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Finance use cases
Industry use cases · Finance

Copilot for finance and audit teams

Join the audit team of a fictional retailer and let Copilot help. Six short workshops, one for each app. Pick any one. Each stands alone.

6 workshops 60 minutes each For instructors ↓
Transactions Audit checks Evidence Tax
Pick a workshop

Six apps. Start with the one you use most.

Session 1 · Word

Understand the client and write professional findings

Summarise a client file, turn interview notes into evidence and write a finding.

60 minutesOpen the workshop →
Session 2 · Excel

Investigate 1,800 transactions and find exceptions

Flag risky entries and find the exceptions hiding in 1,800 transactions.

60 minutesOpen the workshop →
Session 3 · PowerPoint

Build an executive briefing for leadership

Turn findings into a clear briefing for senior leaders.

60 minutesOpen the workshop →
Session 4 · Outlook

Handle a complex email with attachments

Work out what an urgent email needs, then reply with the right tone.

60 minutesOpen the workshop →
Session 5 · Teams

Catch up on the engagement and prepare a meeting

Catch up on three days of chat and prepare tomorrow’s status meeting.

60 minutesOpen the workshop →
Session 6 · Copilot Chat

Investigate evidence across multiple files

Follow six suspicious matters across the client file, the data and the documents.

60 minutesOpen the workshop →
The client

Meridian Retail Group

A fictional regional retailer of electronics and home accessories, with shops in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand and an online store. Sales grew in FY2026, but profit fell, and the board wants the numbers checked. Every workshop starts with the full story.

18shops in 3 countries
151.8SGD m sales
▲ +20.1%
5.5SGD m profit before tax
▼ −28.6%
For instructors

Teaching this? The script is built in.

Press N in any workshop to open your talking notes on your own screen. Or print the Instructor Guide for all six.

Open the Instructor Guide
Run of show, Presenter view and checklist

Suggested 60-minute run of show

0–5 min
Welcome, the Meridian story and your roleSteps: Welcome, Meet Meridian, At a glance, Scenario. Tell the story; ask the room what they know about audits.
5–10 min
Files and setupSteps: The files, Download, OneDrive folder. Best done BEFORE the session: ask everyone to save the files in OneDrive.
10–15 min
Prompt formula and exploreSteps: Concept, Explore. Teach the one-sentence formula, then let people skim the file.
15–20 min
Walk through the animation as the demoStep: First use. Click through the animation together so everyone sees the whole flow once.
20–55 min
Hands-on: Try Out 1, Try Out 2 and Refine35 minutes on the lesson timers. Walk the room; use the Check steps to talk about answers.
55–60 min
Review and takeawaysSteps: Review, Prompt pack, What you learned. Finish on the closing question.

An adaptation. The instructor deck’s own rhythm is Scenario 5 · Concept 5 · Demos ~24 · Try Out 12–15 · Review 6–7 · Refine 3–5 · Takeaways 2. This series gives 30–40 minutes to hands-on work, so the demo time is shorter and the hands-on block follows the lesson timers.

How to use Presenter view

Open it
Press N, or click the Presenter button (bottom left of the lesson, next to the outline button). A small window opens. Drag it to your own screen so learners never see it.
If it does not open
Your browser may block pop-ups. Then the notes open in a panel over the lesson instead, and learners can see it if you share this window. Allow pop-ups for this site to get the separate window. Press N again or Esc to close the panel.
Use it
Each step shows what to say, one question for the room, what to watch for, and what comes next. Prev and Next in the window move the lesson. The clock counts up to 60:00.
Take it away
The button “Download all presenter notes (.txt)” saves every step’s notes. The printable Instructor Guide has the same notes for all sessions.

Before the session

  • Everyone has a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence and can sign in. Check this a day before.
  • The sample files are saved in OneDrive or SharePoint, where the lessons expect them. Download the ZIP from the lesson and upload it. Check in your own environment that Copilot can open them.
  • You have run one prompt yourself, in the app for this session, so you know what a good answer looks like.
  • Outlook session: the .eml email opens in your Outlook. Teams session: the transcript is posted in a TRAINING chat only, never a real client chat.
  • Open the lesson in one window and the Presenter view in another. Press F for full screen on the shared window.

Go deeper on Microsoft Learn

The official, always-current Microsoft Learn hub for Microsoft Copilot.

Open Microsoft Learn ↗
Fictional training data. All Meridian names, entities, amounts, transactions, emails, chats and findings are fictional training data. Copilot proposes; the team verifies. This is a training exercise, not audit or tax advice.