Accenture, Microsoft and Avanade Help Enterprises Reinvent Business Functions and Industries with Generative AI and Copilot
Accenture, Microsoft, and Avanade are launching a Copilot business transformation practice to help organizations implement AI technologies. The initiative includes a team of 5,000 professionals supported by Microsoft specialists and access to over 50,000 Microsoft Copilot-trained professionals. Early results show significant impact: Repsol employees are saving an average of 121 minutes per week, with maintenance roles saving up to 225 minutes weekly. The partnership focuses on developing industry-specific Copilots, custom solutions, and AI-powered workflows, with Accenture planning to expand its Microsoft 365 Copilot users from 100,000 to approximately 200,000.
Accenture, Microsoft e Avanade stanno lanciando una pratica di trasformazione aziendale Copilot per aiutare le organizzazioni nell'implementazione delle tecnologie AI. L'iniziativa include un team di 5.000 professionisti supportati da specialisti Microsoft e l'accesso a oltre 50.000 professionisti formati su Microsoft Copilot. I primi risultati mostrano un impatto significativo: i dipendenti di Repsol risparmiano in media 121 minuti a settimana, con i ruoli di manutenzione che risparmiano fino a 225 minuti settimanali. La partnership si concentra sullo sviluppo di Copilot specifici per settore, soluzioni personalizzate e flussi di lavoro potenziati dall'AI, con Accenture che pianifica di espandere gli utenti di Microsoft 365 Copilot da 100.000 a circa 200.000.
Accenture, Microsoft y Avanade están lanzando una práctica de transformación empresarial de Copilot para ayudar a las organizaciones a implementar tecnologías de IA. La iniciativa incluye un equipo de 5,000 profesionales apoyados por especialistas de Microsoft y acceso a más de 50,000 profesionales capacitados en Microsoft Copilot. Los primeros resultados muestran un impacto significativo: los empleados de Repsol están ahorrando un promedio de 121 minutos por semana, con los roles de mantenimiento ahorrando hasta 225 minutos semanales. La asociación se centra en desarrollar Copilots específicos de la industria, soluciones personalizadas y flujos de trabajo con inteligencia artificial, con Accenture planeando expandir sus usuarios de Microsoft 365 Copilot de 100,000 a aproximadamente 200,000.
액센추어, 마이크로소프트 및 아바나드는 AI 기술 구현을 지원하기 위해 코파일럿 비즈니스 전환 실습을 시작합니다. 이 이니셔티브에는 마이크로소프트 전문가의 지원을 받는 5,000명의 전문가 팀과 50,000명 이상의 마이크로소프트 코파일럿 교육을 받은 전문가들에 대한 접근이 포함됩니다. 초기 결과는 상당한 영향을 보여주고 있습니다: 레프솔 직원들은 평균 주당 121분을 절약하고 있으며, 유지보수 역할은 주당 최대 225분을 절약하고 있습니다. 이 파트너십은 산업별 코파일럿, 맞춤형 솔루션 및 AI 기반 워크플로 개발에 중점을 두고 있으며, 액센추어는 마이크로소프트 365 코파일럿 사용자를 100,000명에서 약 200,000명으로 확장할 계획입니다.
Accenture, Microsoft et Avanade lancent une pratique de transformation des affaires avec Copilot pour aider les organisations à mettre en œuvre des technologies d'IA. L'initiative comprend une équipe de 5 000 professionnels soutenus par des spécialistes de Microsoft et un accès à plus de 50 000 professionnels formés au Microsoft Copilot. Les premiers résultats montrent un impact significatif : les employés de Repsol économisent en moyenne 121 minutes par semaine, avec des rôles de maintenance économisant jusqu'à 225 minutes par semaine. Le partenariat se concentre sur le développement de Copilots spécifiques à l'industrie, de solutions sur mesure et de workflows alimentés par l'IA, Accenture prévoyant d'étendre le nombre d'utilisateurs de Microsoft 365 Copilot de 100 000 à environ 200 000.
