How to Use SharePoint Agents in Microsoft 365

If you've ever worked with large repositories of data in SharePoint, you know the struggle of navigating libraries, folders, and pages to locate the exact piece of information you need. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. SharePoint Agents, a powerful new AI-driven feature, aim to solve this challenge, making it easier to search, interact with, and manage content. With SharePoint Agents, you can take advantage of natural language processing and a robust permissions model to find precisely what you're looking for without the headache of traditional search approaches.

What Are SharePoint Agents?

A SharePoint Agent is an AI-powered tool that creates a personalized, interactive experience for users. These agents allow you to ask questions, retrieve information, summarize content, and perform other tasks using natural language. Think of them as virtual assistants specifically designed to help you interact with content from your SharePoint sites, libraries, and documents.

The best part? SharePoint Agents are created automatically for every SharePoint site by default, so you don’t need advanced technical skills to get started. They also inherit their permissions model from the site they’re part of, ensuring secure and compliant access to your data.

How Do SharePoint Agents Work?

Like with many new technologies, it may be a little difficult to get how SharePoint Agents work in practice from just the description. So let's take a look at some of their features and how you might actually use them.

Natural Language Processing

As with most AI tools, SharePoint Agents interpret and process questions or commands you provide in plain English. For example, you could ask, "What content was updated this month?" or "Summarize the competitor analysis document." The agent finds and delivers the information without you having to hunt through folders or enter vague search terms.

Permissions Respect

What good would agents be if they didn't respect the permissions that have been painstakingly applied to your data? Luckily, SharePoint Agents respect your established permissions. If you don’t have access to a particular file or site, the agent won’t serve it to you, ensuring data protection. Even in chat sessions where agents are shared via Microsoft Teams, restrictions are in place, allowing only authorized users to access specific content.

For instance, if a user asks a question in a Teams chat about a document they lack access to, the agent will notify the sender and pause the sharing process, preventing unintended data exposure.

Customizable and Targeted Agents

While you get a default SharePoint Agent for each site, you can customize agents to narrow their focus further. Instead of allowing the agent to interact with all the content in a site, you can set it to work with specific document libraries, folders, or even certain file types.

Imagine working on a project where you only need product briefs and competitor analyses. You can configure an agent to source only those specific documents, ensuring focus and accuracy in results. Additionally, you can provide the agent with custom instructions, such as tailoring its responses to specific organizational tone and style.

Integration with Microsoft Teams

SharePoint Agents don’t just live within SharePoint; they integrate seamlessly with Microsoft Teams. You can copy an agent’s Teams link, share it in a chat, and start collaborating within Teams immediately. Team members can ask questions collaboratively, and the agent respects personal permissions for each user.

For example, a shared Teams chat with an agent dedicated to HR policies could allow team members to ask “What’s our parental leave policy?” And true to form, the agent will deliver content only to users with the appropriate permissions.

Hub-wide Coverage for Content Discovery

Managing a SharePoint hub site? The default SharePoint Agent can be used to search and interact with content across all the associated sites in the hub. For example, an intranet hub could use the default agent to help employees quickly locate HR forms, internal announcements, or training materials.

Looking to get up and running with M365 Copilot and SharePoint Agents? Download our Executives Guide to Getting Ready for Copilot

How to Use SharePoint Agents

Setting Up a Customized Agent

1. Navigate to the content or library you want the agent to work with.
2. Click the “New Agent” or “Create Agent” button, usually found in the SharePoint toolbar or library menu.
3. Configure the agent’s sources by selecting specific folders, files, or libraries—e.g., only competitor analyses or project files.
4. Add custom instructions to guide how the agent responds—for instance, using informal tone or highlighting particular priorities.
5. Save the agent and share it as needed.

Interacting with the Agent

Once your agent is set up, use the interface to ask it questions. For example, after creating an agent for your project library, you might ask:

• “Summarize the timelines in the project roadmap.”
• “Show me the latest updates in this library.”
• “How do competitors position their products in this space?”

The responses will be concise and include references to the documents or pages where the information is located, making it easy to verify and explore further.

Using SharePoint Agents in Teams

To bring an agent into a collaborative Teams chat:

1. Copy the agent’s Teams link from its SharePoint configuration page.
2. Share the link within a Teams conversation or channel.
3. Mention the agent directly in chat (e.g., “@ProjectAgent, what are our current competitor strengths?”).
4. Work collaboratively with your team while the agent retrieves a tailored response.

What About SharePoint Agent Governance?

SharePoint Agents represent a big leap forward in functionality. But remember that they're governed by their underlying site permissions and managed as files, which introduces some unique challenges. For example:

• Any site member with edit permissions can create, edit, and delete agents.
• Custom or approved agents remain editable and could be misconfigured by accident.

To ensure proper control and minimize risks:

1. Train site owners and members on best practices for creating and approving agents responsibly.
2. Monitor agent activity using built-in SharePoint tools or third-party governance platforms.
3. Control costs by reviewing agent usage statistics and setting up pay-as-you-go billing where applicable

What Does the Future Hold for SharePoint Agents?

Microsoft plans to enhance SharePoint Agents significantly over the next two years. From supporting more file types like videos and OneNote notebooks to tighter integration across Microsoft 365 apps and better analytics, the roadmap is enticing. One eagerly anticipated feature is the ability for administrators to control access and creation rights at a more granular level, bringing greater balance between innovation and governance.

Unlock the Potential of SharePoint Agents

With natural language processing, seamless integration, and content-specific insights, SharePoint Agents can revolutionize how you interact with organizational data. Whether you’re an HR professional answering employee questions, a project manager keeping track of deliverables, or a marketer researching competitors, SharePoint Agents can save you time and effort. With this powerful tool, getting the data you need has never been easier.

If you're ready to start using SharePoint Agents, you'll need an M365 Copilot license. Haven't taken the leap yet, or looking to get your Copilot in order? Download our Executives Guide to Getting Ready for Copilot, and find out how Orchestry can help.