Microsoft Introduces AI-Powered Sales Agents for Microsoft 365 Copilot

Microsoft has a message for Salesforce: Hold my beer.

The same week that Salesforce unveiled more enhancements to its Agentforce platform, Microsoft introduced two AI-powered sales agents for Microsoft 365 Copilot. This marks the latest in a growing lineup of in-house AI bots the company has integrated into its ecosystem. Today’s release is designed to help sales representatives seamlessly nurture and close deals while working within their preferred workflow.

Meet Sales Agent and Sales Chat

So, what are the two AI-powered sales agents? The first is focused on sales development, turning contacts into qualified leads, and allowing representatives to spend time and resources closing deals. Microsoft boasts that this Sales Development Agent will work autonomously around the clock, and with some “low-impact leads,” the bot may wind up completing a sale on a human’s behalf.

The second bot is a chat agent. It serves as a rep’s assistant on new accounts, getting them up to speed in preparation for customer meetings and providing actionable takeaways from CRM data, pitch decks, meetings, emails, and the web. It’s almost akin to being a sales version of Rapportive. Microsoft says simple, natural language prompt instructions can be used on this Sales Chat Agent.

The Sales Development and Chat Agents are available through Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat, with seamless integrations into Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 CRM and Salesforce. Both will be available in public preview in May.

These aren’t Microsoft’s first sales agents, as the company does have a dedicated offering called Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales. However, these are the first ones designed explicitly for sellers who use Microsoft 365. They’ll be joined by the Sales Qualification Agent coming to Dynamics 365 and will enter public preview soon. By bringing these bots to Microsoft 365 Copilot, the company is providing AI tools to a broader set of knowledge workers who may dabble in sales but not as their primary job function.

“Copilot for Sales remains our bespoke sales offering in Copilot,” a company spokesperson tells me. “Knowing that sales is a critical function for all businesses, we are making Sales Chat and Sales Agent available to all Microsoft 365 customers as a pay-as-you-go offering.”

When asked how these new agents stand out from other competitors, Microsoft says, “These new sales agents harness both structured data (such as Dynamics365 and Salesforce CRMs) and unstructured data (data within the Microsoft 365 Graph like Teams transcripts, Outlook emails, etc.) to reason over a thorough, rich data set, providing true value to sellers.”

Pushing Back Against Salesforce

For months, Salesforce has criticized Microsoft’s Copilot, claiming customers find it lacking in value. In response, Microsoft points to widespread adoption, stating that nearly 70% of Fortune 500 companies use Copilot and are actively building custom agents through its Copilot Studio—more than 400,000 were created in Q4 2024 alone.

In a post on its WorkLab site dedicated to the future of work, Microsoft highlights multiple companies using Copilot and agents to transform their businesses, deriving value from their AI investments, enhancing employee productivity, and more. In one example, Vodafone salespeople used a custom-built agent in Copilot Studio to pursue opportunities. The bot connected with the company’s internal knowledge bases to respond to legal questions, product specifications, and more. Vodafone claimed that its sales team started using the agent regularly and predicted that individual salesperson RFP response rates could double or triple weekly.

Microsoft AI Accelerator for Sales

In addition to this news, the firm is doubling down on sales with the launch of its AI Accelerator for Sales on April 1. Microsoft states it will use this program to provide participants access to AI products, resources, and sales services. However, this isn’t intended to foster startups. Instead, its goal is to help organizations modernize their sales infrastructure. In other words, migrate away from legacy CRM platforms.

Enrolled customers will receive not only access to Microsoft 365 Copilot and Dynamics 365 Sales, but also pre-built agents such as a Sales Research Agent, custom agents with Copilot Studio, help with AI fine-tuning, and “white glove engagement.”

Featured Image: Microsoft logo displayed at the company's Build conference on May 21, 2024. Credit: Ken Yeung