Adopting AI and realizing business value

Adopting AI at work is an effective way to power a modern workplace, but it requires a well-defined strategy that delivers value without excessive costs. Organizations must manage expenses as they uphold responsible practices and implement new ways of working. 

Proving business value and return on investment (ROI) remains a top priority. In fact, Microsoft cross-industry roundtables with client executives revealed that 80% of customers are focused on innovation and transformation to maximize these outcomes. Companies are seeking adoption strategies that are anchored in implementing the principles of workforce change management and supporting employees in this new way of work. 

A key driver behind the push to adopt AI is the desire to achieve a better balance between personal and professional lives. A recent Forrester Total Economic Impact study highlights the powerful combination of flexibility and customizability that an AI assistant can provide at work. The study shows how these AI capabilities can translate into tangible business outcomes: 

• Top-line revenues increased by up to 4% 

• Total expenditures decreased by up to 0.7% 

• New-hire orientation times were reduced by up to 30%

By combining strategic insights with research-backed technologies, businesses can harness the power of AI to achieve measurable value. For example, the Forrester study shows that incorporating Microsoft Copilot can increase a company’s projected ROI from 112% to 457%. Additionally, AI can increase the projected net present value from $19 million to $77 million, adding substantial economic value. By simplifying how workers manage extensive data and tools, AI empowers businesses to unlock their full potential. Generative AI solutions like Microsoft Teams Premium and Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 can help teams create, connect, and collaborate more effectively. 

Innovating for success with AI

Navigating the complexities of AI adoption requires more than just technology—it demands expertise and strategic insights. Drawing inspiration from successful AI implementations can provide the guidance needed to fully leverage AI’s potential.

For example, organizations like Industrialized Construction Group (ICG), the University of South Florida (USF), and Insight Enterprises (Insight) are turning to AI to innovate within their respective industries. ICG is using Copilot for Microsoft 365 to reduce writing time for its staff by more than half. The company is streamlining the writing of emails, proposals, and meeting recaps, among other tasks. 

Meanwhile, USF is using Copilot as a powerful assistant for academic and administrative staff. The university is automating repetitive tasks and using Copilot’s integration with other Microsoft solutions, including Microsoft Teams, to enhance messaging, perform research, and organize information. Insight is boosting efficiency across its organization by using Copilot to facilitate content creation and respond to customer requests for proposals in half the time. These and other AI-adoption success stories are a testament to the importance of a sound strategy and professional guidance.  

These and other AI-adoption success stories are a testament to the importance of an adoption strategy that proactively identifies use cases by functional scenarios. Resources like the Copilot Success Kit and Scenario Library offer AI adoption process support, no matter where you are on your AI journey. 

Empowering your organization’s AI revolution

Today’s AI is a powerful force in business and is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Embrace the power of AI with confidence and revolutionize your business operations with a thoughtful, strategic transformation. 

Learn more: 

• Start your Copilot journey 

• Discover the comprehensive guide to adopting Copilot for Microsoft 365 

• Stay up to date on what’s next with AI and Copilot for Microsoft 365 

• Contact our experts to help you get started with Microsoft 365  

The post Building a productive AI-powered workplace appeared first on Microsoft in Business Blogs.

Business leaders are increasingly recognizing that training and education are essential for integrating AI into the workplace. In a recent survey, 82% of leaders report that their employees will need new skills to prepare for the growth of AI. Today, I’m excited to share some thoughts on the various ways business leaders can inspire their teams to harness the power of AI. 

Facilitate digital transformation by embracing the unknown

For businesses eager to explore the capabilities of generative AI, senior leaders can facilitate digital transformation by embracing the unknown. Pip Arthur, Chief Marketing Officer for Microsoft Asia, advises leaders to jump in and start learning. “Get curious and take the time to more deeply understand this technology and the innovations that are ongoing,” says Arthur. “My other advice would be to get uncomfortable because we have not experienced this before.” 

Incorporating generative AI requires a willingness to experiment and discover new ways to work. Leaders who accept the learning phase as an essential part of the process can inspire their teams to explore together. “Navigating this world of AI is really going to require adaptive leadership to help your teams do things that they’ve never done before in ways they’ve never done before,” says Stephanie Ferguson, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Global Demand Center. 

By encouraging experimentation and developing a working knowledge of generative AI, business leaders can help lay a foundation for governing organizational use. “One of the things I’m starting to see is to have a strategic AI team within the organization who puts in the governance rules,” says Chandra Stevens, Principal, Customer Experience Solutions Growth/Development, at Microsoft. 

Identify small steps to maximize AI-powered tools

As senior leaders consider expanding AI use in their organizations, focusing on data and small steps can help gain buy-in from employees. The most important step for any AI adoption journey is preparing a business’s data estate to maximize the value of AI-powered tools. 

In my discussion with Jose Luis Ortiz, Head of Sales for Microsoft US Retail and Consumer Goods, Ortiz emphasizes the importance of preparation. “[Businesses need] to build the right infrastructure, they need to be in the cloud, and they need massive amounts of computer storage and inferencing power so that they can really make generative AI work,” says Ortiz.  

After the organization’s data estate is in order, leaders can focus on specific use cases where generative AI can improve operational efficiency and productivity. “Typically, when they’re in that early phase, [they should] think about two to three use cases and use some off-the-shelf tooling that can help expedite [them],” says Stevens. 

Exercise the AI muscle daily 

Business leaders can also accelerate their organization’s journey by encouraging and demonstrating daily AI use. Using Copilot for Microsoft 365, employees can harness the power of generative AI as they work with tools like Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint. “[Consider how] you infuse generative AI into the tools that you work with every day so that you can [work faster in Microsoft] Excel and [Microsoft] PowerPoint, respond to emails, summarize, and draft things,” says Ortiz.  

