What we’re learning about successful AI adoption from the companies getting it right.
If 2023 was all about AI’s promise, 2024 will be all about the proof.
Organizations that have embraced generative AI are already seeing the benefits. According to Microsoft’s latest Work Trend Index, 70 percent of Microsoft Copilot users said that, after just three months, they were more productive, and 68 percent said it improved the quality of their work. And the most efficient Copilot users? They saved more than 10 hours a month.
But these productivity gains only come when companies take an intentional and programmatic approach to their rollout. “Becoming an AI-powered organization doesn’t happen with the flip of a switch,” says Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President of Modern Work and Business Applications at Microsoft. “AI is unlike any technology we’ve seen before, which means it requires a unique strategy to deploy and drive adoption. Organizations that take a thoughtful and deliberate approach are going to be the ones to reap the benefits of AI.”
Here are five steps to nail your AI rollout.
Get your data house in order.
The magic of Copilot is its ability to reason over all the data and content in your organization—enabling it to deliver personalized, relevant, and actionable responses. It automatically inherits your existing Microsoft 365 data and security permissions, which makes it essential to have solid content management practices and data governance in place before rollout begins.
Futurist Amy Webb advises leaders to ask their teams: “When was the last time you did a data audit?” If you want a future where you can get the full value of AI, she says, you need to shore up your internal infrastructure. Are all your confidential files labeled accordingly? You’ll want to make sure your data is labeled properly so only those who should have eyes on a file get access.
Be intentional about your rollout.
To maximize the return on your AI investment, you’ll need to make sure that the first people who have access are the ones who will glean the most value. With Copilot, we’ve found that a three-pronged approach is most effective:
1. Give the technology to entire teams within a specific business function, like customer service or sales. That way, they can share insights and learn from one another—multiplying the technology’s impact.
2. Allocate remaining seats to a variety of roles and levels, from senior leaders to IT admins to project managers. We recommend that most seats go to non-executive employees.
3. Define clear objectives for how each team will use the new technology, such as “reducing ticket volume” for customer service. This will help guide employees toward the most pressing business needs.
Identify champions to lead the way.
AI advocates are internal influencers: they show off exactly how Copilot can help in their day-to-day work and get work friends and colleagues excited to try it themselves (no #promocode needed). Ask managers to identify one power user from their team to be a representative and empower these advocates to lead internal trainings—like a Copilot 101 session for salespeople—and create quick video demos that can spread organically throughout the company.
Prioritize skilling.
Without ongoing training, AI won’t make much of a difference to your bottom line. That’s why it’s vital to create—and maintain—virtual spaces for people to share tips, ask questions, and find resources. Organizations should encourage people to share their most powerful AI prompts with their teams, says A.J. Brush, a researcher on human-computer interaction and Partner Group Manager at Microsoft, who keeps a running list of her favorites that she gets from co-workers. (A good one she heard recently: “Go through my flagged emails and rank the top five in importance.”) Copilot Lab, Microsoft’s collection of prompt tips and prompt guidance, can help companies grow that muscle.
Help people build new work habits.
To build an AI-powered organization, leaders need to help their teams embrace new mindsets and habits. Before starting any project, document, email, or presentation, first ask yourself: how can AI help me with this task?
Working effectively with AI requires the ability to delegate, exercise good judgment, and apply subject-matter expertise—in other words, you need to think like a manager. You’ll also need to re-learn how to search. In Microsoft’s global survey of 18,100 people, respondents said they spend more time searching for information (27% of their day) than creating (24%), communicating (24%), or consuming it (25%). AI eases this pain by scanning your entire data universe—emails, meetings, chats, documents, and more, plus the web—to find what you’re looking for.
AI can transform your organization, but only if you adopt it with intention and strategy. And while there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to getting it right, these insights can help guide leaders who want to get the most out of their AI investment.
If you’re ready to take your business to the next level with the leader in AI-powered applications, give us a call now. David Blumentals, Director, Dynamics 365 Practice, David@d365.Global, +61 409 245 354.
