Training course · Microsoft 365 Copilot · Accounting

Microsoft 365 Copilot for Accounting Teams

Use Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams productively, securely and in line with permissions.

Duration
1 day (7 hrs)
Format
Online or on-site
Language
German or English
Participants
open dates or exclusive for your team
Certificate
Certificate of attendance

Overview

“Microsoft 365 Copilot for Accounting Teams” is designed for roles such as General ledger and accounts payable accountants, Accounts receivable specialists and Financial accountants preparing statements and shows step by step how to use Microsoft 365 Copilot productively, safely and transparently in Accounting – from the fundamentals to advanced workflows.

Microsoft 365 Copilot brings AI right into the applications where your daily work happens: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams. What sets it apart from publicly available chatbots is its grounding in your organisation's data via Microsoft Graph – Copilot can draw on the emails, meetings, chats and documents you already have access to. In this practical day you learn to use that connection deliberately: drafting content from existing files, summarising inboxes and long threads, following up on meetings and generating presentations from Word documents.

You also learn how the licensed Copilot differs from Copilot Chat, when web-grounded and when work-grounded answers make sense, and how to use both prebuilt and your own agents. A central topic is the permission model: Copilot only surfaces what you are allowed to see, so sharing settings in SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams directly determine the quality and security of results. You leave with tested prompts for every Office application and a clear understanding of responsible use within your tenant.

Accounting is shaped by recurring processes, high document volumes and strict requirements for proper bookkeeping. Generative AI and automation provide real relief: AI assistants extract data from supplier invoices, suggest account assignments, explain transactions under local GAAP or IFRS and draft queries to suppliers or internal departments. AI agents support account reconciliations, the month-end close and the preparation of documents for external auditors and tax advisers. Responsibility for correct postings stays with people, but routine work shrinks, leaving time for exceptions, process improvement and analysis. The prerequisites are clear review steps, documented procedures and tools that respect requirements for traceability and immutability, such as the German GoBD principles.

The course is delivered live – either online in a virtual classroom or on-site in our training rooms in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart and Kaiserslautern. We can also run it exclusively for your team.

Who is this course for?

  • General ledger and accounts payable accountants
  • Accounts receivable specialists
  • Financial accountants preparing statements
  • Heads of accounting
  • Shared service centre staff

Typical challenges we address

  • Processing high volumes of documents in many formats on time
  • Resolving reconciliations and open items during the month-end close
  • Accounting correctly for complex transactions under GAAP, IFRS and VAT rules
  • Providing complete, traceable records for audits and tax inspections

What you will be able to do

  • You use Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams for your recurring tasks.
  • You write prompts that draw on existing files, emails and meetings as context.
  • You distinguish between Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat and choose the right mode.
  • You use prebuilt agents and create a simple agent of your own for your team.
  • Use AI for document processing, account assignment suggestions and reconciliations with clear review steps.
  • Use AI assistants to clarify GAAP, IFRS and VAT questions and verify the answers professionally.
  • Design AI-supported processes that meet bookkeeping compliance requirements and are fully documented.

Course outline

Module 1 Copilot fundamentals and Microsoft Graph
  • Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat: capabilities and licensing
  • Grounding in organisational data through Microsoft Graph
  • Switching between web and work context and referencing specific files
  • Prompt structure with goal, context, source and expectations
Module 2 Word and PowerPoint
  • Drafting from existing documents, notes and emails
  • Rewriting, shortening, adjusting tone and summarising text
  • Generating presentations from Word documents or outlines
  • Refining slides, adding speaker notes and sharpening key messages
Module 3 Excel and data analysis
  • Querying tables, spotting trends and highlighting outliers
  • Getting suggestions for formulas, calculated columns and conditional formatting
  • Creating charts and pivot analyses from natural language
  • Sanity-checking results and ensuring data quality
Module 4 Outlook, Teams and agents
  • Summarising long email threads and drafting replies
  • Summarising Teams meetings and extracting action items and open questions
  • Using Copilot Pages and Notebooks for collaborative work
  • Using prebuilt agents and creating your own with Agent Builder
Module 5 Permissions, data protection and governance
  • The permission model: Copilot only shows what you can access
  • Identifying oversharing in SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams
  • Sensitivity labels, data boundaries and GDPR considerations
  • Usage policies, team adoption and measuring impact
Module 6 Practice lab: Accounting
  • Invoice data extraction
  • Account assignment and guidance
  • Reconciliation support
  • Dunning and supplier communication
  • Close checklists and procedures
  • Audit request preparation
Module 7 Data protection, quality & transfer to daily work
  • AI-supported accounting processes must meet bookkeeping requirements such as the German GoBD, in particular traceability, immutability and up-to-date procedural documentation. Invoices and bank data contain personal data, so processing them in AI tools requires a GDPR-compliant data processing agreement.
  • Ground rules for safe AI use in your team
  • Checking results: facts, sources, tests and the four-eyes principle
  • Personal action plan for the next 30 days
  • Open questions, outlook and resources for further learning