For marketing and sales teams, applications such as content and image creation save considerable time. In my discussion with Stevens, she recommends approaching each task wondering how AI can make it more efficient. “When I do my brief, how do I start generating my brief with AI?” says Stevens. “What is the imagery that should go into my content?” 

Marketing industry experts emphasize the importance of encouraging teams to use AI daily. “Leaders, please ask your teams how they’re using generative AI every day,” says Jennifer Kattula, General Manager of Marketing at Microsoft Advertising. “Building that muscle as a team is absolutely critical.”

Harness the power of AI 

Generative AI–powered tools are reshaping how marketing and sales teams gain better customer insights while increasing productivity. Senior business leaders and executives can accelerate their organization’s AI journeys by embracing the unknown, taking small steps, and encouraging daily AI use. 

For more insights into how generative AI is boosting productivity and efficiency in marketing, check out my current podcast series, “Navigating Marketing & AI,” on LinkedIn or YouTube.

The post Accelerate generative AI adoption through leadership appeared first on Microsoft in Business Blogs.

Embracing cloud-based technology and a connected data estate is helping organizations harness AI-powered insights and drive innovative solutions to transform energy production and distribution. Microsoft and its technology partners are excited to illuminate new opportunities to optimize operations for the future of energy. 

Migrating to the cloud for simpler data management

Energy production requires a vast but secure digital infrastructure to sustain operations, but these complex IT environments can limit efforts to develop a holistic view of productivity and efficiency. A flexible and secure cloud-based environment can consolidate organizational data and lay the foundation for AI-powered innovation. 

Migrating to cloud-based solutions like Microsoft Azure helps energy organizations to unify disparate software products and data sources, boost cybersecurity, and create a scalable digital infrastructure for future needs. Organizational data stays secure and private, while decision-makers use AI-powered analysis and insights with a product like Azure Data Manager for Energy. 

Microsoft and its partners are experienced with the nuances of cloud migration in the energy industry, which lays the foundation for deploying AI-powered tools. For example, Peloton, a Microsoft partner and provider of energy software solutions, demonstrates how a unified IT ecosystem helps operators view and manage vital operational data to maximize output. 

Identifying process improvements to drive profitability

Migrating to a cloud-based architecture can help energy organizations drive new growth and improve profitability in their core businesses. Capabilities such as hyperscale cloud, AI, and the Internet of Things empower employees to operate safely and more efficiently with software solutions designed for how and where they work. 

Equipping frontline workers with AI-powered and mixed-reality technologies attracts employees eager to learn and innovate on the job. This facilitates better energy operations and maximizes profitability through improved processes and productivity. 

Microsoft and its partners are providing energy companies with access to modern cloud hyperscaling capabilities to facilitate better operations. SLB, a Microsoft partner and technology solutions company, is helping energy organizations find new growth opportunities with deeper insights-driven seismic imaging and processing. “SLB’s deep understanding of how domain workflows interact with the data, together with the hyperscaling capabilities of Microsoft to support scaling needs, we can deliver a game-changing seismic interpretation experience, allowing end users to access larger volumes faster than ever before,” says Annie Thompson of SLB. 

Check out this informative webinar on seismic workflows with SLB. 

Accelerating decarbonization with AI-powered monitoring

Even as energy demand increases, the industry is striving to reduce its own impact on the global climate. The energy sector accounts for 73.2% of global carbon emissions, but AI-driven insights and monitoring can help decrease carbon emissions through efficient operations, even while driving growth.²

Energy organizations have an unprecedented opportunity to apply advanced technology to improve operations without increasing emissions. Capabilities such as Azure analytics, AI, and machine learning create more accurate modeling that can improve condition monitoring and predictive maintenance. Building digital twins, which are digital re-creations of physical objects based on AI-powered data, can also help energy organizations to reduce emissions and expenditures by fine-tuning operations. 

In pursuit of a sustainable future, energy companies are using data and AI for improved asset management, aiming to transform and extend equipment lifetimes while meeting operational goals. To discover how Microsoft partner Baker Hughes, an energy technology company focused on emission reduction, is boosting the value in energy operations, click here. 

Innovating for a sustainable energy future

As the energy industry prepares for growing future needs, connecting data to apply AI-driven technology solutions can optimize existing assets. Fine-tuning operations, incorporating predictive maintenance, and building more accurate digital models are only a few of the ways Microsoft and its partners are helping the energy industry unlock actionable insights that accelerate innovation and growth.  

Learn more about innovative technology solutions for the energy industry by exploring our energy industry webinar series.

The post Transforming the energy industry with AI-powered solutions appeared first on Microsoft in Business Blogs.

FSI firms handle sensitive financial data and personal information, facing unique security and regulatory challenges. Business leaders must prepare for the future by empowering employees with AI in a responsible and secure manner that protects customer data. 

Empowering employee productivity with AI

The AI revolution is underway; the 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report shows that 75% of knowledge workers are already using AI. And the trend is accelerating—nearly half of those who adopted AI did so in the last six months. Employees who implement AI report time savings, improved focus, and enhanced creativity. Within one month, the top 5% of teams using Copilot for Microsoft 365 to summarize meetings saved eight hours—a full workday that they could dedicate to other tasks. 

But with unique security and regulatory needs, FSI organizations need to carefully consider how they implement AI. “Without the right guardrails, processes, and policies, unmanaged AI use can present inherent risks and challenges that cannot be overlooked, especially in an area like financial services, where regulatory compliance and corporate governance are paramount,” says Dan Nadir, Chief Product Officer of Theta Lake. 

