Successful take-off with Microsoft365 Copilot

That’s right… another Microsoft365 Copilot blog.

It’s ok, I’m not going to talk about what it’s like having a virtual intern at your fingertips, or the 5 hours I saved last week by using Copilot.

I won’t drivel on about how Microsoft’s integration of AI and LLM’s directly into Office applications can change the way you work and take your productivity and creativity to a new level.

We’re past that. We’re buying licences now and using it.

But how do you get started with deploying Microsoft365 Copilot to you team? How do you ensure that your users are engaged and motivated to use it? How do you measure its impact and value?

Start small, think big

One of the key lessons we’re learning from deploying Microsoft365 Copilot is that you don’t need to roll it out to everyone at once.

In fact, it’s much better to start with a small pilot group of users, who can test the tool, provide feedback, and act as champions for the rest of the organisation.

This way, you can ensure that the tool is working as expected, that the users are satisfied with it, and that you can identify and address any issues or challenges before scaling up.

But how do you select the pilot group?  There are a few criteria that you should consider.

First, you want to choose users who are representative of the different roles, functions, and levels of your organisation. This will help you to capture the diversity of needs and expectations that your users have, and to tailor the training and support accordingly.

Second, you want to choose users who are open-minded and willing to learn new things. These are the users who will embrace Microsoft365 Copilot as an opportunity to enhance their skills and performance, and who will spread the word to their peers and managers.

Finally, and as a change manager I’d argue most importantly, you want to choose users who are influential within the team. These are the users who can act as role models and advocates for Microsoft365 Copilot, and who can inspire and encourage others to follow their journey.

Understand their needs, tailor the training

Another important lesson we’ve learned from using and deploying Copilot is that you can’t just rely on the tool itself to drive the adoption. You also need to provide some training and support to your users, to help them understand the benefits and features of the tool, and to guide them through the best practices and tips.

But how do you design and deliver the training?

Well, the answer is: it depends. It depends on the needs and preferences of your users, and on the real world scenarios that they face.

It’s critical to run simple workshops and host some interviews and surveys with the pilot users, to get a sense of their goals and challenges, and their preferred learning styles and methods. Based on this information, you can develop a tailored training plan for each group, that matches their needs and expectations.

The training plan should always include real world scenarios and data, where the users could apply what they learned from the training to their daily tasks and projects.

Measure the impact, celebrate the success

The final thing to consider is the need to measure the impact and value of the tool, and to celebrate the success and achievements of your users.

This will help you to demonstrate the return on investment of the tool, to justify the scaling up of the deployment, and to motivate and reward your users for their efforts and progress.

But how do you measure the impact and value of Microsoft365 Copilot? Well, there are a few indicators that you can use. For example, you can measure the usage and engagement of the tool, by tracking how often users use it, and what features and functionalities they use the most through the Microsoft Admin Portal, or Viva Insights.

You can also measure the satisfaction and feedback of the tool, by asking your users to rate and review it, and to share their opinions and suggestions, and you can also measure the learning and performance outcomes of the tool, by assessing how much your users have improved their knowledge and skills of Microsoft365, and how much they have increased their productivity and collaboration.

Microsoft365 Copilot is an exciting & powerful tool that can help users get the most out of Microsoft365 and enhance their work experience, but to ensure successful adoption, it’s important to start with a small pilot group to build the best foundation for growth of the platform.

If you need some help getting started, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. At IComm, we offer a Copilot Rapid Adoption solution that can help you plan, implement and evaluate your Microsoft365 Copilot deployment, and ensure that your users are engaged and satisfied with the tool.

So what are you waiting for? Contact us today and let us help you take off on your Microsoft365 Copilot journey.