Human expertise remains irreplaceable in many business processes. From insurance claim assessments to legal document reviews, no matter how helpful automation is – human oversight is often still necessary. That’s why we’re excited to announce the preview of request for information (RFI) in Microsoft Copilot Studio, a powerful new capability that bridges the gap between automated efficiency and human insight. This helps your workflows maintain the highest quality while moving at the speed of business.
What is request for information in Copilot Studio?
Request for information is a new human-in-the-loop action built into Copilot Studio agent flows. This capability enables automated workflows to pause execution and collect input from designated human reviewers. When your automated business process encounters a decision point requiring human expertise, input, or review, the RFI action sends a structured request to the right people via email. Subsequently, it collects their responses and seamlessly integrates that input back into the workflow automation.
Unlike approvals with yes/no decisions only, RFI in Copilot Studio offers flexibility and dynamic functionality. You can request specific inputs with different data types, including text, numbers, dates, email addresses, and yes/no responses. Furthermore, you can customize each input with placeholder text, dropdown options, or multi-select capabilities to ensure you get exactly the information your workflow needs.
How does request for information work in agent flows?
Request for information integrates directly into your Copilot Studio agent flows. Here’s how it works:
- Configure your request – First, define the title, message, and assignees for your information request, along with the specific inputs you need from human reviewers.
- Collect responses – Next, the workflow pauses while designated humans receive an email request and provide the required information through an intuitive form interface.
- Continue processing – Finally, once responses are submitted, the workflow resumes automatically, making the human input available as parameters for subsequent actions.
Request for information use cases
Here’s how RFI transforms real business workflow scenarios:
Financial services compliance automation: During loan applications, workflows can pause to collect additional verification documents from compliance officers. This includes income verification or regulatory approvals, helping to ensure thorough review without manual process monitoring.
Insurance claims processing workflow: When automated claim review identifies missing documentation, RFI can request specific details from field adjusters or assessors – for example, damage assessments, repair estimates, or links to photo evidence – before continuing with automated claim processing.
Legal document review workflow: Contract approval workflows can request specific input from legal counsel on complex clauses or compliance requirements that need professional judgment. This helps to maintain both efficiency and legal rigor.
The beauty of RFI in Copilot Studio lies in its workflow flexibility. You can combine multiple input types, assign requests to multiple reviewers (with first-response processing), and configure fields as optional or required based on your specific business automation needs.
Key benefits of request for information feature
Enhanced workflow quality control: By incorporating human oversight at critical decision points, you help ensure that automated processes maintain high accuracy and appropriate judgment for complex or sensitive business cases.
Reduced manual workflow monitoring: Instead of constant supervision, you can strategically pause automated workflows only when human input is genuinely needed. This reduces overall manual oversight requirements.
Improved business decision making: Human reviewers provide context-aware insights and handle edge cases that may be challenging for automated systems alone in your Copilot Studio workflows.
Scalable workflow review process: Multiple assignees can be designated for requests, providing more coverage and redundancy while maintaining efficient response times in your automation.
Getting started
Request for information is available exclusively in Copilot Studio agent flows. This gives you the power to seamlessly blend human expertise with automated workflow efficiency.
To get started with RFI in your workflow automation:
- Familiarize yourself with RFI capabilities in our comprehensive Copilot Studio documentation
- Open your agent flow in Copilot Studio and add the “Request for information” action from the Human in the loop connector
- Configure your workflow request by defining the title, message, assignees, and required input fields for your automation
- Deploy confidently, knowing RFI integrates seamlessly with your existing Copilot Studio agent flow actions
We have one question for you: What human expertise will you strategically incorporate into your automated workflows?
Helpful Resources
Tell us about your experience
Have you tried request for information in your Copilot Studio workflows? We’d love to hear about your automation experience through the feedback tools in Copilot Studio or by contacting us directly. Your insights help us continue improving intelligent workflow automation capabilities that truly serve your business needs.
Ready to transform your workflow automation? Start incorporating request for information into your Copilot Studio agent flows today and discover the power of strategic human-AI collaboration.
