Information about SharePoint, Microsoft 365, Azure, Mobility and Productivity from the Computer Information Agency
I’ve bundled up all my research into different AI services and had Copilot Research generate a report which you can now request via email by filling in this form:
https://forms.office.com/r/tGK2GZPLc1
The report covers my findings from a recent series of blog posts I wrote that culminated with:
https://blog.ciaops.com/2025/09/12/comparing-ai-services-an-objective-analysis/
but the downloadable report brings all The articles nicely together with some additional insights.
Here’s a detailed breakdown to help you decide when to use Microsoft 365 Copilot (standard) versus a dedicated agent like Researcher or Analyst, especially for SMB (Small and Medium Business) customers. This guidance is based on internal documentation, email discussions, and Microsoft’s public announcements.
| Use Case | Use M365 Copilot (Standard Chat) | Use Researcher Agent | Use Analyst Agent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drafting emails, documents, or meeting summaries | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Quick answers from recent files, emails, or chats | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Deep research across enterprise + web data | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Creating reports with citations and sources | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Analyzing structured data (e.g., Excel, CSV) | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Forecasting, trend analysis, or data modeling | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| SMB onboarding, training, or FAQs | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
To deploy Microsoft 365 Copilot, including the Researcher and Analyst agents, in small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), you’ll need to follow a structured approach that balances licensing, governance, security, and user enablement. Here’s a detailed breakdown based on internal documentation, email guidance, and Microsoft’s official resources.
To use Microsoft 365 Copilot and its advanced agents:
Microsoft provides three deployment paths for agents:
| Agent Type | Who Installs | Examples | Governance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft-installed | Microsoft | Researcher, Analyst | Admins can block globally |
| Admin-installed | IT Admins | Custom or partner agents | Full lifecycle control |
| User-installed | End users | Copilot Studio agents | Controlled by admin policy |
Deploying Copilot in SMBs requires attention to data access and permission hygiene:
For SMBs wanting tailored AI experiences:
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm eligible Microsoft 365 licenses |
| 2 | Purchase and assign Copilot licenses |
| 3 | Review and tighten user permissions |
| 4 | Enable or restrict agents via Copilot Control System |
| 5 | Train users on Copilot, Researcher, and Analyst |
| 6 | Build custom agents with Copilot Studio if needed |
| 7 | Monitor usage and refine access policies |
Yes, there is a usage limit for Research and Analyst Agent prompts in Microsoft 365 Copilot. These agents are included in a Microsoft 365 Copilot license but not with the free Copilot Chat.
According to Microsoft’s official documentation and recent updates, each user with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license is allowed to run up to 25 combined queries per calendar month using the Researcher and Analyst agents
Researcher and Analyst Usage Limits | Microsoft Community Hub
Researcher and Analyst are now generally available | Microsoft 365 Blog
This limit resets on the 1st of each month, not on a rolling 30-day basis
This cap is in place because the Research Agent performs deep, multi-step reasoning and consumes more compute resources than standard Copilot Chat. It’s designed for complex, structured tasks—like generating detailed reports with citations—rather than quick, conversational queries.
If your organization anticipates higher usage, Microsoft offers message packs as an add-on. For example, a couple of packs covering ~50,000 queries might cost around $400/month, while licensing 100 users directly would be about $3,000/month. Microsoft recommends starting with minimal licenses, monitoring usage, and scaling based on actual demand.
The next question is then about how the 25-prompt monthly limit for the Researcher agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot applies when you create a custom agent in Copilot Studio that uses “reason” in its instructions.
The 25-prompt limit applies specifically to the Researcher agent—a specialized, high-computation mode within Microsoft 365 Copilot designed for deep, multi-step reasoning across enterprise and web data. It’s distinct from standard Copilot chat and is licensed separately.
When you create an agent in Copilot Studio and include the word “reason” in the instructions (e.g., “use reasoning to evaluate…”), that does not automatically invoke the Researcher agent or count against your 25 monthly Researcher prompts.
Instead, Copilot Studio agents operate based on:
Unless your agent explicitly calls the Researcher agent (via a connector or API that invokes it), or unless Microsoft has integrated Researcher-like capabilities into your agent’s backend (which would be documented), your usage won’t count against the Researcher quota.
Optimize prompts with custom instructions – Microsoft Copilot Studio | Microsoft Learn
Researcher agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot | Microsoft Community Hub
Using “reason” in your instructions—such as “reason through the options before answering”—is interpreted as a style or tone directive for the generative AI. It helps shape how the agent responds but doesn’t trigger the Researcher agent’s quota-based behaviour.
