https://www.xperience-group.com/news-item/the-growing-role-of-ai-driven-tools-in-uk-smes/
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer an emerging trend – it’s very quickly becoming an important part of how small and mid-sized businesses (SME’s) operate and grow. Across the UK, SMEs are increasingly implementing AI to automate processes, drive productivity, and unlock valuable insights from the tools they already use.
Microsoft Copilot is one of the most important of these AI tools. It’s an AI assistant built into Microsoft 365 that with increased use is changing the way users are working.
Since it was first made readily available, AI adoption has been growing quickly. According to Startups Magazine, 58% of UK SMEs plan to implement AI in 2025 – up from 40% in 2023. The SAP UK News Centre also reports that 92% of UK businesses now consider AI adoption a high or medium priority.
AI is helping businesses work smarter in several ways. It increases efficiency by automating repetitive tasks, freeing your staff to work on higher value tasks. It helps teams make better decisions by giving quicker access to insights, cutting down the time and effort spent on manual analysis. It also reduces costs by boosting efficiency – letting businesses achieve more with fewer resources, without sacrificing quality or results.
Your Microsoft 365 subscription gives you access to Microsoft Copilot which integrates directly into your Microsoft 365 applications like Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, and SharePoint. This means employees can access powerful AI capabilities without leaving the tools they use every day.
In Outlook, Copilot can draft, summarise, and refine emails. In Word, it can help generate and edit documents quickly and accurately. Excel users benefit from data analysis and visualisation tools powered by AI, making it easier to spot trends and insights. In Teams, Copilot can summarise meetings and generate follow-up actions. And in SharePoint, it improves content discovery and enables smarter workflows by understanding context and user needs. Watch a demo of Copilot Chat here to see just how easy it can make your day-to-day life.
This embedded intelligence helps turn familiar tools into engines of innovation and productivity.
To get the most out of AI tools like Copilot, businesses need the right foundations in place. That begins with having clean, well-organised, and accessible data. Your business must also have robust governance and security practices to make sure information is handled correctly and compliantly. Finally, it’s important to have the right Microsoft 365 setup and licensing to ensure compatibility and scalability.
These foundations are important not just for a successful implementation but also to allow you to continue seeing, measurable results from AI investments.
Businesses using Copilot are already seeing a real impact. According to Microsoft, 70% of users were more productive and 68% said it improved the quality of their work. Another 29% said it made them faster carrying out tasks like writing and searching. 77% said that once they started using Copilot, they never wanted to give it up.
These outcomes are not limited to large enterprises – UK SMEs are achieving them right now by integrating AI into their day-to-day operations.
AI has quickly moved from a “nice to have” to a business essential. With Microsoft Copilot, UK SMEs have access to a practical, scalable solution that boosts productivity, enhances decision-making, and sharpens their competitive edge.
Now is the time to assess your AI readiness and explore how your business can benefit from tools that work where you work – inside Microsoft 365.
For more information on Copilot, sign up to our webinar.