At Microsoft, we embrace the role of customer zero. We believe we should be the first to adopt and prove the transformative power of AI through tangible, meaningful results. With our own AI journey guiding us, we can share insights and benefits to support our customers.
As COO of Microsoft Americas, I have seen firsthand how generative AI is revolutionizing sales. My sales enablement and operations team leverages AI to empower sellers, identify market opportunities, optimize processes, and more. With this technology at the core of our own sales efforts, Microsoft sellers are engaging customers more strategically and accelerating business outcomes.
Empowering sellers with AI
AI offers sellers a competitive advantage. In sales, building personal relationships with customers is key to understanding their needs and identifying opportunities to deliver value. However, repetitive tasks consume a significant amount of time. In fact, our research shows that 70% of sellers’ time is spent on administrative and non-selling duties.
Generative AI removes some of this administrative burden and empowers sellers with new data-driven insights. With a simple prompt, Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales can summarize past communications, highlight potential areas of concern for the customer, and assist the seller with crafting personalized messaging.
Gathering information across multiple data sources typically takes hours. With Copilot for Sales, information is not only right at the seller’s fingertips, but it’s also summarized and broken down into key, actionable insights. This data helps sellers go into meetings feeling more confident and approach companies with customized solutions that support their specific business goals.
For example, Intralox, a global leader in conveyance solution technologies, is streamlining its selling processes and empowering sales teams with insights that elevate the customer experience. By using Copilot’s AI-powered communication tools and embedded access to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service, sellers can now focus on the most critical accounts and opportunities. “Copilot [for Sales] enhances customer relationships and increases customer value by streamlining communication and making interactions more intuitive and meaningful,” says Andrew Koehler, Commercial Systems and Operations Manager at Intralox.
At Microsoft, we are harnessing Copilot in our daily workflows to prioritize tasks, gather customer data to inform our approach, and prepare for meetings.
Reimagining business processes with AI
One of the most exciting shifts we’re seeing is how sales teams use generative AI to work more efficiently and effectively. Sellers—like many workers—move between multiple applications throughout the day, from communication products like Microsoft Teams to customer relationship management (CRM) apps such as Dynamics 365. Copilot works across applications, helping sellers remain in the flow of their work by providing access to CRM data and customer insights from the communication tools they use the most.
The impact is significant. In one business group, sellers using Copilot generate 9.4% more revenue per seller and achieve 20% higher close rates. Sales opportunities are also up 5%. Imagine these numbers in a multibillion-dollar business with thousands of sellers!
AI-driven assistants like Sales Chat and Sales Agent complement Copilot for sales tasks. Our sellers interact with Sales Chat using natural language to compile data, answer questions, and help generate customer analytics within minutes. Sales Agent takes actions and automates repetitive workflows, completing administrative functions that previously fell to our sales teams.
Mike DeSilver, Vice President of Customer Success, at Microsoft Americas, explains how our teams are using Copilot and agents to automate tasks and uncover new insights in this video.
Unlocking the full potential of AI
AI adoption is accelerating. In fact, 24% of leaders report that their companies have already deployed AI. However, to fully realize the return on investment, dedicated training and skilling is key.
AI requires a different skill set. With our sellers, we use tools such as learning paths, contests, team champs, and more to help them build the skills that are key to driving successful adoption. We make it a priority to promote a culture of curiosity and experimentation that helps employees with mastering AI basics, building habits, and uncovering practical, role-based applications.
These efforts are working. Every week, I monitor utilization rates across the Americas with the Microsoft Copilot Dashboard. As AI adoption has grown, so have the benefits. On one team, sellers are averaging four hours per week in time savings. What could you do with another four hours in your week? Now imagine this time savings across your entire company.
If you’re at the beginning of this journey, you don’t need to start from scratch. Take advantage of the templates for adoption and training that we use ourselves to skill sellers.
Bending the innovation curve with AI
Embracing an AI-first strategy is about more than adopting cutting-edge technology. It’s about empowering our sales teams to find new ways to connect with customers and deliver value. It’s about rediscovering the joy of meaningful work, capitalizing on business opportunities, and driving growth.
We are here to help you explore the possibilities, define your strategy, and take the first step toward innovating for an AI-first future. To learn more about AI transformation in sales and how your organization can get started, please consider the following resources:
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