Measuring Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption beyond license activation
In adoption programs, I think the interesting measurement starts after users have access. At DataToBiz, we have been looking at the difference between someone trying Copilot once and actually incorporating it into a recurring workflow. For example, repeat usage around a specific task tells a very different story from initial activation. How are teams measuring that second stage of adoption without relying only on license or usage counts?When Intent Becomes the Interface: Why Applications Are No Longer the Starting Point
For decades, enterprise software has asked people to learn how applications work. Which screen to open. Which fields to complete. Which workflow to trigger. Which report to generate. And which application to visit next. Here is a situation I keep meeting. A sales executive is preparing a renewal proposal. Customer relationships live in CRM. Contract terms sit in SharePoint. Support issues are tracked elsewhere. Revenue data comes from finance. Relevant conversations are scattered across Outlook and Teams. The executive knows what needs to be accomplished. The software requires them to figure out how. But something interesting is happening. We are beginning to separate the intent to accomplish work from the applications traditionally required to perform it. Microsoft's developments across Copilot, Cowork, Code, Copilot Studio and Microsoft IQ suggest that this could become a defining shift in enterprise software. The question is no longer simply how to make applications more intelligent. What if enterprise software started with the work, rather than the application? Enterprise Software Was Built Around Navigation Traditional enterprise applications organize business capabilities into reliable systems. ERP manages transactions. CRM manages customer relationships. HR platforms manage employee processes. These systems aren't going away. Their data models, transaction controls and business rules remain essential. But their user experiences were designed for a world where software needed explicit instructions at almost every step. People became the integration layer. We retrieved information from one system, interpreted it, entered it into another, initiated approvals and followed up when something stalled. APIs and automation improved individual steps. Generative AI introduced conversational interfaces. But the underlying model often remained unchanged. People still needed to know which application to use and how to move the result into the next step. Now the architecture itself is beginning to change. Microsoft Is Bringing Three Capabilities Together One of Microsoft's more consequential recent developments is the convergence of applications, workflows and agents in Copilot Studio. These are fundamentally different capabilities. Applications provide structured experiences for people to view information, make decisions and act. Workflows provide predictable execution for repeatable processes, business rules and integrations. Agents bring reasoning and adaptation when the next step cannot always be predetermined. Not every business process needs an agent. Not every decision should be probabilistic. And not every interaction belongs in a chat window. A purchase approval may require deterministic policy enforcement. Evaluating an unusual supplier proposal may benefit from AI reasoning. A material exception may require human judgment through a purpose-built application. Microsoft Copilot Studio is bringing these capabilities into a more unified development experience, supported by agent orchestration, workflow execution, reusable skills and connected tools. And the audience for this convergence is already enormous: Microsoft noted on a recent earnings call that more than 80% of the Fortune 500 already have active agents built with its low-code tools. This suggests a useful architectural principle: Use reasoning where the path is uncertain. Use workflows where the rules are known. Use applications where human interaction adds value. I have started calling this the Composition Rule. The breakthrough isn't replacing one with another. It is combining them deliberately. From Application-Led to Intent-Led Work Return to our sales executive preparing a renewal proposal. Instead of visiting multiple systems, the executive could begin with a request: Prepare the renewal proposal. Incorporate the latest commercial terms, outstanding support issues and account commitments. Flag anything requiring approval. The system must interpret the request, retrieve authoritative information, apply business rules, assemble the deliverable and recognize where human judgment is necessary. Different Microsoft capabilities can contribute to that experience. Microsoft 365 Copilot Cowork enables delegation of complex, multi-step work across connected productivity experiences. Work IQ provides context from Microsoft 365 collaboration. Fabric IQ contributes business semantics and relationships across enterprise data. Foundry IQ supports reusable enterprise knowledge and retrieval. Together, they form the context layer I explored in The Context Advantage and intent-led work is where that investment begins to pay out. Dynamics 365 and Power Platform connect intelligence to operational records, business processes and actions. Copilot Studio enables agents to use tools and workflows, while applications can provide structured experiences for human review. These are complementary building blocks, not necessarily one automatically integrated execution path. Bringing them together requires deliberate solution architecture, connectors, permissions and orchestration. The executive receives a proposal, supporting evidence and decisions requiring attention. The underlying systems remain important. But navigating them is no longer necessarily the executive's responsibility. In traditional enterprise architecture, applications organize capabilities and users navigate between them. In an intent-led architecture, the desired outcome becomes the organizing principle. Applications, workflows, agents and enterprise services are composed around that intent. The application remains important. But it is no longer necessarily the primary unit of the user experience. When Software Can Be Assembled Another development deserves attention. Microsoft's Copilot Code and Copilot Studio capabilities are