How AI enables the employee experience: Lessons from implementing Microsoft Copilot
Many people have started to incorporate AI into their day-to-day job duties. As the tool continues to grow, employees are learning how it can be a game changer when it comes to productivity and enhancing the digital workplace.We’ve been rolling out Microsoft Copilot to Atos team members since 2023. Here are some of the ways it has been enhancing the employee experience.
Copilot – Write me an article about Copilot
No, that’s not actually how I created this article, but it’s a prompt you could give Copilot if you’re in external communications like me.
Quite often, as a team that works fully remotely, we talk about the ways in which we’re using artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance our jobs, brainstorm ideas and share best practices. People have long speculated that AI would take away jobs, and were understandably hesitant to implement it into their daily routines. But what many of us are learning is once you start using AI, it can truly enhance your productivity and save valuable time. It’s clear that we haven’t even scratched the surface of its capabilities yet.
Using AI is an experience I felt needed to be shared with others. At Atos, we began integrating tools like Microsoft Copilot in 2023 and it has gradually been rolled out to more employees. Personally, I’ve had access to the tool for just around a month. So, to get a better look at the impact it can have, I reached out to others to learn how it’s helping them become more efficient. Full disclosure: I actually did use AI in the process of creating this post.
Dona Verghes, an Atos product manager and program manager, has a busy schedule managing teams that develop new products. the product journey encompasses multiple teams with design sessions, development sessions, daily calls, reviews and other planning. She also manages client programs in the Digital Workplace space, supporting migrations and upgrades.
On any given day, as a dual role employee overseeing others, Dona can have six hours of meetings that overlap at times. Emails come in all day, presentations need to be created and documents need to be reviewed. It’s a lot.
That’s where Copilot comes in. It’s a tool Dona uses every single day. She was given access to Copilot in November, 2023 but really started to dive into the capabilities early 2024. It’s had an immense impact.
Copilot – Transcribe my meeting
Right now, she’s mostly using it on Microsoft Teams, taking notes and transcribing meetings so she can go back to listen, review talking points she may have missed, or even recapping meetings she was unable to attend because of conflicting calls. She switches on Copilot when she logs into a meeting, enabling her to go back and review several days later. At the end of the meeting, she asks Copilot to list the action items, ideas discussed with pro and cons, etc. It’s also made a big difference in checking on and tracking action items that may come out of a meeting.
As a manager, it’s essential to assign tasks to employees and Copilot can even help with this process. She also uses it to assign her own action items.
NB: Even the process of creating this article, I asked Copilot to transcribe our conversation instead of taking notes, so I didn’t have to go back and watch a recording to make sure I had everything correct.
Courtney Terlecki
External Communications Manager
Dona Verghes
Program Manager and Product Manager
Copilot allows you to focus on what’s important — like managing a team rather than spending hours taking notes during meetings, putting together presentations or setting action items. No matter what your role may be, AI can save time and increase productivity.
Copilot – Summarize my emails
Another key area where Dona uses Copilot is its integration with Microsoft Outlook. After even a few days off, emails can quickly pile up, taking away time from other tasks. The ability to recap dozens of emails and see any key points or necessary follow-up is a huge time saver. It can provide a one-line summary on the content of an e-mail or summarize action items from multiple emails. It helps her draft emails effectively with just a few prompts, and even changes the tone of the emails. With conflicting calls, there’s also the capability to have notes summarized and sent afterward.
While Teams and Outlook appear to be the first two Copilot integrations that people really start utilizing, Dona has also found it quite easy to use in PowerPoint.
Copilot – Create a slide deck
As an external communications manager in charge of creating press and news releases from the information I find in PowerPoint presentations, Copilot has been critical in summarizing dozens of slides into key points — to help me break it down for others. Combing through complex topics is not always easy, and if you struggle to comprehend or stay focused through that much information, it’s an invaluable tool.
Copilot has many other uses — including in Microsoft Word — but Verghes and myself have not explored that capability yet, as we continue to understand its intricacies and experiment with new ways it can elevate our jobs.
For Verghes, the tool has allowed her to focus on what’s important — like managing her team rather than spending hours every day taking notes during meetings, putting together presentations or setting action items. What we’re learning as a team at Atos is that it doesn’t matter what your role or position or title may be, there’s a way to integrate AI into your work to save time and increase productivity. The more you use, it the more efficient you and tool become.
In addition to the above use cases, Copilot as an enterprise solution can work for various functions within organization.
In project management, it can analyze transcripts from project scoping meetings and help prepare project plans, resources required, assign, and track the tasks associated with the project.
Copilot is also transforming customer service with the power of AI. Copilot-powered chatbots can offer instant, accurate responses to customer queries.
Copilot intersects well with the tools I use every day, like productivity apps and OneDrive. Imagine having all your files analyzed and insights served up on-demand. Whether you’re in Finance reconciling numbers, in HR managing talent, or in Procurement keeping track of supplies, Copilot turns your data into actionable insights. It’s like having a personal analyst at your fingertips, ready to make your job easier.
Finally, because Copilot is a closed system securely deployed as part of Microsoft 365, you don’t have to worry about company information being shared on the internet.
If you’d like to find out more about how Atos can help you integrate Copilot, visit us online.
Copilot – Publish this article
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