Microsoft’s new Copilot AI tool can help workers in many ways such as helping to deploy field workers. Field technicians can also make use of AI to make jobs go faster, but it however also allows managers to micromanage them.
Microsoft’s New Copilot AI Tool
Microsoft is now bringing generative AI to frontline field workers simply by integrating its Copilot AI assistant into its field services platform, thus streamlining workflows but also enabling supervisors in the process to know what technicians are doing on the job.
Copilot, which was initially introduced in March, is already on Microsoft 365 enterprise platforms and was first utilized by desk-bound employees who at the time wanted AI to generate text for PowerPoint presentations. (It is however very much distinct from the GitHub service of the same name, just so you know.) And right now, Copilot will be included in the Dynamics 365 service that is used by field workers such as cable technicians and electric repair personnel, among a host of other jobs in facilities, manufacturing, and even healthcare.
How Microsoft’s Copilot Works
With Copilot, service requests that are sent through Outlook will automatically pre-populate information, and this is including just how many times the same customer reached out for service prior. Supervisors can also review the work order just before getting to send it off to field workers. By fall this very year, those work orders in question will also recommend specific people for the job but based on their travel time, availability, as well as skill set.
Technicians can also update their work status, that is, if they have arrived at a location and then began fixing the issue and what the problems are precisely so that managers will know what is happening with a project and that they can also help to prioritize tasks. It also allows them to find job location information in fewer taps. Then Copilot will help you to create recaps of the service for managers.
How the Service Will Affect Customers
Customers on the other hand will have more visibility as to where their technicians are, and field workers will get to eliminate a lot of busy work. But we have already seen just how high-tech tools that make worker activity more visible can also get to encourage closer and more scrutiny of workers, for instance, with complaints from employees at Google regarding alleged spying via new calendar tools.
And if it is that the technician is stuck on an issue, Microsoft brought 3D spatial annotations to Teams video calling through mobile, which can easily and effectively emphasize a problem like a faulty screw just by encircling it in the video call, thus saving workers the back and forth of describing what it is that they are seeing. If it is that the camera gets to move away, so will the annotation in question. It seems very much similar to the remote assist features that are on a HoloLens 2 Teams video call.
Expert Analysis of the New Development
Lili Cheng, the corporate vice president, of Business Applications and Platforms at Microsoft, stated that bringing generative AI to fieldwork allows frontline workers such as technicians to work faster and smarter.
“A lot of field workers often rely on pen and paper, with most tools fragmented, so it takes a long time to complete jobs,” Cheng reveals to The Verge. “We wanted to help streamline their workflows.”
Copilot in Dynamics 365 Availability
Copilot in Dynamics 365 as you should know is already available to current users. Microsoft reportedly worked with clients around the world such as Hitachi Solutions, the 9altitudes Group, and TechLabs London when reportedly testing out the product.
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