Vodafone Group expanded an agreement with Microsoft to deploy the software company’s 365 Copilot AI software to up to 68,000 employees across various countries to improve efficiency.

Microsoft 365 Copilot embeds generative AI (genAI) capabilities into its suite of apps including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, and OneDrive

Vodafone CTO Scott Petty stated a trial of Microsoft 365 Copilot gave the operator enough proof to justify expanding it to 68,000 of its 100,0000 employees.

He noted Vodafone is focusing on “operational efficiency inside the organisation; rewiring the business to provide an enhanced customer experience; and unlocking growth opportunities through new products and services”.

“Copilot will help drive all three.”

Vodafone’s trial involved KPMG and showed staff saved an average of three hours a per week, which allowed them to focus on less mundane tasks.

About 90 per cent of the users in the trial stated they benefitted from using Microsoft 365 Copilot and wanted to keep using it, with 60 per cent stating it improved the quality of their work.

The genAI assistant aids employees by helping them to collaborate with each other using Microsoft’s Office suite to create Excel charts, draft emails, summarise meetings and documents, and generate marketing content, among other applications.