Integrating Microsoft Copilot into existing systems to improve engagement and productivity for customers presents a big opportunity for MSPs, as John Colgan, CEO at Solgari, explains.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of collaboration tools as businesses worldwide adjusted to remote work and new operational models. In the years since, Microsoft’s Teams software has become the tool of choice for more than 320 million users every month. With hybrid and flexible work setups now the norm, the real opportunity lies in the potential for innovation, particularly for managed service providers (MSPs) and channel teams operating within the Microsoft ecosystem.
As businesses look to enhance their capabilities, advanced tools and technologies have become essential. And while these tools can be transformative, their true potential can only be realised with a unified, well-coordinated approach. Channel businesses with their deep-rooted expertise in managing complex technology infrastructures, are ideally positioned to help enterprises integrate advanced solutions, such as Microsoft Copilot, into their existing systems to improve customer engagement and overall productivity.
Changing customer expectations
Customers’ expectations have undergone a dramatic shift. Today, consumers demand a seamless experience across various touchpoints, whether that’s through phone, email, live chat or social media. Research from McKinsey revealed that while people of all ages prefer interacting with real individuals, they also expect to be able to switch between different communication channels based on their needs.
According to Gartner, 88% of customer journeys that begin with self-service end up involving multiple channels, underlining the importance of providing cohesive and continuous customer interactions. Customers now seek convenience and consistency in their experiences, expecting businesses to remember their preferences and interactions across all touchpoints.
In becoming a strategically important focus for the whole business, the responsibility for delivering exceptional customer experiences has moved beyond the confines of a single department. Today, organisations are fostering cultures where every team member contributes to enhancing the customer journey. Professional services firm PwC has noted that businesses excelling in customer experience can charge up to 16% more for their services, making this a critical area for investment for future growth.
Now, more than ever, businesses have the tools to meet these demands. New technologies are enabling a shift from reactive, transactional service models to proactive, relationship-based engagements. These tools can automate follow-ups, suggest responses, and analyse sentiment in real-time, helping businesses respond more intelligently to customer needs. Gartner said that by 2025, a large portion of customer service functions will incorporate generative technologies, potentially displacing up to 30% of agent roles.
Prime opportunity for MSPs
As organisations look to evolve their customer engagement strategies, MSPs have a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role. By helping clients integrate tools like Copilot into their communications platforms, channel teams can enable businesses to build more detailed profiles of customer needs and preferences. These insights can help organisations develop tailored, proactive engagement strategies on a large scale.
One of Copilot’s key benefits is its ability to handle tasks that are often time-consuming but vital to maintaining the all-important human touch such as suggesting personalised email responses and follow-ups autonomously based on the in-depth customer data with which it is fed.
The channel opportunity here lies in assisting clients and prospects to leverage these features, helping to reduce repetitive tasks while improving the customer experience. Channel teams should look to assist in unifying their clients’ data sources, ensuring that tools like Copilot have access to comprehensive, accurate information to drive insightful interactions. By organising structured and unstructured data, businesses can enable these tools to provide more personalised and effective customer engagement.
Advanced technologies, such as those offered through Copilot, offer businesses numerous ways to improve their customer service and sales processes. Real-time sentiment analysis, intelligent call routing, personalised customer interactions and predictive sales analytics are just some examples of how these tools can help businesses stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market.
As companies push to integrate these capabilities into their workflows, MSPs and resellers can position themselves as key enablers of these transformations. They have the knowledge, tools and resources to guide businesses through the integration process, ensuring that enterprises are ready to capitalise on the latest technological advancements.
Unlocking new revenue streams
Microsoft’s market leadership in unified communications continues to be a major force in shaping how businesses interact and there is significant untapped potential for the channel to assist clients and prospects to take full advantage of advanced tools, like Copilot, for customer engagement. It’s a use case of Teams that Microsoft is choosing not to prioritise and push through direct channels, so who will?
By offering Copilot-centric ISV solutions that extend core Microsoft platforms, such as Teams, with advanced customer engagement capabilities, complexity and costs can be reduced for their clients while delivering scalable solutions that adapt to their evolving needs.
For MSPs and channel partners, this represents an exciting opportunity to generate new revenue streams. By providing clients with the competitive edge, they need in a rapidly evolving customer experience landscape, MSPs can open new business opportunities. The opportunity is clear, and the decision is in the hands of the channel teams to act and make the most of it.
