Organizations of all sizes are continuously looking to AI and machine learning to automate processes and enhance efficiency. The big players in the AI space are creating all-encompassing AI tools to meet the needs of enterprises and create value for their customers.
One of those tools is Microsoft’s Copilot solution, which can be used for a number of different use cases and takes over time-consuming duties from employees.
What is Microsoft Copilot
Copilot is an AI-powered productivity tool that utilizes the power of large language models (LLMs) and provides real-time intelligence that enables users to complete tasks efficiently, enhance productivity and skills, and improve the work experience.
Copilot coordinates with LLMs, which include pre-trained models, like Generative Pre-Trained Transformers (GPT), designed to excel in tasks such as summarizing, predicting, and content generation. It also pairs with Microsoft 365 productivity apps, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and other applications.
How to create Microsoft Copilot use cases for clients
According to Microsoft, creating Microsoft Copilot use cases for clients starts with identifying areas where their workflow involves repetitive tasks, information gathering, content creation, or complex decision-making.
After that, one should tailor Copilot functionalities, including text generation, summarization, data analysis, and creative brainstorming, to address those areas within the client’s business operations.
When creating these use cases, it’s important to consider an organization’s industry and specific applications, such as email, documents, presentations, and customer service interactions.
Understanding clients’ expectations for ROI
Clients using Microsoft Copilot enjoy wide-ranging benefits, and the return on investment (ROI) comes in many forms. To understand expectations for ROI, clients must first identify success criteria. How does the organization define success?
The second step in understanding the organization’s ROI is determining what Copilot will bring to various teams within the enterprise. Understanding the use cases for Copilot in your organization is critical to understanding the potential ROI.
Earlier this year, Forrester Research released the results of a study that sought to quantify the potential ROI of using Copilot for customer service. The Forrester Consulting Total Economic Impact (TEI) Study — commissioned by Microsoft — looked at using Dynamics 365 Customer Service to modernize customer service.
According to the study, Dynamics 365 Customer Service delivered benefits of $14.7 million over three years to a composite organization. The total investment required for the service was $3.54 million over three years, providing an ROI of 315 percent with a payback period of less than six months. While this is one use case, the study and investment savings show how automating tasks with Copilot can provide tremendous long-term benefits.
Preparing for success: Data and security readiness
Much like other tools that organizations implement into their business structures, they should have insight into the data and security readiness for utilizing such a solution. Establishing a solid security foundation and sound data governance is critical for Microsoft Copilot adoption success and getting the most out of the tool after deploying it.
In preparing data for success with Copilot, clients must first understand that the tool needs access to data in the Microsoft 365 cloud. Clients still using on-prem servers or not yet using Microsoft 365 will need to migrate their data over.
Additionally, Microsoft offers a Copilot readiness report that can help enterprises see if they’re technically eligible for Copilot, assign licenses, and monitor usage of Microsoft 365 apps that the tool integrates with best. The continuously enhancing report flags the top 25 percent of non-licensed users within an organization each week, based on their consistent usage of the Microsoft 365 applications where Copilot adds value, like Microsoft Teams and Outlook. This information can be utilized by administrators to prepare a data-driven licensing plan for their Copilot rollout.
Building practical use cases for Microsoft Copilot
There are a number of practical use cases that customers can deploy by adopting Microsoft Copilot. These areas include several environments that can help improve business functions.
Employee productivity
Microsoft Copilot can help improve employee productivity by automating certain tasks, freeing up employees to accomplish other tasks. The solution can serve as a writing assistant and research aid, in addition to helping with project management, coding, language learning, creative projects, collaboration, accessibility, and personalized learning and training.
Employee productivity use cases that can help boost employee productivity include:
- Enhancing meeting engagement: Copilot can summarize meeting discussions and generate action items to assist employees in staying more engaged with meetings and allowing for quicker catchups following missed meetings. Further, employees can ask Copilot to provide key points of a document shared in a meeting for a quick analysis.
- Efficient email management: Copilot can streamline email communication by summarizing lengthy threads and drafting responses. For example, as employees begin taking time off for the holiday season, Copilot can summarize email chains for when those employees get back, saving time when catching up.
- Writing assistance: Additionally, Copilot can enhance the quality and efficiency of documents by providing assistance with drafting, editing, summarizing, and creating content. For example, Copilot can create outlines for business proposals and fill in sections with appropriate content.
Security
Security Copilot is a feature that helps increase the efficiency and capabilities of defenders to boost security outcomes at machine speed and scale through GenAI. It assists security professionals in various security scenarios, including incident response, threat hunting, intelligence gathering, and posture management.
Use cases for Security Copilot include:
- Investigating and remediating security threats by gaining context for incidents to quickly triage complex security alerts into actionable summaries while remediating with speed.
- Building KQL queries or analyzing suspicious scripts by eliminating the need to manually write query-language scripts or reverse engineer malware scripts with natural language translation.
- Developing stakeholder reports that summarize the context and environment, open issues, and protective measures.
- Troubleshooting IT issues with greater speed by synthesizing relevant information rapidly and receiving actionable insights to identify and resolve IT issues quickly.
- Configuring secure lifecycle workflows by building groups and setting access parameters with step-by-step guidance ensures a seamless configuration to prevent security vulnerabilities.
- Understanding and managing an organization’s security posture can help it attain a broader picture of its environment, prioritize risks, and uncover opportunities to improve posture more easily.
- Defining and managing security policies while cross-referencing them with others for conflicts and summarizing existing policies to manage complex organizational contexts quickly and easily.
Customer support
Copilot is also a tool that provides real-time AI assistance to help agents automate time-consuming tasks for efficiency and speedy issue resolution. When enabled, Copilot can assist agents with responding to questions, composing emails, drafting chat responses, and summarizing a case and conversation.
Customer support via the Copilot tool can also be used to analyze customer feedback, train new customer agents, and manage social media.
Lastly, Copilot can integrate with CRM platforms to provide data accessibility.
Marketing
Organizations can use Copilot to integrate with email marketing software, such as Mailchimp or HubSpot. This allows the tool to help draft email templates and personalize content, another way Copilot helps enterprises reduce time-consuming tasks.
In addition to streamlining the routine task of email drafting, Copilot can assist with data entry, scheduling, and reporting.
Other marketing functions of Copilot include inputting market data for analysis, creating and testing ad copy variations, refining and developing brand messaging, generating unique product descriptions, identifying and drafting outreach messages to influencers in your niche, and lead generation.
Bottom line: Your clients need practical Copilot use cases
Clients need practical Copilot use cases because, much like other tools and services, utilization without a plan of action or business need doesn’t help drive value.
Copilot is ultimately meant to increase efficiency and automate essential tasks, but without practical use cases, it can potentially lead to wasted resources and ineffective implementation. Additionally, it can lead to a poor ROI and an increased risk of failure.
Microsoft Copilot can be a significant driver for business value among MSPs. Read more about how MSPs can offer Copilot to clients.