How to Summarise Documents

How to Summarise Documents with Assist

This guide will walk you through using Assist to automatically generate document summaries and refine them to meet your needs.

How to Summarise Documents with Assist 2.0

This guide will walk you through using Assist 2.0 to automatically generate document summaries and refine them to meet your needs.

Overview

Assist 2.0 lets you upload a document and generate a comprehensive summary by simply describing what you want in the chat. You can then refine the summary through follow-up messages in the same conversation — no need to pre-select a template or navigate a folder structure first.

Step 1: Start a New Conversation

From your workspace, open the main chat interface (Just Start Talking). This is the unified entry point for any task in Assist 2.0 — you no longer need to create a project or pick a template up front. Assist will work out what's needed based on your request.

[SCREENSHOT: Just Start Talking chat interface, empty state, in the user's workspace]

Step 2: Upload Your Document

To attach a file to your message:

Click the "+" icon in the chat input field
Select "Upload a File" from the menu
Choose "My Device"
Navigate to your file using the system file browser
Select your document (e.g., PDF, Word document, etc.)

The file will attach to your chat message, ready to send.

[SCREENSHOT: Chat input with the "+" menu expanded, showing the Upload a File option]

Step 3: Request a Summary

Type your request in the message field, for example:

Summarise this document

Send the message.

Assist will plan the work, then begin generating your summary. You'll see its progress in the chat — tool and thinking activity is shown live while it works, and collapses behind an expander once the final response is delivered.

What You'll Receive

Assist will produce a formatted summary as a new output. Depending on the document, the summary will typically include sections such as:

Company/Document Overview
Strategic Objectives
Market Analysis
Competitive Advantages
Key Service Lines or Products
Financial Projections
Funding Requirements (if applicable)

Step 4: Refine Your Summary

You can request changes to the generated summary by continuing the conversation.

For example, to shorten the summary, send:

Make it shorter

Assist will produce a revised version of the output.

Step 5: Review and Accept Changes

Review the updated version against the previous one before keeping it.

[NEEDS USER INPUT: Does Assist 2.0 still show a side-by-side "Previous version / Updated version" comparison with an "Apply Changes" button, or has this flow changed? The demo didn't cover document-edit acceptance, so I haven't described it here.]

Tips for Best Results

Effective Prompts

You can use a wide range of follow-up prompts to refine your content:

Make it shorter — Condense the summary
Make it more detailed — Expand on key points
Focus on [specific section] — Emphasise particular areas
Rewrite in a more formal tone — Adjust the writing style
Add more financial details — Include specific information

You can keep refining the document through multiple turns in the same chat
Each change builds on the previous version
Always review changes before keeping them

Document Types

This workflow works with a wide range of document types:

Business plans
Reports
Proposals
Research papers
Technical documentation
And more

Common Use Cases

Business Plan Summaries

Upload comprehensive business plans and generate executive summaries that highlight:

Revenue projections and financial metrics
Market opportunities and target customers
Service offerings and pricing
Funding requirements and use of funds

Report Condensation

Transform lengthy reports into concise summaries while maintaining:

Key findings and conclusions
Critical data points
Strategic recommendations
Action items

Document Analysis

Quickly understand complex documents by generating summaries that extract:

Main themes and topics
Important monetary values
Key stakeholders and roles
Timeline and milestones

Reusing This Workflow

If you summarise documents often, Assist 2.0 can save the workflow as a reusable template or agent on your behalf — so next time you can trigger the same summarisation flow without re-describing it. If a suitable template or agent already exists in your workspace, Assist will find and reuse it rather than creating a duplicate.

Need Help?

If you encounter any issues or have questions about using Assist 2.0:

Contact your account manager
Visit our support documentation