Accenture, Microsoft und Avanade starten eine Copilot-Geschäftstransformationspraxis, um Organisationen bei der Implementierung von KI-Technologien zu unterstützen. Die Initiative umfasst ein Team von 5.000 Fachleuten, das von Microsoft-Spezialisten unterstützt wird und Zugang zu über 50.000 Microsoft Copilot-ausgebildeten Fachleuten hat. Erste Ergebnisse zeigen einen erheblichen Einfluss: Die Mitarbeiter von Repsol sparen im Durchschnitt 121 Minuten pro Woche, wobei Wartungspositionen bis zu 225 Minuten wöchentlich einsparen. Die Partnerschaft konzentriert sich auf die Entwicklung branchenspezifischer Copilots, maßgeschneiderter Lösungen und KI-gestützter Workflows, wobei Accenture plant, die Nutzer von Microsoft 365 Copilot von 100.000 auf etwa 200.000 zu erweitern.
- Implementation at Repsol shows 16% enhancement in productivity and output quality
- Maintenance roles achieving 225 minutes weekly time savings per employee
- Engineering roles saving 97 hours annually per employee
- Potential 15% cost savings through supplier discovery and risk agent
- Up to 40% efficiency improvement in procure-to-pay processes
- None.
Insights
This strategic partnership marks a significant expansion in enterprise AI adoption capabilities. The launch of a dedicated Copilot business transformation practice with 5,000 professionals and access to 50,000 trained specialists represents a substantial competitive advantage. The early results from Repsol showcase impressive efficiency gains, with employees saving
The development of industry-specific Copilots and custom agents, particularly in manufacturing and retail, indicates strong commercialization potential. The commitment to scale from 100,000 to 200,000 Microsoft 365 Copilot users demonstrates confidence in the technology's ROI. The supplier discovery agent's projected
Companies invest in launch of Copilot business transformation practice, new capabilities and client training to accelerate and scale gen AI adoption
Copilot enables transformation for clients such as Repsol and Bricorama
Accenture, Microsoft and Avanade Help Enterprises Reinvent Business Functions and Industries with Generative AI and Copilot (Graphic: Business Wire)
"The investment we are making with Microsoft takes our long-standing partnership to the next level, helping our clients accelerate and integrate AI at scale as a catalyst for reinvention,” said Julie Sweet, chair and CEO, Accenture. “The powerful combination of Microsoft Copilot, agentic and generative AI technologies, and Avanade’s and Accenture's deep industry and functional expertise will help enable enterprises to reimagine their processes and operations, discover innovative ways of working, strengthen their security and open up new pathways to value.”
The Copilot business transformation practice will provide the technology and industry experience clients need to help accelerate and expand their use of Copilot and agents across the enterprise. The companies will collaborate on AI and Copilot agent templates, extensions, plugins and connectors to help organizations leverage their data and gen AI to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and drive growth. The companies will help clients leverage Microsoft’s gen AI-powered security capabilities to elevate the efficiency of their security operations and help analysts make better, faster decisions.
The practice consists of 5,000 professionals from Accenture and Avanade, supported by Microsoft product specialists who will work closely with the Accenture Center for Advanced AI. The team will tap into more than 50,000 Microsoft Copilot-trained professionals across Accenture and Avanade to help deliver industry and functional transformation. Clients will have access to specialized engineers and early access to the latest technologies, including the Accenture AI Refinery™, to create custom models and solutions. Accenture will leverage learnings from its use and deployment of 100,000 Microsoft 365 Copilots and agents, with a commitment to expand to approximately 200,000 users.
“We are pleased to deepen our collaboration with Accenture to help our mutual customers develop AI-first business processes responsibly and securely, while helping them drive market differentiation,” said Judson Althoff, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Microsoft. “By bringing together Copilots and human ambition, paired with the autonomous capabilities of an agent, we can accelerate AI transformation for organizations across industries and help them realize successful business outcomes through pragmatic innovation.”
Accenture and Avanade have already developed agents to streamline workflows, boost revenue and enhance customer experience. For example, a supplier discovery and risk agent can deliver real-time market insights, agile supply chain responses and better vendor selection, which could result in up to
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Microsoft 365 Copilot – The companies have developed M365 Copilot solutions such as a readiness assessment and value accelerator, among others, to help clients effectively implement and successfully adopt and scale the technology for maximum value. They are helping Repsol, a global multi-energy company, deploy M365 Copilot and a four month study has shown impressive results. Employees are saving a gross average of 121 minutes per week, enhancing productivity and the quality of outputs by
16% . Additionally,61% favor the AI-enhanced workflows, noting improved confidence and motivation. Productivity gains were most significant in technical and professional roles, with engineering roles saving nearly 97 hours annually per employee. Maintenance roles saw even greater benefits, saving about 225 minutes weekly, which significantly enhanced the precision and consistency required in their tasks. These results underscore the transformative potential of generative AI in optimizing business operations and boosting employee satisfaction across the board.
