Most organisations already use small elements of AI (spam filtering, search suggestions, smart replies, basic automation). The step change happens when you move from “helpful features” to AI that improves how work actually runs.

A practical way to start is:

• Begin where your team already works
  • For many businesses, Microsoft 365 Copilot is a good starting point because it sits inside Outlook, Teams, Word and Excel.
  • It’s low-friction: people can get value quickly without learning a brand new platform.
• Treat Copilot as the pilot, not the finish line
  • Copilot helps individuals work faster (drafting, summarising, organising).
  • The bigger operational difference comes when AI is used across processes, not just personal productivity.
• Choose one outcome to prove value - Pick one measurable goal:
  • Reduce admin time spent on repeat tasks
  • Speed up internal or customer responses
  • Improve consistency and reduce mistakes
  • Make information easier to find and reuse
• Pick one workflow that repeats - AI and automation work best where the steps are predictable:
  • Ticket handling and triage
  • Onboarding/offboarding tasks
  • Quoting and order processing
  • Project setup and handovers
  • Reporting and weekly updates
• Connect the data if you want “bigger differences” - This is where AI moves from “nice” to “transformational”:
  • Integrate systems so AI can reference the right information
  • Standardise key fields and ownership
  • Ensure permissions are correct (who should see what)
• Pilot first, then scale safely - A good pilot is:
  • One team, one workflow, one KPI
  • Short feedback loop and iterative improvements
  • Clear guardrails around data and quality

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