Many organizations underuse Microsoft Copilot, missing out on major productivity gains. Activating full Copilot use means streamlining workflows, boosting innovation, and staying ahead of the curve. Don't let your team get left behind – activate smarter ways of working now. 

Entering a New Era 

A weird thing about hitting middle age is the way time seems to speed up. Last week seems like yesterday. Last year seems like last week … and I remember watching the FIFA World Cup matches that took place in my hometown of Cape Town some two years ago. But that happened in 2010. Yikes. 

'Time compression,' as it's sometimes called, is explained by proportional theory: As we age, each year becomes a smaller fraction of our total life experience. And for most of us, those astounding, defining, formative experiences happen less and less as time goes by.   

So why mention this in an article about Microsoft Copilot? For two monumentally important reasons.  

The first boils down to the cost of inefficiency and old ways of working. Think back to a time when some ubiquitous technology you now use daily didn't yet exist. Think about what you did before. 

A game changer for me is the banking app on my phone. Do you remember how painful and time-consuming banking used to be before online banking and smartphones? If you wanted to transfer funds, you had to drive to the bank and wait in line to talk to a teller. Drive to the bank. Wait in line. Tell another human being the details of your desired transaction. Wait some more.  

Can you imagine doing that now? Embarking on an epic journey the next time you want to transfer funds? Unthinkable.  

The Cost of Staying Grounded 

Before internet banking (or whatever tech you were thinking of), we all visited our bank branch in person. Imagine a current Fortune 1000 business operating like that today –  the logistics and cost can be painful to think about.  

Many organizations use Microsoft, making Copilot the natural choice when it comes to generative AI (GenAI). Copilot comes with a hefty price tag of $30 per month per user. If employees aren't actively using it, it's money down the drain. Multiply that by hundreds or thousands, and the waste becomes a significant cost. 

Copilot shines when it comes to eliminating repetitive tasks, streamlining workflows, and enhancing decision-making. Underutilization means employees continue to spend time on manual processes that could be automated. That means: 

  • Increased time spent on low-value tasks 
  • Slower project delivery 
  • Reduced capacity for innovation  

Here's a real-world example of a quick win with Copilot: According to findings from ZeroBounce's 2025 Email Statistics Report, 35% of workers spend up to five hours a day on emails. If Copilot can reduce that by more than half, the savings would be enormous. And that's just one way (of many) that Copilot can cut down on low-yield admin tasks. 

Accelerating with Copilot 

If employees use Copilot to streamline their work, that's great. But Copilot can do so much more.  

Copilot makes it faster and easier to: 

  • Generate ideas and brainstorm 
  • Collaborate in real time 
  • Unlock data-driven insights 
  • Personalize learning and development 

Early and effective adoption of AI tools like Copilot can provide a significant edge over competitors. Copilot will become ubiquitous (it's almost there already) and is constantly improving. Working without using it will be like navigating the modern world without a smartphone or Wi-Fi. Organizations that fail to embed Copilot into daily workflows risk falling behind in efficiency, agility, and data-driven decision-making. 

Barriers to Entry 

If the advantages are clear, why isn't everyone jumping on the Copilot bandwagon?   

There are many factors to consider. Many people resist change and stick with tried-and-trusted tools. Despite the seemingly intuitive nature of basic Copilot use, the initial learning curve can be steep when trying  to get specific and accurate results. 

More so than traditional software, Copilot requires experimentation and continuous learning. Since it's constantly evolving, users need to adopt a continuous learning mindset so they're able to grow with Copilot. This entails changing go-to behaviors and forming new habits, rather than just learning how to use a new app.  

The Flight is Boarding 

Remember that I said there were two monumentally important reasons for bringing up the ancient past? Here's the second one: speed. Everything moves faster than it ever has. Each new tech milestone comes sooner than the last. Blink, and the future has already whooshed by.  

Copilot underutilization means missing out on the current advantage Copilot offers, allowing competitors who fully embrace these tools to race ahead in efficiency and output. Given the rate of change, a single year, if not just a few months, can make all the difference. 

Charting a Course for Success 

So, what's the solution? The answer is more than simply learning new skills. It's about activating new behaviors and forming new habits.  

Cognician's Copilot Foundations Quest is a dynamic activation program designed to help Fortune 1000 companies maximize their investment in Microsoft Copilot.   

Employees are guided through a series of impactful Copilot use cases that can be easily incorporated into existing workflows for maximum impact.   

They'll get hands-on experience using tried-and-tested prompts, as well as encouragement to experiment and strengthen their own GenAI-prompting muscles.  

Key features include an initial activation survey, 10+ hands-on challenges, nudge-based learning via email or Teams, real-time analytics, and customizable content tailored to specific organizational needs. Added on top are game elements like badges and leaderboards to further boost engagement. 

If you're not convinced, this program helped a major oil and gas client boost Copilot usage by 475% in just 16 days, with average daily usage rising to over 11 minutes per user. The improvements in productivity and workflow efficiency delivered immense ROI for the client and more than justified the Copilot license fee. 

Destination: A Future-Ready Workforce 

The future isn't waiting, and neither should you. GenAI is here to stay, and those who don't embrace it will fall behind. Activate your organization and make sure it's part of tomorrow's workforce, rather than one that looks back and wonders why it waited.

Book a call with us to find out how the Copilot Foundations Quest can give your team a hand up and set them up for success, now and tomorrow.