Would you like help designing a reasoning-style Copilot Studio agent that stays within standard usage?
References
Optimize prompts with custom instructions – Microsoft Copilot Studio
Microsoft 365 Copilot serves as your AI-powered assistant across Office apps and Teams, helping with everyday tasks through a conversational chat interface. In contrast, the Copilot Research Agent is a specialized AI mode for deep, multi-step research that can comb through vast amounts of data (both your enterprise data and web) to produce comprehensive, evidence-backed reports. Choosing the right tool will ensure you get the best results for your needs. Below, we break down the strengths, ideal use cases, and examples for each, as well as when not to use one versus the other.
M365 Copilot Chat (Standard Copilot): This is the default Copilot experience integrated into Microsoft 365 apps (such as Teams, Outlook, Word, etc.). It provides quick, near real-time responses in a conversational way[1]. Copilot Chat can draft content, answer questions, summarize information, and help with tasks in seconds using the context you provide or your work data via Microsoft Graph[2]. It’s like an AI assistant always available in-app to help you “work smarter” on everyday tasks.
Copilot Research Agent (Researcher Mode): This is an advanced reasoning agent for in-depth research. It uses a more powerful, iterative reasoning process to handle complex, multi-step queries that require analyzing multiple sources. The Research agent will take longer (often a few minutes per query) to gather information from across emails, chats, meetings, documents, enterprise systems, and even the web, then synthesize a thorough answer[1][3]. The output is usually a well-structured report or detailed response with sources cited for verification[1][1]. In short, Researcher acts like a diligent analyst digging through all data available to answer your question with high accuracy and detail – albeit with a slower response time than standard Chat.
| Aspect | M365 Copilot Chat (Standard) | Copilot Research Agent (Researcher) |
|---|---|---|
| Response Speed | Near-instant answers (usually seconds). Optimized for real-time use so you can get quick help while working. | Slower, deep processing (often 3–6 minutes for a full response). It spends more time reasoning, gathering and verifying information. |
| Complexity Handling | Basic to moderate complexity. Great for straightforward or single-step questions and tasks. It can use context but generally handles one prompt at a time without extensive planning. | High complexity, multi-step reasoning. Designed for complex questions that require breaking down into sub-tasks, looking up multiple sources, and synthesising findings. Performs chain-of-thought planning and iterative research. |
| Data Scope | Immediate context + relevant enterprise data. Can tap into your recent emails, files, chats if needed (via Graph) to give an answer, but typically focuses on the content at hand (e.g., the document or thread you’re viewing). | Broad enterprise and external data. Securely searches across emails, documents, meeting transcripts, chat history, and even external connectors or web sources as needed. It will “search everywhere” to ensure no relevant info is missed. |
| Typical Output | Brief replies or edits. E.g., a paragraph answering your question, a list of bullet points, a draft email or document section. The style is often concise and may not always cite sources (it’s more like a quick assistant). | Detailed reports or comprehensive answers. Often provides a structured report with sections, detailed explanations, and inline citations to sources for fact-checking. It resembles what an analyst’s researched memo might look like. |
| Interaction Style | Conversational and interactive. You can have a back-and-forth with Copilot Chat, ask follow-ups instantly, or refine the output. It’s meant for real-time collaboration while you work. | Task-focused sessions. The Research agent might ask clarifying questions up-front then deliver a final report. It’s less about continuous chat and more about digging for answers, though you can still follow up with additional questions (each may invoke a new deep research cycle). |
| Limitations | May not fully answer very broad or data-heavy queries. It uses faster reasoning, which can sometimes mean less depth or context. Complex multi-source questions might get summary-level answers or require you to prompt multiple times. | Not ideal for trivial or time-sensitive queries. Because it takes longer and uses intensive resources (often even limited to a certain number of uses per month), it’s overkill for simple tasks. You wouldn’t use Researcher for a one-line answer or tiny task you needed immediately. |
Use Copilot Chat for day-to-day productivity tasks, especially when you need a quick, on-the-fly response or assistance within the flow of work. Here are the best use cases and examples:
References
[1] Researcher agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot
[2] Top 10 things to try first with Microsoft 365 Copilot
[3] Conversation Modes: Quick, Think Deeper, Deep Research
[4] Introducing Researcher and Analyst in Microsoft 365 Copilot
CIAOPS 