Practical scenarios from your field

Invoice data extraction

AI reads incoming invoices in PDF or e-invoicing formats, checks mandatory VAT details, suggests supplier, GL account and cost centre and flags incomplete or unusual documents for review.

Account assignment and guidance

An AI assistant explains transactions such as prepayments, provisions or capitalisation of assets, proposes possible journal entries and points to the relevant rules, which you then verify professionally.

Reconciliation support

Automations compare bank transactions with receivables and payables, match payments to open items and produce a list of unexplained differences with suggested explanations for the month-end close.

Dunning and supplier communication

AI drafts polite, factual payment reminders, queries about missing purchase order numbers or credit note requests and adapts tone and language for domestic and international customers and suppliers.

Close checklists and procedures

From existing notes, AI creates structured closing checklists, work instructions and sections of the procedural documentation required for compliant bookkeeping, which the team reviews and maintains.

Audit request preparation

When auditors or tax inspectors send requests, AI helps structure the questions, map the evidence required and draft clear explanations of postings, estimates and judgements.

Prerequisites

Confident everyday use of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams; no prior AI knowledge is required. You have a basic knowledge of financial accounting and work regularly with an ERP or accounting system.

Technical requirements

A laptop with access to Microsoft 365 via your work account; a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence is ideal for all exercises, while Copilot Chat covers part of the content.

Data protection & compliance

AI-supported accounting processes must meet bookkeeping requirements such as the German GoBD, in particular traceability, immutability and up-to-date procedural documentation. Invoices and bank data contain personal data, so processing them in AI tools requires a GDPR-compliant data processing agreement.

Suggested dates

All dates are suggestions – your preferred date is always possible.

  • Thu, 26 November 2026 Online Request
  • Thu, 10 December 2026 Stuttgart Request
  • Fri, 8 January 2027 Hanover Request
  • Tue, 12 January 2027 Online Request
  • Wed, 20 January 2027 Berlin Request
  • Thu, 28 January 2027 Online Request

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat?

Copilot Chat is available to many work accounts without an additional licence and answers mainly from web content and uploaded files. The licensed Microsoft 365 Copilot also reaches your emails, meetings and documents through Microsoft Graph and is built directly into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams.

Can Copilot see my colleagues' confidential files?

Copilot respects existing permissions and only surfaces content you can already access yourself. Problems arise when files are shared too broadly – with the entire organisation, for instance. In the course you learn how to spot such oversharing and how to fix it properly together with your IT team.

Do I need prompting experience for this course?

No. We start with the fundamentals of good prompts and practise them directly in the Office applications. What matters is that you are comfortable using Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams day to day. Everything else – from referencing files to working with agents – we build up step by step through realistic tasks.

Are AI-supported postings compliant?

AI provides suggestions, but postings are made in your compliant accounting system after review by staff. What matters are documented review steps, logging and updated procedural documentation. In the course we work out how to embed AI steps cleanly in your process and make them transparent to auditors.

How well does AI handle invoices with different layouts?

Modern models usually process varied layouts and structured e-invoices reliably, but they make mistakes with blurred scans or unusual formats. Plausibility checks such as total reconciliation, VAT rate validation and supplier master data matching are therefore essential. We show how to build these controls into your workflow.

How much does “Microsoft 365 Copilot for Accounting Teams” cost?

The course costs a flat €949 plus VAT per participant – whether online or on-site. This includes 1 training day(s) with a live trainer, course materials, a lab environment and a certificate of attendance.

Can I suggest my own date?

Yes. Our suggested dates are just a guide. In the request form you can always describe your preferred date or period in free text – we check availability and confirm within one working day.

Is the course online or on-site?

Both are possible: live online in a virtual classroom or on-site in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart or Kaiserslautern. We can also run the course exclusively for your team.

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