Copilot Podcast: Microsoft’s Michelle Albright Explores How Microsoft Copilot Improves Field Service Experience for Users

In episode 10 of the “Copilot Podcast,” host Aaron Back is joined by Michelle Albright, US Global Black Belt — Services, Microsoft. The two discuss how Microsoft Copilot enhances the functionality of Dynamics 365 Field Service for frontline workers and managers, and how AI and Copilot are reshaping the conversations with customers and users.

This episode is sponsored by Community Summit North America, the largest independent gathering of the Microsoft Business Applications ecosystem, taking place Oct. 13-17, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Register today to connect with thousands of users across the Microsoft business applications ecosystem at the for user, by user event.

Highlights

01:00 — Michelle is currently going on her eighth year at Microsoft. Prior to her role here, she worked for two large Microsoft partners, where she helped a team “build out the Service piece of Dynamics.” When Microsoft purchased Field One, Michelle was in the first training around this platform.

04:37 — With the infusion of Microsoft Copilot across the entire Microsoft Business Applications ecosystem, Aaron asks Michelle how this is changing the conversations she’s having with customers. On the Field Service side of things, Michelle notes how users are always looking for ways to automate their processes. Now embedded with Copilot capabilities, it’s possible for users to interact directly with the AI technology to pull knowledge-base articles or talk to Microsoft Copilot directly.

08:24 — Michelle explains how simple it is to enable Microsoft Copilot in Dynamics 365 Field Service, and how some customers are benefitting from its capabilities, noting the example of the recent feature that integrates (and generates) Dynamics 365 Field Service Work Orders to Outlook. In this context, Microsoft Copilot goes beyond automation and helps users enhance their level of productivity.

13:11 — Michelle describes some of the new Copilot solutions now available in Field Service. Users can troubleshoot fixes by reviewing the available guides — which previously required the use of HoloLens — which has helped to reduce the time spent on fixes. Another capability is Remote Assist, which allows Field Service workers to communicate directly with supervisors, either via voice notes or chat. These annotations and notes can be added to an ongoing Work Order, so teams can truly see their ROI.

16:49 — As far as skills go, Michelle notes how easy it is to install Microsoft Copilot for Dynamics 365 Field Service. Similarly, Copilot can help generate and summarize Work Orders and associated costs which has helped reduce the overall time spent.

21:14 — Michelle continues to explore the impact that Copilot has on Field Service frontline workers and managers. Managers, she explains, appreciate the generated summaries of Work Orders to get a sense of when and how things happened in the field. Similarly, she notes how updates on incident types have given managers visibility into field operations and allow them to update the incident type accordingly, making better use of resources.

Stream the audio version of this episode here: