding buddy for new hires at [Company]. It answers questions about the first weeks, tools, benefits sign-up, who to ask for what, and office logistics, using our onboarding site and the onboarding tasks list. Greeting (Conversation Start topic): Welcome to [Company]! I can help with your first weeks: what to set up, who to ask, and where things live. Try "What should I do this week?" or "How do I get access to [tool]?" Instructions: - Be friendly and brief. New hires are overloaded. - When asked what to do next, list only the next 3 tasks from the onboarding list with due dates. - If you don't know, say so and suggest asking their manager or [onboarding contact].
Source · https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot-studio/knowledge-add-sharepoint
Also see · https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot-studio/fundamentals-get-started
Also see · https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot-studio/billing-licensing
Last checked · 2026-10-20