Harnessing generative AI to save time on manual tasks, boost productivity and foster innovation
By taking part in the early access program for Copilot for Microsoft 365, Lenovo is empowering hundreds of knowledge workers across the business to spend less time on repetitive administrative tasks and more time on creativity, problem-solving and innovation.
Challenge: Fighting Against Information Overload
Knowledge workers have never been better connected to their colleagues. But while digital collaboration enables teams that span the entire world, it has also unleashed a torrent of structured and unstructured data. Many teams expend signficant time and effort trying to stay on top of an endless flow of emails, video meetings and documents.
At Lenovo, we understand the challenges of driving an always-on global business. Our follow-the-sun operations span 180 countries—and we want to empower every one of our 59,000 knowledge workers to collaborate seamlessly with peers all around the world.
That’s why Lenovo is deploying Copilot for Microsoft 365, a cutting-edge generative AI (GenAI) solution from Microsoft. By leveraging GenAI to break through administrative complexity, we’re making it easier for employees across Lenovo to avoid information overload, collaborate globally, and thrive in their roles.
$1.3 trillion market for generative AI by 2032
Early adopters can increase competitive advantage
65% of Lenovo users reported a productivity improvement with Copilot for Microsoft 365
Seizing the Opportunities of GenAI
Like Lenovo, Microsoft is taking a leading role in the development of GenAI solutions. With Copilot for Microsoft 365, Microsoft aims to address several key challenges facing modern workforces.
Yi Wu, DIR Tech Specialist Manager at Microsoft, says: “In the post-COVID world, many global economies are facing similar challenges. Slow growth, high inflation and tight monetary policies mean that it is imperative for businesses to control their operating costs. At the same time, it’s crucial for enterprises to accelerate innovation, helping them to create opportunities for growth. With Copilot for Microsoft 365, we can equip businesses to achieve these goals.”
Shawn Sommers, Director of IT Engineering at Lenovo, continues: “If knowledge workers are buried under a mountain of repetitive, low-value tasks, then there is little time left to be creative—a vital ingredient for growth. With the new generation of GenAI solutions powered by large-language models [LLMs], we can free our teams to focus on the work that matters most.”
Solution: Lenovo Powers Lenovo
Copilot for Microsoft 365 extends the capabilities of many of the Microsoft apps that Lenovo employees rely on for their day-to-day work, including Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word. Through an intuitive natural language interface, employees can prompt Copilot for Microsoft 365 to draft emails, summarize meetings, create PowerPoint presentations, and much more.
Lenovo seized the opportunity to take part in the early access program (EAP) for Copilot for Microsoft 365. We designed a pilot program to put the new GenAI capabilities to the test, beginning with a nine-month rollout for 900 employees. Every three months during the pilot, a new group of 300 employees had the chance to test the solution.
Shawn Sommers elaborates: “As one of the world’s leading tech companies, we want to be at the forefront of the GenAI revolution, and we saw the EAP for Copilot for Microsoft 365 as an excellent opportunity to explore the potential of AI.”
Four Pillars of AI Readiness
Pillar 1: Security
Reviewed potential risk factors—including permissions, privacy compliance, and responsible AI—during the proof-of-concept project with AI experts from Lenovo and Microsoft.
Mitigated the risk of data leaks by selecting a closed LLM: “All the information we feed into Copilot for Microsoft 365 and the responses it generates stay within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem,” says Shawn Sommers. “The information that Copilot for Microsoft 365 processes is encrypted and governed by the same security policies as Microsoft 365. Our data isn’t used for LLM training, which helps to keep it secure.”
Pillar 2: People
Ran training sessions to equip users with knowledge of the basic functions of Copilot for Microsoft 365, common usage scenarios, and regular question-and-answer sessions to help Lenovo teams get the most out of the new capabilities.
Completed user surveys at the middle and end of each employee’s three-month trial of Copilot for Microsoft 365, helping to gather fine-grained data on the real-world business impact.
Educated users about potential risks of GenAI and shared best practices to help them use Copilot for Microsoft 365 more securely.
Pillar 3: Technology
Worked closely with Microsoft AI experts to understand the core principles behind Copilot for Microsoft 365 and shape best practices for deploying and using it.
Reviewed the medium-term technology roadmap for Copilot for Microsoft 365, including new features to be released in the coming year and their potential alignment with Lenovo business use cases.
Pillar 4: Processes
Streamlined repetitive tasks such as creating meeting summaries and drafting emails, saving valuable time that can be redirected to value-added work.
Integration with existing Microsoft 365 workflows enabled Lenovo employees to rapidly integrate Copilot for Microsoft 365 into their regular business activities.
Exploring the Potential of Copilot for Microsoft 365
Lenovo took a hands-on approach to the rollout of Copilot for Microsoft 365, beginning with deep-dive sessions with an initial group of 300 users. These sessions involved senior product managers from Microsoft and representatives from the Lenovo project team, and aimed to highlight possible use cases for the GenAI technology.
Yi Wu recalls: “Copilot for Microsoft 365 is a groundbreaking product, which means we didn’t have a concrete set of best practices to share with the Lenovo team. Even though Lenovo was exploring uncharted territory, we were very impressed with the maturity of their approach. By nominating a number of ‘AI champions’ and organizing regular virtual touchpoints to allow Copilot for Microsoft 365 users share their experiences, Lenovo cultivated a culture of friendly competition, inspiring their users to bring GenAI capabilities into more aspects of their daily work.”
Result: Small Steps, Big Benefits
The relatively small-scale deployment of Copilot for Microsoft 365 at Lenovo has already delivered big results for user productivity. Chris Combs, Director of Commercial Product Ops and Programs at Lenovo, comments: “I work in a team distributed across Asia Pacific and North America, and on average we meet 10 times a day on Teams. Because of the number of different time zones, we have meetings between 6:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m.—and it’s extremely difficult to stay 100% focused when I’m joining from my car or on the move. With Copilot for Microsoft 365, I can capture all the data from my weekly calls—even if I’m not able to attend a meeting in person.”
As well as saving time, Copilot for Microsoft 365 enables knowledge workers at Lenovo to gain deeper insight. Chris Combs confirms: “With Copilot for Microsoft 365, I save around 10 minutes per call by creating action items automatically. However, by far the biggest benefit is that I have a clean, crisp summary of what was discussed—helping me stay on top of what’s happening in the business.”
Introducing Game-Changing Capabilities
Leveraging Copilot for Microsoft 365, Lenovo teams can quickly leverage information from multiple sources—including emails, meetings, documents, and presentations—to build accurate reports and guide the decision-making process.
“Copilot for Microsoft 365 gives you the ability to rapidly pull information into any format you need,” says Chris Combs. “I talk to hundreds of people across the global Lenovo business every week, and even though we use English as our common language, every country has their own approaches to organizing and presenting information. Copilot for Microsoft 365 lets you use straightforward prompts to slice and dice deliver information in exactly the way you need it.”
He adds: “Just this morning, I needed to pull together notes from a comprehensive account review with our new SVP. With Copilot for Microsoft 365, I was able to generate a summary of those discussions in real time and send it immediately after the call—it’s a total game-changer.”
Riding the Wave of User Demand
Following the success of the 90-day trial, demand for Copilot for Microsoft 365 is booming. Today, Lenovo has doubled the number of Copilot for Microsoft 365 licenses, from 300 to 600 users, and plans to continue to expand its use into more areas of the business.
Yi Wu says: “In the initial rollout of Copilot for Microsoft 365, Lenovo found that 65% of its users said that Copilot for Microsoft 365 made them more productive—saving time which they can spend on more fulfilling work. In addition, three quarters of all the Lenovo users who took part in the EAP indicated that they would recommend Copilot for Microsoft 365. In this way, Lenovo’s pioneering efforts are part of a wider trend towards the adoption of GenAI as a productivity-boosting tool.”
Chris Combs concludes: “Copilot for Microsoft 365 gives you the confidence that comes with having the right information at your fingertips. Whether it’s a meeting or a business decision, AI is going to help us be better prepared than ever.”
65% of Lenovo users reported a productivity improvement with Copilot for Microsoft 365
52% of Lenovo users reported that they saved more than 30 minutes per day
9 hours saved per employee per week, freeing time for value-added activities
75% of Lenovo users would recommend Copilot for Microsoft 365
100% increase in Copilot for Microsoft 365 user base at Lenovo, widening adoption
To find out how you could benefit from Lenovo’s experience from Copilot for Microsoft 365, Microsoft’s AI-powered solutions, to boost the productivity and creativity of your workforce, visit Lenovo.com or speak to your Lenovo contact.