making it easier to create software experiences from natural-language requirements. Copilot Managed Runtime provides Microsoft-hosted infrastructure for running and governing supported applications. These capabilities are at different stages of availability, but their direction is significant. Traditionally, an enterprise application begins with a development project: requirements, design, engineering, testing, deployment and maintenance. That remains essential for complex, mission-critical systems. But not every business need justifies a conventional development cycle. A procurement manager may need a focused interface for comparing supplier proposals. A finance team may need a temporary application for reviewing reconciliation exceptions. Increasingly, some experiences can be generated, connected to governed data and shared with colleagues. The distance between recognizing a business need and creating a useful software experience may shrink dramatically. But faster creation also raises important questions. Who owns the generated application? How is it tested? Which identities and permissions does it use? How is it maintained or retired? Microsoft Copilot Managed Runtime, currently in preview, addresses part of this challenge through managed hosting, Microsoft Entra authentication and application governance capabilities. The ability to generate software is becoming easier. The ability to operate that software responsibly remains an engineering discipline. Software creation may become democratized. Software accountability cannot become optional. Reasoning Is Not Execution There is one distinction I find myself drawing on whiteboards more often than any other as AI moves deeper into enterprise processes. Large language models are useful when tasks require interpretation, synthesis and adaptation. But enterprises also depend on predictability. An invoice approval threshold shouldn't change because a model reasons differently. A financial transaction must preserve the integrity of the system recording it. Consider an insurance claim. An agent interprets submitted documentation and identifies missing information. A workflow applies established eligibility rules and routes the claim. A human reviewer examines complex exceptions through an application presenting the relevant evidence. The model contributes interpretation. The workflow contributes repeatability. The application supports human judgment. And the system of record preserves the authoritative transaction. This requires business capabilities to be accessible beyond application screens. APIs, Model Context Protocol (MCP) tools, Power Platform connectors and reusable services become building blocks through which intelligent workflows can operate across systems. Microsoft Copilot Studio supports this direction through workflow triggers, agent handoffs, connected tools and evaluation capabilities. Microsoft Foundry provides complementary capabilities for agent development, evaluation, tracing and operational monitoring. The quality of the experience increasingly depends on how well these capabilities can be composed - not simply on how intelligent the underlying model is. For enterprise architects, this introduces a more useful question than where to deploy another agent: Which parts of this process should be intelligent, which must be deterministic and which require human judgment? That is the Composition Rule at work. A New Architecture, Not Another Generation of Sprawl The counterargument comes up in almost every architecture conversation I am part of. If every employee can generate applications and every department can assemble workflows, enterprises could recreate decades of software fragmentation at unprecedented speed. A hundred individually useful applications don't necessarily create a coherent enterprise architecture. The answer isn't to prevent experimentation. It is to establish reusable foundations. Common identity through Microsoft Entra. Trusted business semantics through Fabric IQ. Approved connectors and MCP tools. Shared engineering standards. Managed execution environments. Clear ownership and lifecycle controls. Microsoft Agent 365 adds an enterprise control plane for discovering, securing and governing agents across supported environments. These capabilities address different parts of the challenge. They do not eliminate the need for enterprise architecture. The more accessible software creation becomes, the more important shared foundations become. Otherwise, we risk making software easier to build while making the enterprise harder to operate. When the Business Need Comes First I don't expect enterprise applications to disappear. Organizations will continue to need ERP, CRM, finance, HR and industry-specific platforms. Systems of record remain indispensable. But the relationship between people and applications is beginning to evolve. Today, enterprise users learn which application performs which function. Tomorrow, more experiences may begin with a desired result, with intelligence coordinating underlying capabilities and presenting the appropriate interface when needed. Sometimes that interface will be a conversation. Sometimes a generated application. Sometimes a familiar enterprise screen. And sometimes a workflow will complete a defined step without another interaction. Microsoft's convergence of Copilot, Copilot Studio, Microsoft IQ, Power Platform and managed execution infrastructure makes this architectural possibility increasingly tangible. We may be moving from a world where people navigate software to accomplish work toward one where software is assembled around the work people need to accomplish. That won't happen overnight. It requires strong architecture, trusted data, explicit execution boundaries and deliberate engineering choices. But it raises a question worth asking before the next enterprise software investment: Are we designing another application people must learn to operate or a capability that understands the work they are trying to accomplish? References Microsoft Copilot Studio Blog: “Build apps, workflows, and agents together” The Official Microsoft Blog: “Introducing the new Copilot with Home, Code and Autopilot” (September 25, 2026) Microsoft Copilot Studio Blog: “Microsoft Copilot Managed Runtime: Enterprise code execution for Microsoft 365” Microsoft 365 Blog: “Powering Frontier Transformation with Copilot and agents” (Copilot Cowork) Microsoft IQ Microsoft Agent 365 Microsoft FY26 Q2 earnings conference call — more than 80% of the Fortune 500 with active agents built using Microsoft's low-code tools Ashok Karania Articles on Microsoft Tech Community — “The Context Advantage”; “When AI Stops Waiting for Instructions”; “Beyond Tokens: Rethinking AI Economics with Microsoft Foundry” Image Credit: OpenAIOctober 2026 Microsoft 365 Champion community call | PM
