Sales · 10 min

Prep for a sales call with a Researcher brief

Copilot app, Researcher agent

Short answer: Open the Copilot app, pick Researcher under Agents, and paste the prompt below with the company name. Tell it to use both the web and your work content. Researcher may ask a clarifying question first, then writes a cited report you can skim before the call.

Last checked against Microsoft docs: Oct 21, 2026

You've seen someone run ChatGPT deep research or Claude Research on a prospect before a call. Here's how in Copilot: the Researcher agent does the same job, and it can also read the emails, meetings and files you already have about that customer.

A common situation (composite)

I get a call invite with a company name and nothing else.
I spend the first ten minutes of the call catching up.
I want to walk in knowing what we already sent them.

What you get

Data: the company name, plus what you already have about them in mail, meetings and files.
Does: searches the web and your work content, then writes a cited brief.
Output: a short brief with recent news, your history with them, and questions to ask.
How often: before each first or renewal call.

Before you start

Needs: Microsoft 365 Copilot. Not sure what you have? Start here.
Where: Copilot app, Researcher agent.
Access: Copilot only uses content you already have permission to open. Use only information your company allows in Copilot.

The steps

Open the Copilot app and select Researcher under Agents.
Paste the prompt and fill in the company and the call goal.
Answer any clarifying question Researcher asks. Say whether to use the web, your work content, or both.
Open the cited sources for anything you plan to say out loud on the call.

Copy this prompt

Build a pre-call brief on [company name] for a [discovery / renewal / pricing] call on [date].

Use the web and my work content (emails, meetings, files, chats).

Sections:
1. What they do, in two lines
2. News from the last 90 days
3. Our history: last emails, meetings, open questions, who I've talked to
4. Three questions I should ask
5. Anything that looks like a risk

Cite every fact. If you can't find something, say so.

(Prompt from stuckwithcopilot.com/guides/pre-call-research-brief/)

Data tip: use this with your work Copilot, and leave out passwords, payment details and anything your company marks restricted.

What a good result looks like

Every line has a source you can open. Your own history with the customer matches what you remember.

If a feature is missing

If Researcher isn't in your Agents list, your admin may not have turned it on. Paste the public facts and your notes into Copilot Chat and ask for the same five sections.

Make it smarter

Keep a short "What it got wrong" note. Paste it above the prompt next time, like "Don't invent dates".

Not sure what to ask? Copy the quick note for your Copilot admin.

No Researcher? Try this in Copilot Chat

Researcher needs a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. If you only have Copilot Chat, you can still get a solid brief from the public web. It just can't see your email or files.

Buying drivers: ask what usually drives decisions for your product in their industry.
Annual report: paste key sections or link the public report and ask for money, goals and problems.
Mark the guesses: ask Copilot to label anything it inferred rather than read.

Prompt

Using public web sources only, research [company] for a sales call about [what we sell]:
- What they do and who their customers are, in two lines
- Their stated goals and challenges this year, from their website, news or annual report, with links
- What usually drives buying decisions for [product type] in [industry]
- Three questions I should ask on the call

Link every fact. Label anything you inferred as INFERRED.

(Prompt from stuckwithcopilot.com/guides/pre-call-research-brief/)

Make it better

Run this next, in the same chat.

Cut that to five bullets I can read in two minutes before the call. Keep the links. Put the one fact most likely to matter to a [buyer role] first.

(Prompt from stuckwithcopilot.com/guides/pre-call-research-brief/)

Data tip: use this with your work Copilot, and leave out passwords, payment details and anything your company marks restricted.

Questions people ask

Prep for a sales call with a Researcher brief?

Open the Copilot app, pick Researcher under Agents, and paste the prompt below with the company name. Tell it to use both the web and your work content. Researcher may ask a clarifying question first, then writes a cited report you can skim before the call.

What do I need for this?

Microsoft 365 Copilot. If Researcher isn't in your Agents list, your admin may not have turned it on. Paste the public facts and your notes into Copilot Chat and ask for the same five sections.

Can I do this without a Microsoft 365 Copilot license?

Yes, with the Copilot Chat prompt above. It uses public web sources only, so add anything from your own emails and notes yourself.

Next step

Try it once, then make it yours.

Run the prompt on one real task this week. Then pick your next workflow.

See the workflow library ↗

Cite or share this guide

Prep for a sales call with a Researcher brief. Stuck with Copilot. https://stuckwithcopilot.com/guides/pre-call-research-brief/ Last checked Oct 21, 2026.

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Official references

What is Researcher agent in Microsoft Copilot?

Last checked against Microsoft docs: Oct 21, 2026.