Copilot Cowork, launched in March to manage complex tasks across workflows, is being enhanced with mobile device support, reusable “skills,” and native integrations into Microsoft and third-party tools.
Leveraging the Work IQ intelligence layer, Copilot Cowork can perform such complex tasks as creating a new product launch plan that includes shareable assets and competitive intelligence, Microsoft said at the time it rolled out the software, which is based on Anthropic’s Claude Cowork technology.
The Work IQ Foundation “allows Cowork to plan, act, and produce outcomes that are grounded in how your business runs and not just what is available on the public internet,” said Charles Lamanna, Microsoft Executive Vice President, Copilot, Agents, and Platform, in a blog post announcing the latest features. Now Microsoft is extending the platform to a broader range of devices and platforms, while enabling reuse of instructions that drive Cowork actions.
Latest Cowork Innovations
The company announced Cowork on Apple iOS and Android devices, which allows users to act in real time from their device as they need to delegate work — in various scenarios where they’re away from their desktop computer — so that work progresses in background.
Skills are reusable instructions used to complete a task or a workflow. Users invoke skills to instruct Cowork how they want something done, rather than starting from ground zero for each action that needs to be completed. Each skill reflects an organization’s structure, tone, and process, all of which will be applied with consistency because it’s being reused rather than created as needed.
Microsoft is rolling out built-in skills — spanning Microsoft 365 — to assist with common workflows: document creation, meeting coordination, and conducting research.
Because work requires accessing a range of resources — documents, data, and line-of-business applications — automation requirements mean Cowork must connect easily to the systems that manage these functions. To that end, the company is delivering native integrations across Fabric IQ with Power BI, so customers can bring their data directly into the workflows they’re managing with Cowork. It’s also expanding integrations with Dynamics 365 to include sales, customer service, and ERP applications. This latter set of integrations will enable Cowork to seamlessly manage use cases such as pipeline reviews in sales, case resolution in customer service, and order approvals in ERP.
In addition to the native connectors to Microsoft platforms, the company said it will roll out connectors to third-party data sources including financial data supplied by London Stock Exchange Group, Miro visual collaboration software, Monday.com project management software, and S&P Global Energy’s energy and commodities data, with more to come. Microsoft noted that customers can also build custom connectors to extend Cowork to their unique systems and processes.
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