Join our next community call on October 27, 2026, to dive into Copilot in PowerPoint: Brand kits and Skills. Host: Tiffany Lee Guest: Tiffany Neiman, Rolly Seth, Eleanor Huynh Moderator: Jessie Hwang 📢 NOTE: our community call formats are Teams webinars so you must register at https://aka.ms/M365ChampionCallPM to receive the link to join. The join link will be sent to you in email with your webinar registration confirmation. 🗨️ Each call includes an open Q&A discussion section at the end, where you'll have a chance to ask your questions about Microsoft 365. 👋 Was this forwarded to you? Join the Microsoft 365 Champion program today! Champions combine technical acumen with people skills to drive meaningful change. Our community calls are open to everyone, but only Champion program members have access to the presentation resources (access link is in the initial welcome email and in the monthly newsletters). Join now: https://aka.ms/M365Champions. 🎥 The recording will be available on demand on the Driving Adoption community and our YouTube Community Learning channel later in the week.October 2026 Microsoft 365 Champion community call | AM
Join our next community call on October 27, 2026, to dive into Copilot in PowerPoint: Brand kits and Skills. Host: Tiffany Lee Guest: Tiffany Neiman, Rolly Seth, Eleanor Huynh Moderator: Jessie Hwang 📢 NOTE: our community call formats are Teams webinars so you must register at https://aka.ms/M365ChampionCallAM to receive the link to join. The join link will be sent to you in email with your webinar registration confirmation. 🗨️ Each call includes an open Q&A discussion section at the end, where you'll have a chance to ask your questions about Microsoft 365. 👋 Was this forwarded to you? Join the Microsoft 365 Champion program today! Champions combine technical acumen with people skills to drive meaningful change. Our community calls are open to everyone, but only Champion program members have access to the presentation resources (access link is in the initial welcome email and in the monthly newsletters). Join now: https://aka.ms/M365Champions. 🎥 The recording will be available on demand on the Driving Adoption community and our YouTube Community Learning channel later in the week.Land Your Offer - Anatomy of Revenue Generating Partner Offer - Part 3 - Copilot Deployment
In Part 1 we looked at Copilot in 30, a $0 trial for SMB customers. In Part 2 we looked at Envisioning & POC, a funded pre-sales engagement. Part 3 moves to post-sales. The customer has bought Copilot seats. The job now is to get people using them. That job has a new reward. From 1 October 2026, the Frontier Accelerate for Copilot: M365 Copilot Deployment Accelerator pays in two milestones: one when you deliver the deployment, and one when the customer's active users grow. It also lands just after Microsoft introduced the new Copilot with Home, Code and Autopilot, usage-based billing and FinOps for AI. Deployment now covers more ground, and customers need a partner to cover it. Package this engagement as a Microsoft Marketplace offer and you have a repeatable way to turn paid seats into active users across your whole customer base. Start Here: Why Publishing on Microsoft Marketplace Matters Microsoft Marketplace is Microsoft's partner-focused business platform. It helps you reach more customers and makes buying from you simpler. A published offer gives your practice a permanent storefront where customers and Microsoft sellers already look for Copilot help. An offer also makes your work repeatable. You define the phases, activities, deliverables and sizes once. Then you run the same engagement for every qualified customer instead of scoping each one from scratch. Partner Center supports both professional service and managed service offers, so one listing can carry the deployment and the ongoing services that follow. The Opportunity: Seats Bought, Value Waiting Many organisations have bought Copilot ahead of their people adopting it. The gap between paid seats and monthly active users is value still waiting to be realised. Take a customer with 3,000 paid Copilot seats and 1,000 monthly active users. That leaves 2,000 seats, about $720K a year of Copilot investment at $30 per user per month, not yet part of anyone's working day. Closing that gap is what this engagement is designed to do. Customer eligibility for each size is set by two numbers: purchased Copilot seats, and unused seats (purchased seats minus active users). Both are in Partner Center's growth insights reporting in the AI Business Solutions & Security Insights (ASPX) dashboard. Use the dashboard's filters to find customers to land this offer with, and you will know which size each one qualifies for before the first conversation. Why Deployment Is Where Copilot Value Is Won Copilot delivers its value through daily use. The more people build it into how they work, the more value the business sees, and the stronger the case to extend it to more teams. The new Copilot widens what a good deployment covers. Home is the new starting point, with the full power of Word, Excel and PowerPoint built in through Office in Copilot. Code lets people build apps, dashboards and automations in plain language. Autopilot is a persistent agent that keeps work moving without a prompt. Advanced capabilities run on usage-based billing, governed through FinOps for AI. So deployment now goes beyond assigning licences. It means securing data, governing Code apps and Autopilot agents, training people on Chat, Office in Copilot and Code, and putting spend controls in place before usage scales. Each of these takes skills many customers do not yet have in-house. Each one is a service you can deliver. Meet the Offer: M365 Copilot Deployment Accelerator, Paid in Two Milestones The M365 Copilot Deployment Accelerator is a post-sales, partner-led engagement. It covers technical deployment of Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Business, security and governance controls, user training, and