A year and half after Microsoft launched Copilot for its commercial customers, businesses are just beginning to leverage the AI companion and other AI-powered solutions to complete everyday tasks, streamline operations and improve efficiency.
While Microsoft reports nearly 70% of Fortune 500 companies now use Microsoft 365 Copilot, only a small percentage of CIOs said their companies were seeing increased efficiencies. The reason? Employees are still discovering best practices in the workplace for AI assistants. Another hurdle has been the price point. Copilot initially cost companies $360 per user (paid upfront), an expensive proposition for employees who used the program infrequently or inefficiently.
Today, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) stand to gain significant value by strategically adopting AI in ways that make sense for their company. Those willing to invest time and effort into learning AI tools will be poised to have a competitive advantage over late adopters.
Where to start?
AI assistants like Copilot represent a good starting point for learning about AI-powered tools that can provide practical, time-saving solutions to your everyday workflow. Copilot offers features that make managing day-to-day tasks easier, such as summarizing emails, creating structured interview rubrics, writing announcements or drafting responses to everyday and difficult questions. Microsoft is also addressing the cost barrier. In January, the company announced a Copilot tier with a consumption-based pricing model, so companies only pay when employees use it.
What’s next?
If you’re interested in exploring what AI can do for your business, try these steps:
- Pilot the programs. Experiment with different AI solutions first without committing to large-scale deployments.
- Start small. Identify areas where AI can deliver immediate benefits, such as summarizing your interview notes into an article or transforming your meeting minutes into a list of actionable items.
- Learn how to prompt. Your results using AI are only as good as your prompt. Effective prompts provide clear instructions and the appropriate context to help the tool understand the request and provide optimal outcomes.
- Explore multiple platforms. More and more, AI is becoming embedded in different software and solutions, offering a wider range of tools and functionality. From Adobe to Canva, these tools simplify tasks such as designing marketing materials with consistent branding, generating detailed reports from raw data, and cleaning up writing to make it clearer, more engaging and on-brand.
- Encourage experimentation. Let key employees experiment with AI to discover new uses and share with the team any time-saving efficiencies they discover.
As more companies adopt AI, its capabilities will continue to evolve. Businesses that embrace AI now will gain a significant competitive advantage by staying ahead of the curve. With tools like Microsoft Copilot, even small teams can harness the power of AI to achieve big results.
Ready to start your AI journey? At ATB Technologies, we specialize in helping SMBs navigate new and changing technologies that support their business goals. Whether you’re looking to implement Microsoft Copilot or explore other AI-powered solutions, our team is here to guide you every step of the way.👉 Schedule a free consultation today at atb-tech.com/contact-us to learn how AI can transform your business.