Theta Lake, a Microsoft partner, is a compliance and security company that provides tools for organizations to boost employee productivity with AI securely. It actively monitors any content created, including Copilot creations, to help identify potential compliance risks across all content. With Theta Lake’s AI-powered financial services solutions, companies are detecting sensitive data more accurately and efficiently than doing it manually. 

Promoting retention with AI tools

While providing access to AI can pay dividends for employee productivity, it can also drive talent retention. Professionals aren’t motivated to stay at jobs if they are not satisfied with the tools they’re given or the pace of innovation. However, fast-moving technology can pose challenges for FSI companies that depend on stable, secure solutions.  

FSI business leaders need new technology to shrink the skills gap, retain talented staff, and enhance human connections. They also need an innovative mindset that thinks beyond simply optimizing processes or filling positions. 

Microsoft partner HSO, a business transformation consultant, offers its customers access to Microsoft Copilot Studio to enhance analytics and decision-making. Through its Copilot Studio proof-of-concept program, HSO uses a prescriptive data governance methodology to demonstrate safe, secure Copilot deployments. With HSO’s built-in guardrails, customers can use Copilot without worrying about creating their own security infrastructure. 

“Microsoft Copilot Studio offers unprecedented potential, but navigating security concerns is paramount. By partnering with HSO’s experts and following best practices, organizations can harness the full power of AI while safeguarding their data and ensuring regulatory compliance,” says Tom Berger, Vice President & Industry Director, Financial Services at HSO. 

Implementing responsible AI to unlock the future of work

The productivity, analytics, and employee experience benefits of AI are clear for FSI firms, but any change can meet resistance. FSI companies need a culture that’s conducive to change and confidence in the security of their AI deployment. 

EY, a professional services company, together with alliance partner Microsoft, helps FSI leaders implement AI for their use cases using Copilot. “EY is addressing people’s concerns by focusing on governance, risk, and compliance. In collaboration with Microsoft, we have developed a comprehensive framework for responsible AI, drawing on Microsoft’s extensive experience and know-how in advanced machine learning and automation,” says Rani Bhuva, EY Americas Financial Services Responsible AI Leader. “As rapid adoption takes place across more organizations, it is crucial to take time to make sure governance practices are in place – this framework will help set up our clients for success.” 

EY provides its customers with a framework for responsible AI using the Microsoft five-point blueprint and delivers rapid risk assessment for a secure AI deployment. In one example, a bank uses Copilot to convert unstructured call-center data into actionable insights. The bank uses AI to automate manual tasks, generate reports quickly, and enhance customer satisfaction—all while keeping customer data secure. 

Innovating in financial services and beyond

FSI companies that adopt AI must consider the security implications. But adopting solutions supported by built-in security and a network of trustworthy partners can help accelerate innovation while reducing risk. By balancing innovation with robust governance, FSI organizations can become AI leaders that harness its benefits while retaining customer trust. 

Along with partners like Theta Lake, HSO, and EY, Microsoft provides robust and secure AI capabilities at scale for FSI companies as well as in those in other industries. Learn more about the security and compliance features of Copilot for Microsoft 365. 

The post The future of financial services: AI and Microsoft Copilot appeared first on Microsoft in Business Blogs.

Generative AI, for example, has great potential to help system leaders address clinician burnout, improve personalized care, and reduce the cost of healthcare delivery. Effective, patient-centered healthcare is driven by data—and lots of it. Generative AI solutions can analyze enormous amounts of clinical and operational data, creating entirely new sets of actionable insights. These unique data sets can help hospital IT staff and their solutions partners implement effective data systems quickly and securely and develop applications to reduce manual processes, streamline recordkeeping, and improve communication to deliver personalized and affordable care.  

Helping clinicians thrive with timely AI

Working in healthcare is more demanding than ever due to factors such as labor shortages and rising patient demand. Clinician burnout is a growing issue, both for providers and for patients seeking access to quality care.  

The health system leadership that Microsoft has engaged with recently expressed deep concern about this issue, citing the negative impact of high labor costs and rapid turnover. One thing shared by stakeholders across the continuum of care is their desire to institute meaningful change. Healthcare providers are turning to the industry’s technology partners to explore AI-powered solutions that address clinician burnout while maintaining strong compliance and security standards to protect sensitive patient data. 

Generative AI analytics can reveal what tasks take the most amount of time. Equipped with this data, administrators can deploy the right resources and reduce the burden on clinicians, freeing them to focus on delivering better, more personalized care. For example, capturing additional patient information needed by a payer for a specific procedure can take extra time. Here, automation substantially expedites the process while supporting the accuracy, integrity, and security of the data being collected. 

In another example, healthcare technology company Medtronic used AI-powered automation to streamline repetitive tasks, like data quality checks, ultimately automating more than 240,000 hours of work using AI. From identifying critical areas of patient support to improving the efficiency and accuracy of recordkeeping and routine clinical tasks, generative AI can assess workforce needs and deliver the bandwidth and resources administrators need to effectively address clinician burnout.  

Empowering personalized care with AI 

Patients deserve to receive quality care that is tailored to their unique needs. Personalized care not only creates better health outcomes, but it also promotes stronger connections between clinicians and patients. Yet the complexity of hospital operations, disparate data sources, and staffing issues often makes such connections difficult. 

Legacy systems and processes present obstacles to providers and clinicians seeking to connect with patients more meaningfully. As a result, providers are turning to generative AI-supported solutions to improve patients’ understanding of their care and enhance the value of their feedback—both of which are to ensure that patients have the right support at the right time and with the right person. Generative AI can combine data from multiple systems and departments to create personalized patient journeys. And with enhanced collaboration and AI-powered automation, care teams can focus on improving patient outcomes.  