adoption and change management. The essentials: Who qualifies: Customers with a minimum number of purchased Copilot seats and unused seats for each size: XXS 50+ and 25+, XS 300+ and 250+, S 500+ and 500+, M 1,500+ and 1,500+, L 3,000+ and 3,000+. Strategic 500 customers are not eligible. EDU and non-profit customers are not eligible for XXS and XS. How it is sized: Five sizes: XXS (10 hours), XS (20 hours), S (40 hours), M (100 hours) and L (200 hours). How it pays: Milestone 1 (Solution Deployment) is paid once your proof of execution (POE) is approved. It is guaranteed and does not depend on any outcome. Milestone 2 (Consumption Growth) is paid if the customer's incremental paid Copilot monthly active users reach the nominated band within a six-month window. Going above the band does not increase the payment. Falling below it means no Milestone 2 payment. How it runs: Nominate the customer into a size band (the band is locked once submitted). Get customer consent within 30 days. Deliver the work and submit POE (partner survey, customer attestation and invoice) within 90 days of consent. Each customer tenant can have up to two approved claims, one at a time. Who can deliver: Partners at Copilot JumpStart Ready or higher until 31 December 2026. From 1 January 2027, the Microsoft 365 Copilot specialization is required. Term: 1 October 2026 to 30 June 2027, or until the program cap is reached. Microsoft funds the deployment and rewards the growth. You own the delivery, the relationship and everything that follows. Your Role: From Deployer to Adoption Partner A deployment is not finished when licences are assigned. It is finished when people use Copilot every week and the sponsor can see the value. Your job is to get the customer there, phase by phase. Plan: Confirm the first business functions to adopt. Validate priority scenarios across Chat, Office in Copilot and the Microsoft 365 apps. Set KPIs and Responsible AI guardrails. Build a measurable business case that includes usage-based billing. Assess the environment and sequence remediation before deployment. Implement: Prepare the environment and assign licences. Configure data controls, fix oversharing, and govern Code apps and Autopilot agents. Enable admin tools. Set up the Copilot Dashboard, reporting and FinOps for AI spend controls. Launch a champions programme and community. Train users on Chat, Office in Copilot and Code. Adopt: Run prompt-a-thons on real scenarios. Survey users on their experience. Track incremental paid active users every month against the Milestone 2 band. Review audit logs and Copilot reports. Monitor service health, demand, cost and AI spend. Manage and Improve: Extend analytics with custom impact reports. Refine the business case with real data. Align policies to Home, Code and Autopilot on a set schedule. Optimise operations and AI spend. Mine help desk tickets for new agentic use cases. Keep training going as adoption spreads. Close out: Deliver an executive summary with recommendations, risks, owners and dates. Submit POE. Agree the plan to reach the nominated active user band within the six-month Milestone 2 window. Every phase moves one number: active users. It is the number the customer's sponsor watches most closely, and the one both milestones are built around. Inside the Offer: Activities and Hours by Engagement Size Below is the full activity plan behind the offer, with hours for each of the five sizes. Use it to size your own offer plans and statements of work. ID Phase Activity XXS XS S M L Pre-req Eligibility Minimum Copilot seats / unused seats (unused = seats minus active users) 50+ / 25+ 300+ / 250+ 500+ / 500+ 1,500+ / 1,500+ 3,000+ / 3,000+ P1 Plan Identify priority business functions 0.25 0.5 1 2.25 4.5 P2 Plan Determine high-value scenarios 0.5 1.25 2.25 5.75 11.5 P3 Plan Define success metrics and guardrails 0.5 0.75 1.5 3.75 7.5 P4 Plan Develop the business case, incl. usage-based billing (UBB) 0.5 1.25 2.25 5.75 11.5 P5 Plan Plan readiness and remediation 0.5 1 1.75 4.5 9 I1 Implement Prepare environment and assign licenses 0.75 1.5 3 7.75 15.25 I2 Implement Configure security and data controls 0.75 1.5 3 7.75 15.25 I3 Implement Enable administrative tools 0.5 0.75 1.5 3.75 7.5 I4 Implement Deploy analytics and reporting, incl. FinOps for AI 0.5 0.75 1.5 3.75 7.5 I5 Implement Activate champions and communities 0.25 0.75 1.25 3 6 I6 Implement Conduct training and communications 0.75 1.5 2.75 6.75 13.75 A1 Adopt Drive cross-organizational adoption 0.5 1.25 2.5 6 12.25 A2 Adopt Gather user feedback and sentiment 0.25 0.5 1.25 3 6 A3 Adopt Measure business impact and usage 0.5 1 2 5.25 10.75 A4 Adopt Monitor security and audit reports 0.25 0.5 1 2.75 5.25 A5 Adopt Monitor and evaluate operations, cost and AI spend 0.25 0.5 1.25 3 6 M1 Manage and Improve Extend analytics 0.25 0.5 1.25 3 6 M2 Manage and Improve Evolve the business case, incl. UBB 0.25 0.5 1.25 3 6 M3 Manage and Improve Policy review and refinement 0.25 0.5 1.25 3 6 M4 Manage and Improve Optimize operations and AI spend 0.5 0.75 1.5 3.75 7.5 M5 Manage and Improve Continuous process improvement 0.25 0.5 1.25 3 6 M6 Manage and Improve Continuous training and adoption 0.5 0.75 1.5 3.75 7.5 C1 Close-out Executive summary, POE and Milestone 2 growth plan 0.5 1.25 2.25 5.75 11.5 TOTAL Hours 10 20 40 100 200 Land Your Offer: What One Customer Is Worth The table below is the revenue anatomy of one Deployment Accelerator engagement at each of the five sizes. Four revenue streams stack on top of each other: Milestone 1, Solution Deployment: Microsoft funds the deployment work, from $1,625 for an XXS engagement to $32,500 for an L engagement. It is paid once POE is approved and is guaranteed. Milestone 2, Consumption Growth: a further $875 to $17,500, paid when the customer's incremental paid active users reach the nominated band within six months. This is where adoption work earns its own reward. CSP incentive on Copilot revenue: earned on the Copilot seats you transact. Customers who see their people using Copilot every day tend to renew and extend, so adoption work supports this stream too. Managed services: the recurring engagement described in After Close-out, which is where the largest and most durable share of revenue lives. Item XXS XS S M L Minimum Copilot seats / unused seats 50+ / 25+ 300+ / 250+ 500+ / 500+ 1,500+ / 1,500+ 3,000+ / 3,000+ Engagement hours 10 20 40 100 200 