Copilot for Excel and finance
Use Copilot in Excel to explore a workbook, draft commentary and check every figure.
- Level
- FinanceHalf-day workshop
- Delivery
- On-site or remoteanywhere in New Zealand
- Length
- Half a dayagreed with you first
- Topics
- 6adapted to your team
Who it is for
Accountants, analysts, finance business partners and anyone who prepares board or management packs from spreadsheets.
This half-day is for finance people in the workbook, not for building agents. You practise chat mode, plan mode and edit mode on a sheet you already know, and you leave with prompts for variance, trend and commentary.
Microsoft's Excel FAQ says to avoid Copilot for decisions in finance, legal or medical topics. Use it to explore and to draft. A person checks the figures and makes the decision. We run the half-day in your office or live by video.
Workbook tasks follow Microsoft's pages 'Get started with Copilot in Excel' and 'Frequently asked questions about Copilot in Excel'.
Before you start: Copilot in Excel on a workbook you are allowed to change. You should already be comfortable with tables, formulas and PivotTables. The foundations course is useful, not required.
What we cover
- A workbook Copilot can editConfirm the Copilot label. Premium is the add-on with priority access. Basic is standard access without the add-on. If the button is missing, check app version, licence, network and privacy settings. If the library forces check-out, Copilot in Excel on Windows or Mac will not edit that file. Excel for the web can still open it.
- Chat, plan, then editChat mode answers without changing the sheet. Plan mode shows the steps before any edit. Edit mode changes the workbook, and anyone who can open the file can see saved changes. Set calculation to Automatic before editing.
- Questions finance teams askAsk about trends, outliers and a comparison you name, with the table and the column headers in the prompt. Copilot can show insights as charts, PivotTables, summaries, trends or outliers.
- Formulas, charts and PivotTablesRequest one formula or one chart, then trace it to the source cells. Build a PivotTable only when you can say which field is the value and which field is the breakdown.
- Commentary, not a decisionDraft a short note for a pack from the checked figures. Replace any number you did not trace. The note stays a draft until a person signs it off.
- Prompts for the month-end packSave prompts that name the sheet, the columns and the check. Agree which files Copilot may use, and which files stay out of the exercise.
We adjust the content to your team, and use your own documents and tasks for the exercises.
Who does this kind of work
63.6% of employed New Zealanders, about 1,669,000 people, work in the desk-based occupation groups (in bold) where Microsoft Copilot helps most. Each town page shows the local share, so you can see how a rollout would size up where you are.
Employed New Zealanders by occupation group, 2023
| Occupation group | Chart | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Managers | 18.3% | |
| Professionals | 26.8% | |
| Technicians and trades workers | 12.5% | |
| Community and personal service workers | 9.0% | |
| Clerical and administrative workers | 10.8% | |
| Sales workers | 7.8% | |
| Machinery operators and drivers | 5.9% | |
| Labourers | 9.0% |
Desk-based = ANZSCO major groups 1, 2, 5 and 6 (managers, professionals, clerical and administrative, sales): roles where AI assistance is most applicable. Broad proxy informed by ILO 2025; not measured adoption or an employment forecast.
Source: Stats NZ, 2023 Census, usually resident employed people; ILO, Generative AI and jobs: a refined global index of occupational exposure (2025).
Other courses
1Introductory
Microsoft Copilot foundations
A first hands-on session on Copilot Chat and Copilot in Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
2Practical
Microsoft Copilot for a working day
A full day that takes one real piece of work through Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook and Teams.
3Organisation
Copilot rollout and readiness
Prepare the tenant, choose a pilot, and measure whether people use Copilot well.
4Advanced
Copilot Studio agents and advanced Excel
Build and test a Copilot Studio agent for one internal process, and go further with Copilot in Excel.
Industries this course suits
Guides
Available in every region, for example Auckland, Canterbury and Wellington. See all locations.
Questions about this course
Can Copilot sign off the numbers?
No. Microsoft's Excel FAQ says Copilot can be wrong and says to avoid it for decisions in finance. This course teaches exploration and drafts. A person checks the cells and makes the decision.
What formats can we book?
Half a day, in the finance team's office or live by video. Each person works in their own workbook.
Do we need the Copilot add-on?
Microsoft's Excel FAQ says commercial Copilot subscriptions and Copilot Chat-eligible business subscriptions can include Copilot in Excel, and that availability still depends on the tenant. Check the in-app label. Premium means the add-on. Basic means standard access without it.
Ask about Copilot for Excel and finance
- ScopeHeadcount, sites, Microsoft 365 plan and licences, and the teams you want to start with.
- PlanWe propose a course, a pilot group and a format, and agree the files and meetings to use.
- TrainOn-site or over Teams, in Outlook, Word, Excel and Teams, with your own work.
- In person
- Remote
- Half-day workshop
- Full-day workshop
- Team rollout
Independent training by TheColab. Not affiliated with Microsoft.
Enquire
Tell us about your team. We reply by email with a suggested course and format.