In Medtronic’s case, the company created a unified analytics solution that lets every employee see the same data and uses AI to generate insights and enrich analytics. This supports the company’s ability to deliver great service to customers and optimize its supply chain. 

Promoting operational excellence with AI

The complexity and scope of healthcare operations can lead administrators to feel disconnected from what is happening clinically and across the business. Although it might feel as though there will never be enough resources to gain the clarity that operational excellence demands, AI-generated analytics have the power to help health system leadership deliver better data and improved patient outcomes.  

Generative AI makes it possible to streamline critical processes, deliver better experiences internally, and empower clinicians to focus on patient care. Operational excellence is the key to delivering affordable healthcare, and with the right resources and technologies, healthcare providers can deliver the quality care that patients expect.  

Transforming healthcare and the future of patient care with generative AI 

Hospital administrators and clinicians understand the need for a robust digital ecosystem to deliver better operational and patient outcomes. Microsoft, the Microsoft Cloud, and its extensive network of technology partners offer unique, flexible, and advanced generative-AI solutions the healthcare industry needs to take full advantage of its data ecosystems. 

Read this Microsoft white paper to learn more about how to unlock the potential of generative AI. 

The post Generative AI helps clinicians focus on patient care appeared first on Microsoft in Business Blogs.

As we all begin to contemplate how we will use AI within our roles and organizations, there are a couple of roadblocks we need to address. In the current season of my podcast, Navigating Marketing & AI, I’ve been talking with marketing industry leaders about the new era of AI, and I’m excited to share their insights about responsible AI usage. A deliberate, thoughtful approach to implementing AI builds trust with employees and consumers alike. Understanding AI governance principles and creating standardized processes helps marketing teams harness the capabilities of AI while protecting consumer privacy. 

Understanding the principles of AI governance

Business leaders who understand how generative AI works can help their organizations develop effective safeguards for AI usage. As stewards of customer data, businesses, and marketing teams need to protect and use that data appropriately with AI-powered tools. “We need to set very clear guidelines for AI usage, and we need to emphasize transparency, privacy rights, and governance,” says Jose Luis Ortiz, Head of Sales and Industry, Microsoft US Retail and Consumer Goods.  

Preparing guidelines and rules that standardize AI requirements throughout an organization encourages employees to experiment with AI safely and securely. At Microsoft, this has taken the form of the Responsible AI Standard, which emphasizes transparency, fairness, reliability, privacy, and inclusiveness. Business leaders can lean on this proven framework to develop their own organizational governance, as our recommendations are based on our own engineering practices. 

“It’s important to think about responsible AI and how marketing teams are going to use these new technologies in a compliant, secure way that creates great customer experiences,” says Bill Hamilton, Vice President and Head of Marketing Technology and Worldwide Marketing Operations at Microsoft. 

Standardizing AI practices for privacy and compliance

For organizations that use AI-generated marketing assets and images in public venues, standardized AI guidelines are important to identify any proprietary or privacy concerns. “We are being very careful about the guardrails that we are putting around the content, assets, and imagery that will end up in the outside world,” says Jennifer Kattula, General Manager, Marketing, Microsoft Advertising. 

One practical way to implement AI standards is to create a responsible-AI team or governance group. As marketing teams experiment with and develop AI-powered tools, processes, or content, experienced AI users can help ensure that these innovations align with organizational policies regarding privacy and security.  

“We have a responsible-AI team that follows a documented set of practices that Microsoft has established across teams,” says Stephanie Ferguson, Corporate Vice President, Global Demand Center, at Microsoft. “We essentially get things responsible AI–certified in order to use them, and I love that.” 

Building trust into the customer experience with responsible AI 

Data privacy is among consumers’ top priorities and customers return to brands they trust. As businesses and retailers collect more insights into customer activity, they must protect that information to build brand loyalty. “Privacy in marketing is essential,” says Ferguson. “You have to handle customer information very carefully and really assure them that you’re trustworthy as a company.” A business-wide commitment to using AI responsibly can reassure customers that their data is secure and create a trustworthy relationship. 

Accelerating the journey to responsible AI usage

Building a responsible AI framework is the first step toward protecting valuable customer data as marketing teams and executives consider how to incorporate generative AI into their work. Marketing leaders who embrace standardized AI processes contribute to their organizations’ ability to build consumer trust and provide employees with important guardrails to explore the exciting possibilities AI has to offer. 

I hope this blog has helped you unpack the importance of AI governance and how it impacts marketing. Microsoft is committed to secure and responsible AI practices that support business transformations. To discover more about how we are experimenting with generative AI, I invite you to review the third season of my podcast.

The post Using generative AI to build customer trust appeared first on Microsoft in Business Blogs.

The Retail Cloud Alliance (RCA) offers resources to navigate today’s evolving retail environment. Created by Microsoft and industry media partner RETHINK Retail in collaboration with Microsoft Cloud AI Partners, RCA supports retailers in seamlessly adopting cloud technology and maximizing its capabilities across business operations. RCA provides educational content, resources, engaging discussions, and consultations to guide retailers on using new technology.

To dig deeper into this retail transformation, RETHINK Retail recently held in-depth discussions with its Top Retail Experts Community and Microsoft subject matter experts for a podcast series, which explores the four pillars of successful retail in the era of AI: unlocking data value, unifying personalization, connecting supply chains, and empowering store associates. 

