Role-based Copilot: How does it help Finance, Sales & Service teams?

Becoming “AI-first” is no longer a futuristic ambition. Most of our customers are somewhere on their journey to the frontier (more on this later), but many companies are still unclear on the path ahead. Knowing this, Microsoft has introduced role-based Copilot to help bring AI into the everyday, starting with Finance, Sales, and Customer Service.

More than half of companies (51%) have already deployed AI agents and another 35% plan to deploy within the next two years, according to a survey of 1,000 IT and business executives in the US, UK, Australia, and Japan.

Clearly, businesses across the globe are looking for ways to incorporate AI into their day-to-day activities. Generative AI, like these role-based Copilots, has become more meaningful than ever.

But what does ‘role-based Copilot’ mean in reality? What does it help you with in the day-to-day and in the bigger picture?

To help wrap your head around it, I’ve broken things down here to look at:

1. The foundations of becoming ‘AI-first’ (and ‘Frontier’)
2. What new Microsoft 365 Copilot role-based functions do
3. Why this is an actionable step forward
4. How to start using role-based Copilots

An AI-first organisation doesn’t just use AI. It designs its strategy, operations and culture around it. It’s a shift from using AI as a tool to embedding it as a core capability across the business.

The following four avenues lay down a good foundation to start the journey to embark on becoming an AI-first organisation:

AI is embedded into the DNA of business strategy, from customer engagement to financial forecasting, which translates into:

AI-first organisations redesign workflows to amplify productivity:

Being AI-first requires a shift in mindset:

This cultural transformation is incredibly important, but is often overlooked and leads to unrealised potential.

AI-first organisations build for scale and sustainability:

Each of these initiatives forms part of the journey towards becoming what’s known as a ‘Frontier Firm’. In other words, moving beyond experimenting with AI towards rebuilding around it.

Role-based Copilots (part of Microsoft 365 Copilot) are designed to deliver context-aware intelligence tailored to specific job functions. For example, for sales, finance, customer service, or operations.

Unlike generic AI, these role-based copilots understand the specific workflows, data sources and decision-making patterns of each role and integrate seamlessly with the tools and systems (like Outlook, Teams, Excel and Dynamics 365) used on daily basis.

Let’s explore how Copilots are transforming the way teams work in Finance, Sales and Customer Service.

Copilot for Finance transforms financial operations by automating routine tasks, surfacing insights and enabling strategic decision-making all within Excel, Outlook and Teams.

The key features of Copilot for Finance are:

Finance teams benefit from reduced manual effort, faster reporting cycles and improved forecasting accuracy, enabling a shift from transactional to strategic finance.

On the other hand, Copilot for Sales is designed to boost seller productivity, personalise customer engagements and enhance CRM workflows by integrating AI into tools like Outlook, Teams and Word.

Key features include:

Sales teams report saving up to 90 minutes per week, with improved forecasting accuracy and faster deal closures.

Copilot for Service is a role-based AI agent that enhances customer service by integrating with CRM and contact centre platforms like Salesforce, ServiceNow and Dynamics 365 Customer Service.

Key features of Copilot for Service include:

Organisations using Copilot for Service report faster onboarding, reduced case resolution time and higher customer satisfaction scores.

Along with the Microsoft 365 Copilots highlighted above, Microsoft is making agentic AI capabilities available in other applications too, like Power Platform and Dynamics 365.

These Copilots aim to help customers achieve their frontier firm vision by bringing the power of AI right into their ERP, CRM and other core business systems, rather than being something separate.

Currently, Gen AI finds itself as an inflection point. We’re moving beyond employee experimentation with AI, to applying it in a strategic way for organisational transformation.

Research firm McKinsey found that 91% of individuals report using AI for work, but only 13% of companies have successfully implemented multiple AI use cases.

This means that technology partners like Telefónica Tech have the task of turning AI into a reality for organisations, moving them towards that Frontier mentality.

The new role-based Copilots address specific needs, starting with Finance, Sales and Service.

• When we know 71% of customers want to spend less time dealing with customer service altogether, Copilot for Service can speed up resolution and increase customer satisfaction.
• When 62% of finance professionals professionals are struggling with data entry and review, Copilot for Finance automates routine reconciliation and produces reports.
• With 56% of sales teams challenged to align strategies with evolving customer needs, Copilot for Sales is generating briefs and suggesting personalisatons.

Getting up and running with these role-based Copilots is something Telefónica Tech is helping customers with across the UK. We recently ran a webinar about the Finance, Sales and Service roles, and can offer exclusive partner funding to help accelerate your Copilot adoption (of Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Studio AI agents, and beyond).

Our strategic advisory starts with readiness planning, to help you identify high-impact roles where Copilot can deliver immediate value.

So, are you ready to unlock the full potential of Copilot? Learn more in our on-demand webinar, Scaling Microsoft 365 Copilot for Finance, Sales & Service.

Watch on-demand webinar