Article 3 Reasons Why Copilot for Microsoft 365 Is Living up to Its Hype
3 Reasons Why Copilot for Microsoft 365 Is Living up to Its Hype
By Insight UK / 2 Sep 2024 / Topics: Microsoft 365 Microsoft 365 Copilot
By Insight UK / 2 Sep 2024 / Topics: Microsoft 365 Microsoft 365 Copilot
With the explosion of AI in the workplace, Copilot for Microsoft 365 is proving to be a smart investment — not only for Insight's clients, but also for our own workforce.
It’s been about a year since Copilot for Microsoft 365 was announced in the US. Over there, the product has really begun to hit public consciousness. Insight was quick off the block.
Initially, the launch was for the US, the UK and some parts of Asia. The product is slowly making its way across mainland Europe: there were issues in the EU with the Digital Markets Act, which Microsoft is in the process of resolving. Consequently, while we’re not seeing the level of adoption that the US experienced, we can certainly expect to see Copilot hit the same heights on this side of the Atlantic.
The chance to test whether Copilot lived up to expectations came when Insight entered the Partner Early Access Programme back in August 2023. Months ago, in the early stages of Copilot for Microsoft 365, this may not have been such a big deal. But now that time has passed and we have some experience with the product, we’ve been able to receive feedback from co-workers and clients, and that has changed the situation considerably.
First, we’ve seen exponential improvements in Copilot for Microsoft 365’s functionality over the last six months. There were issues with note taking in the early days of Copilot in Teams meetings, including inaccuracies and fabricated assumptions. But within the last month, it’s been very accurate and are impacted by technology in ways that highlight its shortcomings.
It’s not just Microsoft 365 that has seen improvements. In the past few months, there have been similar enhancements to Copilot for Microsoft 365 Chat and Copilot in Outlook and Word. There also been improvements to PowerPoint, although there’s still some work needed design and graphics. There are still a few shortcomings with Excel, but given the speed at which these are being fixed and the rapid improvements we’re seeing in Copilot’s functionality, it’s only a matter of time before they’re enterprise-ready too.
In most organisations, it’s IT that is evaluating, making decisions and purchasing technology that impacts end users on every level. The opinions about Copilot for Microsoft 365 have been rather lukewarm as technologists formed a collective opinion and gravitated toward its shortcomings.
Since Microsoft announced the removal of a minimum number of licences we’ve seen many IT organisations take advantage of this relaxation by purchasing only a handful of licenses for testing.
This is the wrong way approach. If you are in IT and are thinking of buying just a few licences for evaluation, learn this lesson and repeat it to yourself: you are not the primary audience for Copilot for Microsoft 365.
That’s not to say that IT shouldn’t evaluate it but think about what it can do for roles throughout your organisation. If you are going to test only 10 licences, give eight of them to the business. Give one to the project manager who is on calls all the time, or the person in marketing who can use it to write first drafts of copy, or the user who can apply a solution built in Copilot Studio to make answering customer inquiries easier.
If you bring Copilot for Microsoft 365 to your business, you might be as surprised by the feedback from end users. Here at Insight, we’ve received feedback from end users like:
- I needed to create a communication plan for a project I'm working on. Using Copilot, I saved at least an hour of work, and it provided a solid draft that I can build on. (Client Operations Manager)
- I am testing this out to create a technical proposal for an… identity and access management RFP… and the initial results are very promising. It provided me a timeline, budget, staffing plan, roles and responsibilities, which was much more than I asked for or expected. (Solutions Architect)
- Who hates having to read long email threads? The Copilot summary feature for long email threads is a game changer! (Cloud Systems)
If your end users can find that because of Copilot for Microsoft 365, they’re saving time and becoming more productive, then it is well worth the investment.
ROI and good end-user feedback do not exist in a vacuum. When we first received licences at Insight, we didn’t undertake adoption activity beyond communications. It was only after we put a plan in place that we began to see adoption and receive positive feedback. Making Copilot “worth it” will take thoughtful planning with two main considerations:
1. For various reasons, Copilot for Microsoft 365 isn’t going to be for everyone. Find the right people in your organisation with the right use cases who will have the most immediate success and ROI with Copilot for Microsoft 365.
2. Even if you find the “right” people, you still need to work with them to help them understand how Copilot for Microsoft 365 can help them every day. Adoption activities are key to success. It’s important to remember that not everyone cares about the advances offered by AI; many people outside the IT department will have no interest in it. Make sure that they do have an interest by showing how much they benefit from the adoption of AI.