Moving beyond data to actionable insights

Data has long been a driver in retail decision-making, but the synergy between AI and a solid data foundation can uncover new insights about customers. Transitioning from storing data in disparate locations to a unified, cloud-based architecture helps organizations to fully harness the unique capabilities of AI. New, AI-powered analytics about shopping patterns, marketing messaging, or inventory status are changing how retailers relate to customers. 

“With the launch of generative AI, a lot of retailers are learning things about their organizations they didn’t understand before,” says Shelley Bransten, Corporate Vice President, Global Industry Solutions, at Microsoft. “Once you start to open that up, you’re going to know more about what your customer is doing today and what recommendations you can offer to them in the future.” 

Retailers that embrace a cloud-first approach to data collection and storage can also boost security and privacy within the Microsoft ecosystem. Embracing a powerful data solution like Microsoft Power BI helps retailers process and store reliable data that AI technologies can build on.

To understand how a secure data foundation is the beginning of any AI journey, check out this podcast. Furthermore, discover how RCA partner Icertis is helping retailers use the wide organizational footprint of AI across data sources to uncover new insights.  

Thriving through personalized customer experiences

Building upon the insights provided by AI-powered tools in unified data sets is helping retailers thrive in an environment where personalization is not only desired but also anticipated. Bransten notes that over 70% of customers now expect a personalized shopping experience. 

More customers now begin their shopping experiences online, and AI is helping retailers merge information on customers’ in-person and online shopping patterns. Whether in a physical store or in the digital realm, every touchpoint between retailer and customer should be a personalized experience that stands out in the customer’s mind.  

“The next stage of retail development is about seamlessness across technology, and retailers need to invest in the right technology that will encourage a single source of truth for who your customer is,” says Liza Amlani, Principal and Founder of Retail Strategy Group.  

Explore the world of unified personalization and how it’s providing retailers with a competitive advantage in this podcast, and discover how RCA partner Cognizant empowers the use of personalization through new technologies by helping customers organize their data. Learn more here. 

Increasing supply chain agility with AI tools

Retailers have increasingly focused on the need for a nimble supply chain over the past four years. AI-powered tools and technology, such as radio-frequency identification tracking and Internet of Things, help retailers track inventory across sites in near real time. With this increased visibility into the flow of goods, retailers can also improve the accuracy of their forecasting for future needs, which impacts sales revenue. 

“For every 1% accuracy that retailers can improve in their inventory, that shows itself 10 times as much in their bottom line,” says Ricardo Belmar, Director Partner Marketing Advisor for Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods at Microsoft. “Having that accurate inventory count has become absolutely critical to ensure customers get what they want, when they want it.”  

Discover how advances in technology are giving retailers end-to-end transparency on their supply chains and inventory in this podcast. Supply chains and inventory technology are also frequent topics of RCA, where Microsoft partners such as Blue Yonder highlight how the cloud and AI come together to power modern retail supply chains. 

Facilitating meaningful customer engagement

A sales associate equipped with AI-powered insights about products and consumers at their fingertips can make all the difference in closing a sale while building customer trust and loyalty. Frontline workers are not looking for just another tool but for a comprehensive system that supports how they work. 

Offering frontline workers detailed, real-time data on products, customer shopping patterns, and inventory can boost employee satisfaction and productivity. Making such information quickly available, whether in a handheld device or on a screen, facilitates meaningful engagement between associates and customers. 

“The right tools empower associates to ask the right questions while they’re selling and while they’re building a relationship with a customer,” says Amlani. “That’s key to increasing footfall and driving more loyalty.” Learn how retailers are empowering store associates in this podcast. 

Embracing the future of retail 

From inventory to supply chain to the frontline sales associate, retail is benefitting from the customer insights provided by a secure, unified data foundation. Harnessing AI-powered analytics offers retailers exciting opportunities to stand out among the crowd with personalized service, an agile supply chain, and empowered employees. 

To learn more about how Microsoft is helping retailers embrace AI solutions, explore RETHINK Retail’s podcasts and the following resources: 

• Retail Cloud Alliance resources
• Copilot for Microsoft 365 
• Microsoft Cloud for Retail 
• What’s new and planned for Microsoft Cloud for Retail 
• Microsoft Cloud for Retail unlocks a new level of productivity with AI 

The post Harnessing the power of data and AI in retail appeared first on Microsoft in Business Blogs.

Investing in frontline workers is one of the most impactful decisions a retailer can make. Innovative solutions connect workers to company data and insights, which helps them work smarter and represent their brands more effectively. With an empowered workforce, retail businesses can increase employee and customer satisfaction in exciting new ways.  

Modernizing the frontline worker experience with AI technology 

Today, 41% of frontline workers in nonmanagement positions report that they don’t have the technology they need to perform their jobs effectively. AI-powered technology can help retail staff—from the most senior manager to the newest employee on the floor—work faster and meet customer expectations better. The AI capabilities of tools and apps, like Store Operations Assist from Microsoft, help workers find instant answers to questions from conversational chatbots and capture critical insights from retail data.  

Imagine the ability to turn every instance of customer engagement into an opportunity for next-level service. A simple request regarding product availability can be answered on the shop floor from a device that can also show the employee customer data. This data can help the staff member offer the customer additional services, such as connecting the customer with products they have previously shopped for online. In minutes, AI can answer employee questions and assist in providing customers with swift, personalized service.  

“A team that is fully engaged and really proud of what they do is likely to engage with customers at a very high level, and the customer feels it,” says Ron Thurston, co-founder of OSSY and Host of the Retail in America podcast. 

Boosting retail processes with improved communication and task automation 

In a recent study, 61% of retail workers report that messages from leadership don’t reach them, while 31% believe that their voices aren’t being heard when dealing with workplace issues. Retail companies that provide employees with a secure space to engage with leaders while ensuring their input is received are seeing reduced turnover rates and increased employee satisfaction.  

