Every employee craves the opportunity to bring fresh ideas to the table while also having more time to explore their creativity within their role. However, according to a Microsoft study, most workers (64%) feel bogged down by their workload, spending 57% of their time keeping up with meetings and 43% creating documents, presentations and spreadsheets.

If only there were a way to eliminate mundane tasks, teams could devote more energy to innovation. Enter Microsoft 365 Copilot, which makes this dream a reality.

Copilot for Microsoft 365 is a powerful AI assistant that acts as your personal productivity coach. It seamlessly integrates with Microsoft applications to help employees do everything faster and better. From summarising complex documents into PowerPoint presentations to automating Excel formatting, Copilot gives you the power to reclaim your precious time. However, securing buy-in for this revolutionary tech requires a compelling business case.

This is where our latest webinar, “Copilot for Microsoft 365 Copilot Launch Essentials,” can help. Featuring Elaine Riley (Atech’s Head of Product Marketing) alongside Rob Metcalfe (Atech’s Head of Cloud) and Microsoft 365’s Senior Go-to-market Manager, Nico Charritton, the webinar is packed with all the info you need to get everyone on board with the Copilot way of doing things. You can watch the full recap here. Alternatively, read on to see our four key takeaways from the presentation.

1. From drudgery to joy: Microsoft 365 Copilot empowers every role in your organisation

Eliane kicked off the webinar showcasing how Copilot boosts the speed and quality of work across Microsoft’s well-known applications. You can read a roundup of Copilot for Microsoft 365’s key capabilities here.

She emphasised that return on experience is just as important as return on investment, and recommends that organisations don’t underestimate the value of improving employees’ job satisfaction by giving them the tools to perform their roles more effectively.

2. Focussing on use cases is key to winning stakeholder buy-in

Nico tackled Microsoft 365 Copilot licencing requirements. Some Copilot features are free to use from the web, but for full data residency within your Microsoft 365 environment, a Copilot for Microsoft 365 licence is required (costing $30 per month).

He stated that 78% of employees already use AI tools within their roles, putting sensitive company data at risk. So, organisations must demonstrate leadership and take steps to protect their IP, customer information and ensure responsible AI use.

Here is a roundup of Microsoft’s key recommendations for making the business case for responsible Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption:

• Identify Microsoft 365 Copilot use cases by function: Get down to specifics when analysing how Copilot can benefit different departments. For example, sales teams can save time on customer research, negotiations, and post-sale follow-ups. Next, identify corresponding KPIs to measure adoption success (e.g., upsell rate, sales cycle length, etc.).
• Quantify ROI: Microsoft offers a wealth of resources and methodologies to calculate Copilot adoption ROI. For instance, the Copilot dashboard measures metrics like time saved per user by function. Microsoft estimates that a manager would need to save 6.5 minutes a day to recoup Copilot for Microsoft 365 investment. In comparison, an executive would only need to save 3.3 minutes per day to offset Copilot adoption costs.
• Change management is key: Microsoft offers a comprehensive Copilot Success Kit containing technical readiness, user enablement, and change management resources. This robust support system empowers teams to navigate AI adoption complexities and maximise the impact of Copilot’s game-changing functionalities.

3. Microsoft 365’s Zero Trust Kit Bag: Essential protection for Copilot adoption

Rob focussed on minimising Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption risk by aligning with core Zero Trust Principles within Microsoft 365 e3 and e5, including:

• Verify explicitly: Authenticate all Copilot users on their devices.
• Least privilege: Use risk-based adaptive policies to grant users just enough access to perform their role.
• Assume breach: Assume a breach could occur at any moment and prevent lateral movement within the system.

Read more about Microsoft 365 Zero Trust Principles here.

Atech offers a comprehensive Copilot for Microsoft 365 Zero Trust Essential Service, incorporating assessment, training, and full support in deploying and validating Copilot within your Microsoft 365 tenant across the following areas:

• Deploy or validate identity and access policies
• Deploy or validate app protection policies
• Deploy or validate device management and protection
• Deploy or validate threat protection services
• Deploy or validate secure collaboration in Microsoft Teams
• Deploy or validate minimum user permissions to data
• Deploy or validate data protection

4. Get ready to take off on your Copilot journey with Atech

Are you ready to unleash Microsoft 365 Copilot’s full potential? Our structured approach ensures a smooth and successful rollout from our initial Readiness Assessments to our Copilot for Microsoft 365 Adoption Accelerator Workshops.

You may also be eligible for a Microsoft-funded engagement, during which you can discover your organisation’s technical readiness, use cases, and Copilot adoption roadmap (contact us to find out if you qualify for these Atech-delivered engagements).

Get ready for your Copilot for Microsoft 365 launch now. Schedule your initial discovery workshop here, and remember to sign up for one of our future Copilot webinars to learn more about the future of employee productivity.