Catch the AI Train Before your Employees Leave the Station
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the way businesses communicate and collaborate with Microsoft’s Work Trend Index report showing that 75% of knowledge workers globally are now using generative AI in their roles. However, without a clear strategy, the swift adoption can pose risks to data security and compliance. In fact, the report shows that 78% of AI users are bringing their own AI tools into the workplace, often without formal approval or oversight. This blog explores how IT leaders can harness AI’s potential – within unified communication and collaboration – with tools such as Microsoft Copilot – to improve employee experience, and drive customer satisfaction, all while ensuring the safe and responsible use of AI.
The Rise of AI in Communication & Collaboration
Given that the Work Trend Index report also shows the 68% of people say they don’t have enough uninterrupted focus time at work, it’s not surprising that AI-powered tools such as automated transcriptions, meeting summaries, and AI-driven customer support chatbots are becoming increasingly common in businesses today.
Often employees are organically adopting AI applications without official guidance, leading to a fragmented AI landscape. However, without governance, employees may use unapproved AI tools that put sensitive business data at risk. A Forbes article highlights that unmanaged AI can lead to the loss of intellectual property and exposure of sensitive data. As Andy Bates, Change and Adoption Manager at Resonate, notes
“Not only do you have the risk of data leaks there is also the practicality of managing your cyber security, and regulatory non-compliance. Then the practical thing of employees using inferior products providing a lower accuracy due to using free versions.”
Key Benefits of AI-Powered Tools in Communication and Collaboration
Meeting tools such as AI-generated summaries and transcriptions eliminate the need for manual notetaking, allowing employees to focus on discussions, and automated action item tracking ensures that meeting outcomes translate into actionable steps. AI-powered scheduling, workflow automation, and predictive text tools streamline daily tasks, enabling employees to focus on higher-value work instead of administrative tasks.
AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants enhance customer service by providing instant, relevant responses, reducing the need for mundane enquiries to be directed to valuable human agents – freeing them up to deal with more complex queries. It also enables information relevant to the customers query to be made instantly available to human agents speeding up and improving query response.
At the same time, AI-driven analytics offer valuable insights, helping businesses personalise customer experiences and, with features such as semantics analysis, to identify areas for improvement. The list goes on!
Common Challenges IT Leaders Face
Notwithstanding the benefits above, ensuring that AI tools do not compromise company data or intellectual property is a major concern. Also, as Eswar Prakash explains,
“One of the key requirements for successful AI implementation is the availability of high-quality data to train and work with the models. Documents, from which, an organisation requires answers from AI need to be created and maintained using well known structure and formats. Data which requires to be used to train AI models require to be clean and normalised. Even before embarking on an AI implementation, one of the most important exercises which an organisation requires to do is to ensure their data assets are in order”
Selecting AI models that comply with enterprise security standards is another critical point for maintaining control. Organisations must establish clear policies on how AI should be used in a compliant and ethical manner while avoiding potential regulatory pitfalls by ensuring AI aligns with GDPR and industry standards.
Additionally, AI solutions should seamlessly integrate with the tools they use, such as Microsoft Teams and other unified communication tools to avoid tool overload and ensure a smooth adoption process.
Why You Need an AI Strategy Now
Deploying AI responsibly involves selecting enterprise-grade models that protect sensitive data and ensure AI-generated content aligns with company policies and ethical considerations. AI should enhance—not replace—human interactions, with investments contributing to measurable productivity and collaboration gains. Defining best practices for AI adoption within the organisation and educating employees on the risks of using unauthorised AI tools will be crucial for a successful AI implementation.
Leveraging AI in Microsoft Teams for Maximum Impact
Microsoft’s AI tools, such as Copilot 365, integrate seamlessly with Teams and can transform collaboration by improving meetings, emails, and workflow automation. AI-driven insights help businesses optimise their communication strategies. AI-assisted transcription and translation break down language barriers in global teams, while automated call routing and smart scheduling reduce administrative overhead. Not only is AI embedded in the core of many solutions that Resonate sell today, especially in Teams Contact Centre, but our architects are also building AI tools to help employees and customers such as: an AI help function to help employees make the most of Microsoft Teams features, or a CoPilot Studio chatbot to surface relevant information to agents dealing with customer incidents.
Next Steps: Implementing AI with Confidence
Assessing current AI usage within the organisation and defining a roadmap for AI adoption that aligns with business goals is essential for success. Organisations must provide training sessions to familiarise employees with approved AI tools while ensuring staff understand AI’s limitations and ethical considerations. Implementing role-based access to AI-powered tools and ensuring compliance with internal security and governance policies are best practices that organisations should follow when rolling out AI solutions. Working with trusted AI and Microsoft Teams specialists to deploy AI securely and conducting workshops to define the right AI strategy will ensure smooth implementation and maximise the benefits of AI.
Conclusion: The Future of AI in Unified Communications
AI is set to redefine communication and collaboration – don’t leave your strategy to chance. Establishing a governance framework that allows for innovation while protecting sensitive information and regularly reviewing and updating AI policies to align with evolving business needs will help organisations stay ahead. If you’re looking for expert guidance on implementing AI responsibly within Microsoft Teams, Resonate can help. Reach out to explore how AI can be tailored to your organisation’s needs.
