Section 3: Creating documents, reports, presentations and visual content

Scenario 22: Customer proposal from source files

Level: Intermediate · Tools: Copilot in Microsoft Word; Microsoft 365 subscription and an eligible Microsoft Copilot license; OneDrive or SharePoint sources

Who and in what situation

Mert is the sales operations manager at an SME. Every month, he prepares proposals for different customers using the service scope, price list and company profile file. The document headings stay the same, but customer needs change.

How it is done today

Mert copies an old proposal file and changes the customer name and service items. He looks up current prices, transfers company profile information and removes wording related to the previous customer.

How to do it with AI

  1. Open the approved proposal template and open Copilot using the Copilot Dynamic Action Button. [55]
  2. In the prompt, use Reference a file to reference the service scope, price list and company profile file. Word Copilot can create new content from an existing document or template using source files. [58]
  3. Select Generate and request customer needs, out-of-scope work, delivery assumptions and next steps as separate headings.
  4. Check prices, dates and commercial terms against the sources. Remove old customer names.
  5. Do not share the document in the shared file until you have reviewed and approved Copilot’s change preview. [55]

Example prompt

Prepare a draft proposal for {customer name} on {service need}. Use {service scope file}, {price list} and {company profile file} as sources. Sections: needs summary, proposed scope, deliverables, assumptions, out-of-scope work and next steps. Do not add prices, dates or commitments that are not in the sources.

Evidence and real-world example

No closely matching published organizational case study was found. Microsoft’s official example shows how to start from an existing document and fill out an invoice using information from a purchase order PDF. [58]

Points to consider

Copilot’s availability depends on licensing and organizational settings. Do not treat generated figures or commitments as an approval document; submit them for sales and authorization checks. [55] [58]

Sources for this scenario

  1. Welcome to Copilot in Word (support.microsoft.com)
  2. Start from an existing Word document (support.microsoft.com)