Retailer Marks and Spencer uses Microsoft Teams to seamlessly manage schedules and automate task assignments to specific stores, managers, or employees. This has improved its employee engagement and, in turn, customer satisfaction. It’s easy for the recipient of an assigned task to update their status within the app, while managing schedules and swapping shifts becomes a smoother process within the cloud.  

Knowing when they’re working, what tasks they need to accomplish, and how soon those tasks must be completed can help employees elevate efficiency and maintain a sense of purpose throughout the workday. This transparency also improves communications between shift workers and their managers or corporate leaders.  

Creating a smart workplace for retail teams

Connecting employees across a store through solutions like Microsoft Teams helps retail teams work smarter together. Retailers can streamline regional communications to help frontline workers focus on what’s most important while also distributing corporate communications to engage employees with strategic priorities. Microsoft Teams can even transform a smartphone into a walkie-talkie system, facilitating granular communication within each store and department.  

A cloud-based solution makes it easy to provide employees with clean, relevant data while supporting appropriate security protocols. With such a solution, retail teams will have the correct foundation to help them maintain compliance, keep up with corporate communications, and meet customer expectations.  

Helping frontline workers serve customers better with new tools 

Frontline workers represent their brands to every customer, and they can do this more effectively when they are proud of that brand and the work they get to do each day. Giving frontline workers secure access to customer data, AI assistance, and instant internal communication can empower them to enjoy work more and serve customers better, improving the retail experience for everyone involved.  

To learn more about how AI can transform the frontline worker experience, check out Microsoft Copilot. For more information on how Microsoft is empowering retail teams, explore Microsoft Cloud for Retail. 

The post Empowering frontline retail workers with AI tools appeared first on Microsoft in Business Blogs.

The energy industry is experiencing significant change. As companies strive to boost production, embrace more sustainable practices, and prepare to power the AI-driven future of technology globally, there’s increasing demand for new digital tools. This shift isn’t just creating new career possibilities but is also sparking a profound transformation in existing roles across the industry. Frontline energy workers need to learn new skills and use emerging tools to meet the sector’s evolving requirements.

Technology is empowering frontline teams to be more productive and resilient, drive better business outcomes, and streamline costs. It also promotes knowledge sharing across roles, which is critical as an aging workforce and low retention rates among young people contribute to a growing skills gap.

Innovation is essential to the safety, efficiency, and productivity of frontline workers. By embracing digitalization, automation, and AI, industry leaders can instill confidence in the field and propel the energy sector toward a more sustainable and efficient future.

Enhancing productivity with transformative digital tools

Adapting to the changing energy landscape requires frontline workers to adjust to evolving job requirements, such as remote or hybrid work and learning new skills. That’s where powerful digital tools can help energy companies stimulate their workforces and increase output.

Tools that are outdated, complex, or incompatible with modern innovations stifle productivity. New, more efficient tools need to integrate seamlessly so that employees are motivated to learn them. With Microsoft solutions, implementing technologies like AI doesn’t have to be disruptive. The right tools enhance existing workflows to increase productivity and improve communication and collaboration between frontline workers and managers.

Energy companies are successfully integrating Microsoft technology with their existing infrastructure. Ontario Power Generation (OPG) worked with Microsoft to implement Microsoft 365 and create an AI-powered bot called ChatOPG. Frontline workers use natural language to communicate with the bot, which answers questions, creates troubleshooting guides, and acts as a personal assistant. By embracing AI, the company is saving time for its workers and improving their experience, which helps attract and retain talent.

Closing skills gaps through field training with digital tools

Adopting new technology is only a part of the solution. In our Work Trend Index survey, 60% of frontline energy workers reported that they anticipated increasing stress in the coming year. Meanwhile, 31% of workers didn’t feel that they were equipped with the right digital tools to do their jobs efficiently.

Business leaders can transform their organizations by embracing digital tools that improve the field experience for employees. With technology that promotes real-time training, frontline technicians can learn in the same environments where they’ll work. They get practical knowledge that promotes both retention and safe conditions in the field.

Companies can deliver the flexibility their frontline workers need by training them right in the field using Microsoft technology. When Clean Energy needed to train its employees remotely during COVID-19, it used Dynamics 365 Remote Assist to prepare technicians for work in the field. Using digital solutions, the company not only fostered employee retention but also improved resiliency and reduced training costs by 15%.

Automating work to save time with AI

According to research from McKinsey & Company, global electricity demand is projected to rise by between 100% and 180% by 2050. Energy companies must empower frontline workers with the tools they need to work quickly and safely.

By incorporating AI, companies can accelerate production and sustainability goals while reducing operational costs. Energy company Evergy is using the AI capabilities in Microsoft Power Platform to automate key tasks and save time. The company developed one AI-powered solution to automatically extract data from PDF receipts, making inventory tracking easier to review. With this system, Evergy is saving more than 5,600 manual hours per year.

Frontline workers can also request new automations that a team of internal developers build. By using Microsoft Power Automate, Evergy can deploy new automations in just one day. And the company is planning further improvements with AI using Microsoft Copilot.

Building the future of energy on the front lines

Energy companies can make frontline employees more productive, better connected, and safer in the field with innovative technology. By automating tasks, streamlining collaboration, and facilitating field training, business leaders can give frontline workers the tools and expertise they need to meet the industry’s growing demand and evolving needs.

Learn more by reading our e-book Elevate Experiences for Frontline Workers.

Engage with your Microsoft representative and discover more Microsoft Sustainable Energy Solutions.