- Industry and Functional Copilots – Together, the companies have developed Copilots for a variety of industries and functions including finance, manufacturing, supply chain, retail and consumer goods and healthcare. For example, they developed a Manufacturing Copilot powered by Microsoft Manufacturing Data Solutions in Fabric, to transform the shop floor and the way factory workers operate.
- Custom Copilots and Agents – The companies are using Microsoft Copilot Studio to extend foundational Copilots, like M365 Copilot and industry and role-based Copilots, with enterprise knowledge to create autonomous agents that act on certain triggers or on the intent of the user to implement AI-powered, responsible and efficient workflows. Avanade and Accenture helped Bricorama, a French home improvement retailer, create a custom home improvement Copilot called "pAInt." The pAInt app uses Azure OpenAI to guide customers through their projects.
Udacity, part of Accenture LearnVantage, and Microsoft have co-created a new Azure Generative AI Engineer Nanodegree program to equip learners with the skills to design, build, and operationalize AI-driven applications on Azure. In this fully online program, learners will use AI models to solve real-world problems through automation, data insights, and generative AI solutions. Learners will develop custom Microsoft 365 Copilot applications and implement models through hands-on projects with personalized support from industry advisors. Udacity’s Nanodegree program is available today and, for a limited time, learners can get started with the first lesson for free.
Deeper Collaboration
Accenture will continue to support Microsoft in the transformation of its functions – including finance, sales, marketing and HR – with Copilot, leveraging its industry, functional and generative AI consulting services. Microsoft also selected Accenture to establish four Microsoft Co-Innovation Labs to incubate blueprints for AI-led design and experimentation, with immersive showcases within Accenture offices and Microsoft Co-Innovation Labs. At the labs, the companies will build pilots, leveraging assets developed by the Copilot business transformation practice, to inspire reinvention.
Having seen the value of Microsoft Copilot in its business, Accenture will leverage the latest Copilot agentic technologies to facilitate AI enabled augmentation and help transform clients’ business processes across corporate functions and industry-specific operations.
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent- and innovation-led company with approximately 774,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology and leadership in cloud, data and AI with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. Our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Song, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients reinvent and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) creates platforms and tools powered by AI to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI available broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
About Avanade
Avanade is the world’s leading expert on Microsoft. Trusted by over 5,000 clients worldwide, we deliver reliable, AI-driven solutions that solve business challenges of all sizes and unlock the full potential of people and technology. We empower organizations to use Microsoft technology to optimize operations, drive growth, and foster innovation, enabling them to excel in delivering exceptional customer experiences.
Together with Accenture, we combine global scale with local expertise in AI, cloud, data analytics, cybersecurity, and ERP to create human-centered experiences. We are committed to doing what matters for our clients, their customers, employees and partners by designing solutions that prioritize people and drive meaningful impact.
Since 2000, Avanade has leveraged its close partnership with Microsoft to bring the latest technologies to market, serving as Microsoft’s "Client Zero" and earning, with Accenture, Microsoft’s Global SI Partner of the Year Award a record 19 times.
As a purpose-driven and responsible organization, Avanade champions diversity, inclusion, and sustainability, ensuring our work benefits society as well as drives business success.
Avanade. Do what matters. Learn more at www.avanade.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “likely,” “anticipates,” “aspires,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “positioned,” “outlook,” “goal,” “target” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance nor promises that goals or targets will be met, and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These risks include, without limitation, that the partnership might not achieve its anticipated benefits and risks and uncertainties related to the development and use of AI could harm our business, damage our reputation or give rise to legal or regulatory action, as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the “Risk Factors” heading in Accenture plc’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture’s expectations.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241114938855/en/
Hannah Unkefer
Accenture
+1 206 839 2172
hannah.m.unkefer@accenture.com
Thomas Wittek
Accenture
+49 152 52507486
thomas.wittek@accenture.com
Microsoft Media Relations, WE Communications for Microsoft
+1 425 638 7777
rapidresponse@we-worldwide.com
Claire Booty
Avanade
+44 7930760031
claire.booty@avanade.com
Source: Accenture
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