AI Assistant for SharePoint Help Desk

In this article, we will explore how to use SharePoint Agent to create an AI assistant for SharePoint Help Desk within Plumsail HelpDesk for SharePoint. First, we will briefly introduce SharePoint Agents which are based on Microsoft Copilot. Then we will see how to set up an AI assistant within the Plumsail HelpDesk in SharePoint and some additional use cases.

I am excited to share this amazing topic with you and demonstrate how to incorporate these powerful AI assistants in your everyday work routine to become more efficient. Let's dive in!

Further in the article

• Introducing SharePoint Agents
• How to set up AI assistant for SharePoint HelpDesk
  • Step 1 – Configure the document library in SharePoint
  • Step 2 – Create a new SharePoint agent
  • Step 3 – Set up SharePoint agent
  • Step 4 – Save and test the AI assistant
  • Step 5 – Approve the agent
• Additional use cases for SharePoint Agents
  • How to use SharePoint Agents in Microsoft Teams Help Desk
• Why use an AI assistant in SharePoint HelpDesk?
• Get started with Plumsail HelpDesk

Introducing SharePoint Agents

SharePoint agents allow you to use AI within your SharePoint for providing instant responses based on the documentation stored in your SharePoint library. Once you enable the Copilot license you can use Copilot as an AI assistant for SharePoint.

Every SharePoint site automatically becomes a SharePoint agent. Copilot is aware of where we are in every moment, and it allows you to create an agent for each site. But this might not be what you are looking for and if you want to select more information for your agent to work with, then you can change sources for the agent. Up to 20 sources can be selected.

Copilot is powered by a large language model (LLM). LLMs are very powerful, and you can ask questions in different languages, and you will receive responses in the same language.

Have a look at this video where Vesa Juvonen defines SharePoint Agents and how to start using them:

How to setup AI assistant for SharePoint HelpDesk

As you already know, Plumsail HelpDesk is a SharePoint list-based help desk that can also be integrated into Microsoft Teams. This means that SharePoint Agents can be utilized as AI assistants for SharePoint Help Desk, helping support agents improve efficiency and reduce response time.

So, instead of manually searching for answers and going through documents one-by-one, help desk support agents can ask the AI Assistant questions. AI assistant will get the answers from pre-defined document sources in SharePoint library.

Let's see now how to setup AI Assistant for SharePoint Help Desk with step-by step instructions:

Step 1 - Configure the document library in SharePoint

Add all relevant and necessary documentation to your SharePoint document library. This might include:

• Technical documentation
• Knowledge base articles
• Internal policies
• Legal guidelines
• Plans and pricing

Step 2 – Create a new SharePoint Agent

• Go to the SharePoint site where you installed Plumsail HelpDesk
• Select Knowledge Base tab
• In the top right corner Copilot icon will appear, click on it and select to Create an agent

Step 3 – Setup SharePoint agent

Setup identity

• Give it a name
• Choose icon
• Give a short description about the purpose of this agent

Setup sources

• Add a SharePoint site. Choose the site title or paste the site URL
• Select sources from document libraries, folders or files and choose a specific folder. You can select up to 20 sources
• Add advanced customization in Copilot if necessary. This will transform SharePoint Agent to Copilot Studio agent which are more advanced. But once you go this path you can't go back

Setup behavior

• Welcome messaging will help users understand how to best use this agent and which information is in the agent's possession
• Starter prompts will help users engage. This way users will better understand the AI Assistant capabilities
• Instructions for agents are very important as they describe how agents should engage with users. Good practice is to specify role, task and rules for each agent and be as precise as possible. And one good piece of advice is to give instructions to strictly follow the documentation provided in SharePoint documents library, which is chosen as a source, so agent does not improvise and come up with information from other sources

Step 4 - Save and test the AI assistant

• Once set up, save it and test the assistant by asking sample questions
• Check if responses are correct based on the configured documentation

One interesting thing is that we can see where the agent is saved, and it's saved as a file. We can open the file and see the version history, if someone changed and modified it and choose the version history. We can even share the file.

Step 5 - Approve the agent

After testing the agent and ensuring it's working properly, we can go to agent settings and approve it. Once the agent is approved, it's visible and accessible to other people who are using the site.

Use of agents help reduce time to get an appropriate response. Agent gives an accurate response. On the other hand, if we have to do it manually, we will have to go through documentation to find the correct answer, which is time-consuming. Now you can imagine the amount of time we are saving.

Additional Use Cases for SharePoint Agents

One very cool thing about SharePoint Agents is that we can use them in Microsoft Teams. Just copy the link for Teams and paste it into Teams channel. If you prefer to us Teams as a support channel this is a very useful feature. In here you can get all the answers for your HelpDesk.

How to use SharePoint Agents in Microsoft Teams Help Desk

SharePoint Agents are not limited only to SharePoint. You can take them and use them, for example, in Microsoft Teams. There are a few steps to follow so you can accomplish this:

1. Select the already created agent in SharePoint
2. Click on the 3 dots in to top right corner next to agent's name
3. Select Copy link for Teams
4. Paste the link to already existing Teams chat or create a new one
5. Approve the agent in Teams by clicking on Add to this chat and you will get a confirmation that the agent is added to the specified chat
6. Start using it by asking questions as you would regularly do in SharePoint. Please note that you will have to use mentions and mention the agent's name when asking a question. This way the agent is activated and able to answer your questions.

By adding SharePoint Agents to Microsoft Teams, you can provide support in your Help Desk using mobile phones, tablets and other portable devices within Microsoft Teams. As I mentioned before, Plumsail HelpDesk is supported in SharePoint and Microsoft Teams, so you can create AI Assistant for your ticketing system in both. You can set up Plumsail HelpDesk in Microsoft Teams easily and start using this feature.

Why Use an AI assistant in SharePoint HelpDesk?

With SharePoint Agent and Plumsail HelpDesk, you can have a smart AI Assistant for your SharePoint ticketing system. This helps to:

• Reduce response time by instantly providing accurate answers to help desk agents
• Improve support agent efficiency by significantly cutting the time needed to get a correct answer
• Comply with SLA policies to follow company's SLA policy
• Scale AI capabilities and make your SharePoint help desk more efficient

The AI assistant functionality in SharePoint HelpDesk is very flexible and scalable. I will mention just a few benefits:

• Provide different sources for documentation – Add documents on different topics such as legal, HR policies, contracts, or tech specifications
• Create multiple AI Assistants for different teams – Organizations can create different AI assistants for IT, HR, or compliance department teams and train each one on a very specific data source
• Strict Compliance Mode – The AI Assistant can be configured to strictly follow available documents in the source and use them to provide accurate answers without using information from other sources.

Get started with Plumsail HelpDesk

We explored how AI Assistant for SharePoint HelpDesk can be implemented and used within Plumsail HelpDesk and the many benefits it provides. Apart from significantly improving the efficiency of your help desk agents and helping them to resolve tickets faster, it also enhances accuracy and keeps your SLAs in check.

To test Plumsail HelpDesk for SharePoint and Microsoft Teams with AI Assistant, register for a 30-day free trial or book a demo with our team to learn more.