The post Powering productivity and skill for frontline energy workers appeared first on Microsoft in Business Blogs.

At Microsoft, we understand the promises and challenges of AI, as we’ve been developing, deploying, and evaluating AI capabilities for years. Building a framework for responsible and secure AI is a top priority so that we can help others harness AI within a safeguarded system.

For businesses wondering where to begin their AI journeys, we recommend evaluating real-life success stories, which offer practical insights into how AI is transforming work now and for the future. Developing a deeper understanding of the technology and how early adopters are using it within a responsibility framework informs better decision-making as business leaders consider how AI can drive growth and innovation.

Beginning the transformation with responsible AI

When incorporating any new technology into the workplace, new legal and regulatory concerns might arise. Not that long ago, businesses were transitioning to the digital age, suddenly needing a company website and managing the opportunities and challenges of modern marketing mediums. As business leaders, we understand the importance of adapting to change as well as taking innovative action to stay ahead of the curve. AI provides another opportunity to spur growth in your organization, and it’s not as difficult to integrate as you might think.

Having an AI governance framework can help businesses deploy AI in a thoughtful and compliant manner. Throughout our own journey, Microsoft has developed responsible AI practices because we’re committed to using AI in ways that are safe, fair, transparent, and accountable. Our recommendations are grounded in policy requirements that our own engineering teams use. The standards generally follow a four-step pattern, asking teams to identify, measure, and mitigate potential harms and plan how to operate the AI system. Business leaders can lean on this proven framework to develop their own organizational governance.

Preparing guidelines and rules that will standardize AI requirements throughout the business can reassure senior decision-makers that their company can use AI safely and securely. Businesses can also encourage employee training on AI best practices, and leaders should understand how AI-powered tools work within their organizations. With a strong foundation based on these actions, you can embrace all that AI has to offer.

Evaluating AI use cases to identify next steps

Once a business leader understands the principles behind AI governance, the next step is considering how to best use the technology in their organization. Evaluating real-life use cases is a powerful way to learn how the technology works and explore its practical benefits.

For example, a customer service chatbot for initial engagement with customers might be the right place to begin. Or maybe your starting point is using AI to automate manual internal tasks so that employees have more time to focus on more meaningful work. Copilot for Microsoft 365, a generative AI assistant, works across apps to find information, generate meeting summaries, and help employees draft proposals and emails with the ease of a prompt.

For an organization with vast amounts of data, building a custom-use application within an AI platform might provide the greatest impact. CarMax created technologies that use machine learning to provide the best images, reviews, and details for each car and share targeted content based on customer searches.

No matter the size or goals of your organization, the steps you can take for transformation are simple. First, identify how you want to use AI, whether with a custom application or a commercially available product, and in parallel, develop your organization’s responsible AI framework around that specific use case.

Deploying AI and inspiring workplace innovation

With an AI plan in place, your organization is ready to begin the practical steps of using AI. Businesses should consider potential risk mitigations for each use case they plan to deploy. One example of this is using meta prompts to be certain that no copyrighted material is returned in generative AI-powered searches.

Businesses that inspire a culture of AI exploration are most likely to reap the full benefits of their investment, with employees finding new ways to use the technology to maximize efficiency and productivity. Offering education and training on AI-powered tools and best practices teaches employees the basics of AI governance and prepares them for secure innovation. Microsoft provides webinars and training materials on AI tools to engage employees and demonstrate the power of this technology.

As the use of AI evolves within an organization, the governance framework helps leaders and decision-makers track how AI is being used. They can then evaluate and update the framework as needed, like adding in process updates or creating new areas of responsibility.

Unlocking AI to drive growth and innovation

Understanding AI governance and how the technology works is helping business leaders and decision-makers worldwide unlock the potential of AI. These practical experiences can help other businesses evaluate their own unique requirements and use AI to move their organizations forward.

For all aspects of your own AI journey, Microsoft is here with its hands-on expertise in developing and deploying the AI-powered tools that are transforming the workplace. The following resources can help you learn more:

• Two lawyers share four places retailers and brands can use GenAI responsibly
• Leading in the era of AI: Driving value and building trust
• Overview of responsible AI practices for Azure OpenAI models
• Helping financial services meet AI compliance needs

The post Unpacking AI governance to shape digital transformation appeared first on Microsoft in Business Blogs.

Today’s marketing and sales teams are competing for customers who increasingly expect a personalized experience. Harnessing the power of generative AI presents new opportunities to authentically connect with potential and existing customers.  

Understanding how AI is changing consumer behavior 

AI-powered search engines are already shaping online shopping experiences. Understanding how AI is changing consumer behavior can help businesses create content that stands out and rises to the top of search results. During a recent conversation I had with Alisha Lyndon, founder and CEO of consulting firm Momentum ITSMA, we discussed how AI is speeding up the decision-making process.  

“We’re seeing a race to identify suppliers early in the buying process,” says Lyndon. “Our data shows that 71% of organizations that win a project are identified at the outset of the buying process.”  

With this faster pace, businesses need to produce ad content that connects with potential decision-makers and turns them into customers. Fortunately, this customization is easier when consumers themselves spend more time with generative AI–powered search capabilities. “With Bing Chat, now Microsoft Copilot, we started to see a change in consumer behavior,” says Jennifer Kattula, General Manager of Marketing at Microsoft Advertising. “Search queries got longer and more conversational, giving us more information to provide the right answer for that consumer.” 

Supporting sales by elevating customer engagement

All this input from generative AI–powered tools helps marketers elevate a customer-focused viewpoint and inspires a more accurate understanding of customer needs. These same tools can then help marketing teams prioritize the most relevant and effective messaging for various groups. “Using AI to be curious and develop a genuine understanding of how a business is winning and growing accounts will help marketers be more customer centric,” says Lyndon. 

