Build an Employee Leave Management with Copilot

👤 Authored by Lashmi Bai Ravindrapandian
📅 Published on Oct 5, 2025

Imagine an employee submits a leave request in a SharePoint list and later asks a chatbot:

“What is my current leave status?”

Instead of manually checking SharePoint, the chatbot instantly retrieves the information and displays the answer.

This is exactly what you can achieve by building a Copilot agent in Microsoft Copilot Studio. The agent understands user questions, connects to SharePoint, and delivers accurate, real-time responses.

In this post, you’ll learn how to create a Copilot agent step by step, configure triggers, integrate SharePoint, customize responses, and publish the agent for others to use.

Keep in mind, this post is just the outline of the brief steps to follow when setting up leave management system.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll know how to:

• Create a new Copilot agent in Microsoft Copilot Studio
• Add triggers to automate responses
• Customize the agent’s introduction message
• Integrate SharePoint for data and document access
• Publish and share the agent with your team
• Edit or delete the agent when needed

Step 1: Sign In to Copilot Studio

1. Navigate to Microsoft Copilot Studio.
2. Sign in with your Microsoft 365 account.
   • If you don’t have a license, you’ll be prompted to create one.
3. Complete any required security verification.
4. Click Get Started.
5. Select your country or region.
6. Click Get Started again.

Step 2: Describe Your Agent

Once inside Copilot Studio:

1. Enter a description, such as:
   “Create a bot for Employee Leave Request Management.”
2. Optionally rename the agent (e.g., Employee Leave Request).
3. Click the Send icon.

Copilot Studio will then ask:

“What specific actions or behaviors should your agent have?”

Provide instructions like:

• Assist employees with leave requests
• Provide leave balances
• Show leave request status

Click Send, select your preferred language if needed, and then click Create.
Your agent will be generated and opened automatically.

Step 3: Test the Basic Agent

Use the Test your agent chat pane to ask questions such as:

• “How do I submit a leave request?”

The agent will provide general guidance.

However, if you ask:

• “What is my current leave balance?”

The agent won’t return correct data yet because it isn’t connected to SharePoint. To fix this, we’ll add a trigger and integrate SharePoint.

Step 4: Set Up the SharePoint List

Create a SharePoint list named Employee Leave Summary with these columns:

Step 5: Add a SharePoint Trigger

Triggers allow the agent to respond to events, such as new leave requests.

1. Go to Copilot Studio → Overview.
2. Click Add trigger.
3. Select When an item is created (SharePoint).
4. Enter a trigger name.
5. Sign in to SharePoint if prompted.
6. Click Next.

Configure Trigger Settings

• Site Address – SharePoint site URL
• List Name – Employee Leave Summary
• Limit columns by view – Optional

Click Create trigger.

Step 6: Test the Trigger

1. Add a new leave record in the SharePoint list.

1. Return to Copilot Studio.
2. In Test your agent, click the three dots (…).
3. Select Test trigger → When an item is created.
4. Click Start testing.

Now ask:

• “What is my current leave balance?”
• “What is the status of my leave request?”

The agent will retrieve the correct values from SharePoint.

Note: The agent can only answer questions for data that exists in the SharePoint list.

Step 7: Customize the Welcome Message

A friendly introduction sets the tone for users.

1. In Test your agent, click the introductory message.
2. The Conversation Start topic opens.
3. Delete the existing message if needed.
4. Click + Add → Message variation.
5. Add a custom message, for example:

Hello! 👋  
I can help you with employee leave requests, leave balances, and approval status.  
Ask me anything to get started.

6. Click Save.
7. Refresh the test chat to see the updated introduction.

Step 8: Integrate SharePoint Knowledge

Beyond list data, your agent can access documents from SharePoint libraries.

1. Create a SharePoint library (e.g., Project Documents).
2. Upload files such as PDFs, Word, or Excel documents.
3. Go to Copilot Studio → Knowledge.
4. Click + Add knowledge.
5. Select SharePoint.
6. Paste the library or list URL.

1. Click Add.

The agent can now answer document-related queries like:

• “I need information about the Expense Claim form.”

Step 9: Publish the Agent

To make the agent available to others:

1. Click Publish at the top.
2. Confirm by clicking Publish again.
3. Wait for the success banner.
4. Click Close.

Step 10: Share, Edit, or Delete the Agent

1. Click the three dots (…).
2. Select Share.
3. Add users, groups, or email addresses.
4. Assign permissions:
   • Viewer
   • Editor
5. Click Share.

Edit Agent Settings

1. Go to the Overview tab.
2. Click Edit.
3. Update:
   • Name
   • Description
   • Icon
   • Instructions
   • Triggers
   • Topics and tools
4. Click Save.

Delete the Agent

From the Overview tab, select Delete if you no longer need the agent.

Recommended Agent Behavior

For best results, configure your agent to:

• Assist employees in submitting leave requests
• Provide accurate leave balances
• Notify managers for approvals
• Keep responses clear and professional
• Respond promptly to queries

Final Thoughts

Microsoft Copilot Studio makes it simple to build intelligent, data-aware agents without heavy coding. By connecting your agent to SharePoint and adding triggers, you can transform routine processes like leave management into seamless conversational experiences.