Milestone 2 target: incremental paid Copilot active users in six months 25+ 250+ 500+ 1,500+ 3,000+ Milestone 1, Solution Deployment (K) $1.63K $3.25K $6.5K $16.25K $32.5K Milestone 2, Consumption Growth (K) $0.88K $1.75K $3.5K $8.75K $17.5K Frontier Accelerate total (K) $2.5K $5K $10K $25K $50K CSP incentive on Copilot revenue (K)† $3.51K $21.06K $35.1K $105.3K $210.6K † Milestone payments shown at Market A rates for claims nominated from 1 October 2026. CSP incentive shown at a blended 19.5% (direct bill 2.5 + 7 + 10; indirect reseller 7 + 12.5) on the minimum Copilot seats for each size at $30 per user per month for 12 months. Illustrative estimates from the offer plan. Confirm current rates, market rates, eligibility and geographic restrictions (which apply to the L size) in the latest Microsoft Commercial Partner Incentives Guide. Now multiply. Everything above is the anatomy of a single customer. Landing the offer means running it across every qualifying customer in your base. The same ASPX view you use to check eligibility is your target list: sort the customers you manage by the gap between paid Copilot seats and active users, and check MCI eligibility and potential earnings for each. Do not forget your Part 2 customers: every Envisioning & POC engagement that converted to paid seats is a natural next candidate. How the Offer Fits Together: From Sizing to Proof of Execution The offer runs left to right in three layers: Sizing and value: five sizes from XXS (10 hours) to L (200 hours). Milestone 1 is paid on POE approval. Milestone 2 is paid when the active user band is met. Bands are locked at nomination. Five phases: Plan (P1 to P5), Implement (I1 to I6), Adopt (A1 to A5), Manage and Improve (M1 to M6) and Close-out (C1, T1, T2, X1). Each phase produces something the sponsor can see. Proof of execution: prioritised scenarios and a business case that includes usage-based billing; a secure, licensed Copilot environment; analytics, reporting and admin controls; active champions and trained users; incremental paid active users, impact and ROI measured; an executive summary, roadmap and POE. Plus a named wave 2 expansion beyond the first teams. The highlighted activities are champions and communities (I5), training and communications (I6), cross-organizational adoption (A1), business impact and usage (A3), extended analytics (M1), policy review (M3), operations and AI spend (M4), continuous training (M6), trial to paid licence conversion (T1), commercial proposal and signature (T2) and the wave 2 expansion plan (X1). These are where the engagement stops being a project and becomes an ongoing relationship: managed services, ongoing optimisation and follow-on professional services after the engagement closes. The managed services below are built from exactly these activities. After Close-out: Managed Services That Keep Delivering Close-out is the start of the real engagement. Package these six recurring services in your offer. Each one carries forward a highlighted activity from the deployment, is sized in partner days so you can price it, and drives a business outcome the sponsor can put a number on. Managed service Partner activity: what you deliver and measure Customer business outcome: what it drives (illustrative targets, M-size customer) Champions and community management • Effort: 1 to 2 days a month • Activity: Run the champions network and a Viva Engage or Teams community, host monthly prompt-a-thons on real work, and carry adoption into every business function (I5, A1) • Reported as: Active champions per function; community questions answered; functions above the utilisation target • One active champion for every 50 users (60 champions across 3,000 seats) • Adoption spreads from the first 2 business functions to 6+ within six months • Copilot how-to tickets to the help desk down 30 to 50% as peers answer questions first Continuous learning and enablement • Effort: 2 days a month • Activity: Deliver role-based training and launch communications for each new group, onboard new joiners within their first 30 days, and refresh training as new Copilot capabilities arrive (I6, M6) • Reported as: People trained by role; new joiners onboarded within 30 days; trained users active within 30 days • 2 to 4 hours saved per active user a week (≈5,000 to 10,000 hours across 2,500 active users) • 90%+ of trained users active within 30 days of training • New joiners productive with Copilot in their first month, not their first quarter Usage and impact analytics • Effort: 1 to 2 days a month • Activity: Track incremental paid active users against the Milestone 2 band every month, extend the Copilot Dashboard with third-party data, and build custom impact reports by function (A3, M1) • Reported as: Incremental active users against the band; utilisation (active users ÷ paid seats); impact by function • Utilisation lifted from 33% to 83% (1,000 to 2,500 active users) within six months, meeting the M band floor • ≈$540K a year of Copilot investment moved from unused to in use • Return shown in the customer's own numbers: ≈$1.08M a year of seats against $9.6M+ of staff time released at $40 per hour Policy lifecycle management • Effort: 1 day a month • Activity: Review and refine security and governance policies on a set schedule, and align them to Home, Code and Autopilot before each capability reaches users (M3) • Reported as: Policy reviews completed on schedule; new capabilities assessed before rollout; open policy exceptions • New Copilot capabilities switched on in weeks, not quarters, because policies are ready • Zero Copilot-related oversharing incidents as usage grows • Audit evidence for every policy decision available on request Service and AI spend optimisation • Effort: 1 to 2 days a month • Activity: Review KPIs, user feedback and AI spend each month, update the service management plan, and focus usage-based capabilities on the users and scenarios that justify them (M4) • Reported as: KPI trend; AI spend against budget; feedback themes closed • AI spend held within ±10% of budget, with no unplanned overage • Cost per active user down 10 to 20% a year as usage matures • Top user feedback themes acted on within 30 days Licence growth and wave planning • Effort: 1 day a month, plus 2 to 3 days per expansion wave • Activity: Convert trial licences to paid, prepare commercial proposals for named teams, and plan and date the next expansion wave (T1, T2, X1) • Reported as: Trials converted; proposals signed; next wave dated with named teams • New seats added only where a named team and use case are ready • Each new wave at 80%+ utilisation within 60 days • Wave 2 adds 250 to 500 seats, each backed by usage data from wave 1 Outcomes are illustrative targets for an M-size customer with 3,000 paid Copilot seats and 1,000 active users at nomination, at $30 per user per month, a blended $40 per hour staff cost and 48 working weeks a year. Validate them with each customer when you define success metrics (P3) and build the business case (P4), then report against them from A3 onwards. Effort scales with seats in scope, as the engagement hours do. Add the recurring rows together and one M-size customer sustains roughly 8 to 9 partner days a month after close-out, before expansion waves are counted. Every row pairs a number you can invoice against with a number the sponsor can take to the board. That is what turns a recurring service into a renewable one. Ready to Build Your Copilot Deployment Accelerator Offer? Read the engagement terms and mechanics in the Microsoft Commercial Partner Incentives Guide, and download the delivery guide and pre-engagement planning resources. Check your eligibility: Copilot JumpStart Ready or higher until 31 December 2026, then the Microsoft 365 Copilot specialization from 1 January 2027. Publish your offer in Partner Center as a professional service (the deployment accelerator) with a managed service follow-on (community, learning, analytics, policy, spend optimisation and licence growth). Build your first cohort: in ASPX, filter the customers you manage for paid Copilot seats with low Copilot utilisation and an adoption status of starting or struggling, then check MCI eligibility and potential earnings for each. Start with customers from your Envisioning & POC engagements that converted to paid. Nominate the right band: the band is locked at nomination and Milestone 2 pays only if incremental paid active users reach its floor. Use ASPX to set it: take today's Copilot MAU as your baseline, look at the recent trend and adoption status, and pick the band whose floor you can realistically add in six months. A customer with 3,000 paid seats and 1,000 active users qualifies for M, and reaching the M floor means adding 1,500 active users. If your plan adds 600, S is the safer choice. Book the close-out before Plan begins, so the Milestone 2 plan and the wave 2 conversation are already on the calendar. Your customers have already chosen Copilot. Help every one of their people make it part of how they work. Resources Engagement mechanics for Copilot Deployment Accelerators | Microsoft Commercial Partner Incentives Guide Microsoft Commercial Partner Incentives Guide M365 Copilot Deployment Accelerator: Delivery Guide M365 Copilot Deployment Accelerator: Pre-Engagement Planning Partner investments: October 2026 updates Archived incentive terms for claims nominated before 1 October 2026 The new Copilot is here: the opportunity for Microsoft partners Introducing the new Copilot with Home, Code and AutopilotMicrosoft 365 Champion community call | September 2026 | AM
Join our next community call on September 22, 2026, to learn more about the OneDrive in mobile experience. Host: Tiffany Lee Guest: Lisa Miao Moderator: Jessie Hwang 📢 NOTE: our community call formats are Teams webinars so you must register at https://aka.ms/M365ChampionCallAM to receive the link to join. The join link will be sent to you in email with your webinar registration confirmation. 🗨️ Each call includes an open Q&A discussion section at the end, where you'll have a chance to ask your questions about Microsoft 365. 👋 Was this forwarded to you? Join the Microsoft 365 Champion program today! Champions combine technical acumen with people skills to drive meaningful change. Our community calls are open to everyone, but only Champion program members have access to the presentation resources (access link is in the initial welcome email and in the monthly newsletters). Join now: https://aka.ms/M365Champions. 🎥 The recording will be available on-demand on the Driving Adoption community and our YouTube Community Learning channel later in the week. Note: If you are unable to watch the recording on YouTube, try watching it here.Microsoft 365 Champion community call | September 2026 | PM
Join our next community call on September 22, 2026, to learn more about the OneDrive in mobile experience. Host: Tiffany Lee Guest: Lisa Miao Moderator: Jessie Hwang 📢 NOTE: our community call formats are Teams webinars so you must register at https://aka.ms/M365ChampionCallPM to receive the link to join. The join link will be sent to you in email with your webinar registration confirmation. 🗨️ Each call includes an open Q&A discussion section at the end, where you'll have a chance to ask your questions about Microsoft 365. 👋 Was this forwarded to you? Join the Microsoft 365 Champion program today! Champions combine technical acumen with people skills to drive meaningful change. Our community calls are open to everyone, but only Champion program members have access to the presentation resources (access link is in the initial welcome email and in the monthly newsletters). Join now: https://aka.ms/M365Champions. 🎥 The recording will be available on-demand on the Driving Adoption community and our YouTube Community Learning channel later in the week. Note: If you are unable to watch the recording on YouTube, try watching it here.ESPC Microsoft 365 and AI 2026 Event Guide