Generative AI–powered tools are also helping sellers better prepare for customer engagements and optimize their strategies. Among early users of Copilot for Sales, 64% of sales staff reported that Copilot helped them personalize their approach to individual customers. The everyday AI assistant can assemble insights into purchasing patterns and suggest effective messaging for potential customers based on past sales successes. 

“On the sales side, we can use our customer engagement information, apply generative AI–powered tools to it, and send our sellers a rich set of information about specific customers,” says Bill Hamilton, Vice President and Head of Marketing Technology and Worldwide Marketing Operations at Microsoft. “It’s been transformational in how we connect marketing and sales to make our sales staff more effective.” 

Streamlining content creation to increase sales efficiency

As the demand for personalized messaging increases, so can the workload for marketing and sales teams. In fact, 89% of marketers report that they struggle to find time to do their work and are looking for opportunities to increase efficiency in crafting customized messaging at scale.  

Among early users of Copilot for Microsoft 365, 68% reported that Copilot helped them jump-start the creative process. Imagine a marketing team working on an ad campaign. Using Microsoft Word, the team can enter keywords, phrases, statistics, and customer insights. Within moments, Copilot pulls together an initial draft based on the marketers’ input, potentially saving hours of time.  

“We’re experimenting with generative AI for web page content, blog content, email content, and social content, and we’ve found that it will generate a draft that’s about 70% to 80% ready,” says Hamilton. “The marketer can refine it much more rapidly than they would have been able to in the past.” 

Exploring AI-powered marketing to drive customer acquisition

As more consumers seek authentic and personalized customer experiences, organizations that embrace generative AI–powered solutions give their marketing and sales teams a competitive advantage. Experimentation is a central part of every business’s AI journey, so empower your teams to jump-start the creative process and work more effectively with generative AI–powered tools. 

At Microsoft, we are committed to reimagining work for the era of AI with secure, responsible AI tools. Learn more about how your business can accelerate its AI journey with practical advice and tips in my podcast. 

The post Attracting new customers with generative AI–powered tools appeared first on Microsoft in Business Blogs.

Marketing teams that are using generative AI to shape customer outreach are finding a competitive advantage. For every dollar that a company invests in AI, there is an average return of $3.50, according to an IDC survey of business leaders worldwide. Now is the time to discover how generative AI can move your company forward with deeper customer insights.

Unlocking enhanced customer engagement with AI

Generative AI offers the opportunity to create new experiences, gain better insights, and facilitate more productivity for marketers and sellers. Understanding customers’ needs helps marketing teams appeal to specific audiences. Most organizations are already using AI-powered tools to gather real-time customer and marketing insights from across their data estate to shape marketing and sales strategies.

In my discussion with Bill Hamilton, Vice President and Head of Marketing Technology and Worldwide Marketing Operations at Microsoft, he emphasized the significance of leveraging AI models to glean insights and enhance customer experiences. Through centralized data and AI-driven strategies, organizations can craft highly personalized marketing initiatives that deeply resonate with their target audience, driving long-term engagement and loyalty.

Ultimately, consolidated data makes it easier for teams to gather exciting new customer insights. “There is tremendous power in being able to tap into the first-party data that you have and apply these generative AI models to do new things,” says Hamilton.

Personalizing marketing strategies with better customer insights

Generative AI helps marketing teams take data analysis to the next level by providing more specific views of target audiences. Marketers can move closer to a personalized experience for individual customers by using generative AI to test how well specific words, phrases, or ads appeal to defined customer sets.

“As marketers, we know that our consumers care a lot about the brands and the companies that they engage with,” says Jennifer Kattula, General Manager, Marketing, Microsoft Advertising. “If you can get even more nuanced in your communications and do it quickly, it’s so powerful.”

Advertising departments are also learning how to optimize the tone of voice for ad or marketing copy with generative AI. Experimenting with prompt engineering—including different adjectives in a prompt to generate refined results—helps marketers personalize messaging without extensive customer research.

Fostering a culture of curiosity to scale AI

Incorporating any new technology into the workplace introduces a learning curve for employees. Fifty-two percent of surveyed business leaders worldwide report that a lack of skilled workers is their biggest barrier to implementing and scaling AI, according to an IDC survey.

Early users of generative AI-powered tools have designated “champions” in their organizations to spur change, an approach I discussed with several marketing leaders. As enthusiastic champions experiment with AI, they can demonstrate practical solutions that improve employees’ daily lives. “At the end of the day, we all know it’s not just about the technology,” says Fiona Carney, Chief Marketing Officer for Microsoft Europe, Middle East, and Africa Regions. “It’s about the organizational behaviors and culture required to best use the technology.”

Inspiring a work culture that promotes experimentation often leads to businesses discovering firsthand how generative AI works best for them. “Generative AI is so new; we don’t know all the ways it will be most effective,” says Hamilton. “We want people trying things and running experiments to learn.” Experimenting with generative AI prompts new innovations that can turn organizations into industry leaders.

Enhancing the customer experience with generative AI

Based on my discussions with these industry leaders, I believe that generative AI-powered tools can offer a magical combination for marketing teams: creating a better customer experience with deeper insights and producing more effective campaigns. Organizations that foster a culture of curiosity and experimentation are likely to benefit most from their AI investments as they empower employees to revolutionize how they approach customer and market insights.

I invite you to join our Microsoft teams as we explore how secure, responsible AI tools like Microsoft Copilot are reshaping work for the modern era. Discover real-life use cases and practical advice for the era of AI in my podcast.

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