How Microsoft Copilot transformed productivity for 35,000 global employees
Digital transformation is a human challenge. Yes, it’s about tools and tech; but people are the beating heart of a business, and getting them to adapt, learn, and evolve is what determines success in any change project. That’s why we used a human-centred approach to embed AI across a multinational pharmaceutical company, achieving one of the highest user-adoption rates Microsoft has seen.
Outcomes
92%
Adoption rate increase
3.7h
Time saved per week
96%
Work quality improved
People before process
When we began this project, the company already had thousands of AI software licenses ready for deployment, but enthusiasm alone wasn’t enough. The team faced big structural challenges: high demand, limited internal capacity, and no clear governance. Without a coordinated human-centred plan, the route to successful adoption was uncertain.
Rather than imposing a top-down technical rollout, we started by listening. Employees were eager to use the new technology but felt unsupported. Understanding their real-world needs, frustrations, and aspirations allowed us to shape a more effective, people-first strategy.
What we did differently
Our approach centred around creating internal ownership and clarity. Together with the client, we introduced a governance structure led by dedicated “AI Leads” embedded within each business unit – commercial, manufacturing, R&D, technology, and beyond. These leads acted as trusted local champions, creating engagement from the inside out rather than top-down.
This network allowed the company to scale their adoption confidently, quickly, and sustainably. The governance model was so effective that Microsoft now recommends it as best practice.
Beyond governance, we focused on solving specific, meaningful problems identified by employees themselves. One team had been manually entering handwritten test feedback into spreadsheets. We were able to create a new, AI-powered workflow that slashed the time this task took, from days to minutes!
What did the employees do with their newly-found hours? High level stuff: strategy, focusing on how they worked, and finding new ways to improve the business. The result was a happier, more effective and productive workforce, producing higher quality work with fewer errors.
Our Approach
Our approach centred around creating internal ownership and clarity.
- Introduced a governance structure led by dedicated “AI Leads”
- Automated manual repetitive tasks
- Creating engagement from the inside out rather than top-down.
The difference it made
92%
Adoption rate increase
3.7h
Time saved per week
96%
Work quality improved
What should you prioritise, people or processes? By addressing both together, we saw immediate and sustained impact on this project.
Adoption jumped dramatically – from 79% to 92%. That’s one of the highest engagement rates Microsoft has ever seen in a project of this size. They literally use it as a reference for what AI adoption should look like, done right. Even more impressive, that level of adoption has remained steady over time, demonstrating genuine and sustained user buy-in.
Employees reported saving an average of 3.7 hours per week. Nearly all (96%) users said their work quality improved, with 60% describing improvements as significant or transformational. Teams redirected half of the time saved toward strategic, high-value activities, such as accelerating project timelines, enhancing innovation, and boosting overall productivity.
At a personal level, many employees shared that the new tools didn’t just help professionally: they improved their focus, confidence, and work-life balance.
What made us proud
Beyond numbers, we were most proud of how our human-centric approach genuinely resonated with the company.
We believe that digital transformation is as much about people as software. We empowered the people we worked with on this project to use technology in ways that made a difference in their daily lives. They felt valued and supported throughout the change, and this led to greater personal investment and pride in their work.
Feedback from senior leadership recognised the profound impact of this approach, noting how amazed they were by the success, adoption, and enthusiasm created across the organisation.
Our insight
Real transformation isn’t just about the tech, it’s about the people using it.
By listening deeply, solving genuine problems, and structuring change around human behaviour, we achieved a grade A digital transformation: meaningful, measurable, results that will stick around for the long term.
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