Event at a Glance ESPC is Europe's premier Microsoft 365 and AI conference. It brings together IT professionals, business leaders, developers, architects, partners, MVPs, community leaders, and Microsoft experts to learn, connect, and explore the latest innovations across Microsoft 365, Copilot, Teams, SharePoint, and more. Microsoft is a lead partner and headline sponsor, using ESPC as a key opportunity to engage with customers, partners, and the Microsoft community. Dates: November 30 - December 3, 2026 Location: RAI Amsterdam, Netherlands Venue: RAI Amsterdam, Europaplein 24, 1078 GZ Amsterdam, Netherlands (Entrance C) Hashtag: #ESPC26 Microsoft Role: Headline Sponsor Sessions: 35+ Microsoft-led Speakers: 100+ (MVPs, RDs, Microsoft and community members) Why Attend ESPC 2026? ESPC is where the Microsoft community comes together to learn, connect, and shape what’s next. From Microsoft keynotes and product-maker sessions to hands-on demos, community meetups, and networking opportunities, attendees gain direct access to the people building the technologies they use every day. ESPC is known for its welcoming community atmosphere, making it easy to learn from peers, share ideas, and build meaningful professional relationships. Learn from Microsoft - Hear directly from Microsoft leaders, engineers, product makers, and customer experience experts as they share the latest developments across Microsoft 365, Copilot, Teams, SharePoint, Power Platform, Security, Fabric, Azure, and AI. Explore What's New in AI and Copilot - Discover how organizations are adopting AI, deploying Copilot, building agents, and transforming productivity. Gain practical guidance, real-world insights, and technical knowledge you can take back to your team. Get Hands-On with Innovation - Visit the Microsoft Innovation Hub to experience live demos, engage with product experts, explore new capabilities, and participate in interactive experiences designed to help you learn by doing. Connect with the Community - Meet MVPs, partners, customers, developers, architects, IT professionals, and community leaders from around the world. Whether in a session, the Community Lounge, a meetup, or a networking event, ESPC creates opportunities to build lasting connections. Return with Actionable Ideas - Beyond inspiration, ESPC focuses on practical learning. Attendees leave with new skills, proven approaches, and fresh perspectives they can immediately apply to modernize collaboration, accelerate adoption, strengthen governance, and drive AI-powered transformation within their organizations Microsoft Presence Microsoft will have a significant presence throughout the conference, including: Microsoft keynotes and product announcements Product makers, engineers, and customer experience leaders Microsoft-led breakout sessions Innovation Hub experience on the expo floor Innovation Stage lightning talks Ask the Expert opportunities Executive engagement activities Women in Tech & Allies programming Community meetups and networking experiences Meet the Microsoft Keynote speakers Jeff Teper, Executive Vice President, Microsoft Apps & Agents Karuana Gatimu, Director, Microsoft SCALE Experience Group, AI & Collaboration Vesa Juvonen, Principal Product Manager Keynotes Microsoft Opening Keynote | Tuesday, December 1 | 9:00 AM The AI-Powered Enterprise Speaker: Jeff Teper, Executive Vice President, Microsoft Apps & Agents Microsoft's opening keynote will explore how the biggest AI value gains extend beyond individual applications and personal productivity gains. They emerge when organizations connect people, knowledge, business processes, data, workflows, and agents into a unified operating model. You can expect valuable insights into business transformation trends, product innovation, and demos to show how everyday work is evolving. Whether you're a decision maker, business leader, or technology professional, this session will offer practical perspectives on navigating the next wave of digital transformation. Demonstrations Miceile Barrett, Principal Group Product Manager, Michel Bouman, Senior Program Manager, Kendra Springer, Principal Group PM Manager Microsoft Product Keynote | Wednesday, December 2 | 9:00 AM Leading Through Change: Fireside Conversations on AI, Productivity, and Business Transformation Speaker: Karuana Gatimu, Director of the Microsoft SCALE Experience Group, AI & Collaboration A product-focused keynote highlighting customer adoption, community innovation, and practical approaches for leveraging Microsoft 365 Copilot, agents, and modern workplace technologies. Known for translating complex technology into actionable guidance, Karuana will share practical insights, real-world examples, and best practices that you can take back to your teams. From collaboration and productivity to AI-powered innovation, this keynote will provide valuable inspiration for organizations looking to maximize their Microsoft investments. Closing Keynote | Thursday, December 3 | 9:00 AM Crafting the Next Era of Work with AI and Empathy Speaker: Vesa Juvonen, Principal Product Manager, Microsoft As organizations continue to embrace AI, one question becomes increasingly important: how do we balance technological advancement with human connection? In this keynote, Vesa Juvonen will explore how innovation and empathy can work together to shape the future workplace. Through practical examples and relatable insights, Vesa will share ideas for embracing new technologies while keeping people at the center of transformation efforts. Whether you're leading organizational change, building solutions, supporting users, or exploring ways to work smarter, this session will provide actionable ideas to help you navigate the evolving world of work. Microsoft sessions Tuesday: 10:15-11:15 - Frontier transformation with Microsoft Copilot and Work IQ with John Mighell, Microsoft / Shanna Bosmans, Microsoft 10:15-11:15 - Microsoft Teams: Harnessing agents where work gets done with Matt Slomka, Microsoft 11:45-12:45 - Agent 365: Securing, Governing, and Managing the Agentic Enterprise with Sesha Mani, Microsoft / Vinod Kurpad, Microsoft 11:45-12:45 - Extending Microsoft Copilot: Understanding Your Options with Vesa Juvonen, Microsoft / Paolo Pialorsi, Microsoft 11:45-12:45 - OneDrive: Your Hub for Productivity and Collaboration Excellence (Product Team Overview) with Arjun Tomar, Microsoft / Lincoln DeMaris, Microsoft 14:00-15:00 - Harnessing Connectors to Power Intelligent Agents in Microsoft 365 with Manas Biswas, Microsoft 15:15-16:15 - Modernize Legacy Systems for the Copilot Era with SharePoint Embedded with Marc Windle, Microsoft / James Eccles, Microsoft 15:15-16:15 - Copilot Cowork in Action: What It Is, How to Get It & What You Can Do With It with Melissa Hale, Kerv / Daniel Laskewitz, Microsoft 16:45-17:45 - Giving your office eyes, ears and a brain with Michel Bouman, Microsoft / Matt Slomka, Microsoft 16:45-17:45 - Build Once, Ground Everywhere: Developing Agents with the WorkIQ API with Shyam Narayan, Microsoft / Yogesh Ratnaparkhi, Microsoft Wednesday: 10:15-11:15 - SharePoint: The Knowledge Platform for Copilot & Agents (Product Team Overview) with Zach Rosenfield, Microsoft / Miceile Barrett, Microsoft 11:45-12:45 - OneDrive: Your Hub for Productivity and Collaboration Excellence (Product Team Overview) with Arjun Tomar, Microsoft / Lincoln DeMaris, Microsoft 14:00-15:00 - Secure your Copilot Era: 3Rs you should care: Readiness-Relevancy-Resiliency with Brad Gussin, Microsoft / Kartik Pullabhotla, Microsoft 15:15-16:15 - Unlocking Business Value with Copilot, Agents, and Content Automation with Bryan Wofford, Microsoft / Karuana Gatimu, Microsoft 16:45-17:45 - Digital Me: Meet Your Microsoft Scout with TBA, Microsoft 16:45-17:45 - M365 Content Governing Agent powered by SAM. Governing Content at the Speed of AI with Sanjoyan Mustafi, Microsoft / Jill McClenahan, Microsoft Thursday: 11:45-12:45 - How to avoid “(fin)Ooops” in AI: practical tokenomics for Copilot agents with Hanna Engel, Microsoft 11:45-12:45 - MCP in Power Platform: One Year Later – Building Custom MCP Servers with Low Code with Daniel Laskewitz, Microsoft / Mats Necker, MVP, dhino 15:15-16:15 - From Conversation to Action: Building Copilot Apps That Transform Work with Vesa Juvonen, Microsoft / Bert Jansen, Microsoft Community Sessions There are over 100 sessions presented by the Microsoft Community – Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs), Regional Directors, Microsoft Global Community Initiative Board Members and Regional Leads, Microsoft Partners and more. ESPC also has a Programme Team that curates all of the content for the event. Thank you Luise Freese, Maarten Eekels, Rik Hepworth, and Chris O’Brien for your curation, partnership and working so hard to architect a fabulous programme for 2026. Learn more about the team here: European SharePoint Conference 2026 | ESPC 2026 Microsoft Innovation Hub The Innovation Hub serves as Microsoft's home on the ESPC expo floor and gives attendees opportunities to interact directly with product teams through demos, conversations, and hands-on experiences. We are excited to announce that Dona Sarkar, Principal CX Program Manager, Microsoft will be leading a learning promptahon workshop in the Ideation Lab. More info and a few other activations with names you know to be announced. Innovation Hub Zones Innovation Stage Lightning talks Live demos Product-maker presentations Demo Stations Microsoft Copilot Copilot Studio and Agents OneDrive & SharePoint AI Adoption Surface + AI Skilling Bar Surface devices with AI integration AI skilling experiences Practical learning scenarios Ideation Lab Interactive workshops Community collaboration Future-of-work discussions Planned Hours Tuesday: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Wednesday: 10:15 AM - 6:00 PM Thursday: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Community Activities Microsoft is partnering closely with the broader Microsoft community to deliver: Community Lounge meetups Ask the Expert activities Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) engagement Microsoft Global Community Initiative (MGCI) engagement Innovation Stage presentations Community networking opportunities Community activities are integrated directly into the Innovation Hub and Community Lounge experience, creating opportunities for attendees to engage with Microsoft leaders, MVPs, partners, and community organizers. Women in Tech & Allies Activities WIT Community Lounge Meetup Calling all Women in Tech and Allies! Join us during lunch on the first day of ESPC to say hello, make new connections, and perhaps find an ESPC show buddy. This is a casual meetup with no formal agenda. Simply pick up your lunch and join us at the tables marked with WITA signs. Date: Tuesday, December 1 Time: 12:45 –2:00 PM CET Location: Community Lounge Inspire Stage breakout Leading with Allyship: Building Inclusive Communities in the Age of AI Date: Wednesday, December 2 Time: 10:15–11:15 AM CET Location: Inspire Stage Hosts: Heather Cook, Principal Customer Experience Manager, Microsoft and Femke Cornelissen, Chief AI Transformation Officer, Wortell Panelists: Jayshree Ostwal, MVP, Manager, AI Solution Architect, Avanade, Lindsay Shelton, MVP, Digital Workplace Advisor, Epiq, Merethe Stave, MVP, Chief Customer Officer and Senior Cloud Architect, CloudWay, Onyinye Madubuko,MVP, Senior M365 Consultant, Ergo, Reshmee Auckloo, MVP, Modern Workplace Associate Manager, Avanade Women in Tech & Allies Lunch Shaping the Future Together: Women in Tech and Allies Driving Change Date: Wednesday, December 2 Time: 12:45-2:00 PM CET Location: Elicium 1 Host: Heather Cook, Principal Customer Experience Manager, Microsoft Panelists: Danielle Moon, Sr. Specialist – AI Business Process, Women in Power Platform, Microsoft, Karuana Gatimu, Director of the Microsoft SCALE Experience Group, AI & Collaboration, Microsoft, Jessie Hwang, Customer Experience Product Manager, Microsoft, Hanna Engel, Cloud Solution Architect | Azure & AI, Microsoft, Dona Sarkar, Chief Troublemaker | Enterprise AI Advocacy, Microsoft, Ioana-Cristina Sbiera, Field Integrated Marketing Manager, Microsoft Microsoft Event Team Executive Producer - Heather Cook, Principal Customer Experience Manager, Microsoft Content Narrative Lead – Bryan Wofford, Principal Customer Experience Manager, Microsoft Community & Innovation Hub Lead – Jonathan Jones, Customer Experience Program Manager, Microsoft ESPC Organizers Thank you to our event producers: Bridgette Robertson, Partnership Development & Programme Executive, Ella Murphy, Marketing Manager, Joanne Mangan, Product & Partner Manager, John Carroll, Business Development Lead, Katie Boland, Events Administrator, Kevin Monahan, General Manager, Sarah Grech, Events Coordinator, Sean Colleran, Marketing Executive Links and Social Event Resources - ESPC Website Social Media Hashtag – #ESPC26 X/Twitter – ESPC Community LinkedIn – ESPC LinkedIn Instagram – ESPC_Community See you there! ESPC 2026 represents an important opportunity to connect product makers, customers, partners, MVPs, and the broader Microsoft community in one of the most engaged Microsoft ecosystems in the world. Across four days of learning, networking, hands-on experiences, and community-led conversations, Microsoft will showcase the latest innovations in Microsoft 365, Copilot, AI, Teams, SharePoint, Power Platform, Fabric, Security, and Azure while creating meaningful opportunities for attendees to learn, connect, and share what’s next. We look forward to welcoming the community to Amsterdam and making ESPC 2026 a memorable, inclusive, and impactful experience for everyone involved. See you at ESPC 2026. #ESPC26
