Closing the deal with Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales at Microsoft

We didn’t just hope Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales would make a difference for our sales team here at Microsoft—we measured it.

The results were outstanding.

In the first few months after adopting Copilot for Sales, our sellers experienced the following:

• Per-seller revenue went up 9.4 percent
• Opportunity per seller grew by 5 percent
• Individual win rates jumped by 20 percent

These aren’t projections or pilot estimates. They’re real results from real usage across our sales teams.

These numbers reflect more than just efficiency. They show that when AI is embedded in a sales workflow, it doesn’t just save time—it drives outcomes. Our sellers aren’t hunting for data, they’re capitalizing on leads and closing deals.

The impact is clear.

Copilot for Sales is helping Microsoft sellers focus on what matters most: building relationships, understanding customer needs, and winning business.

Understanding the need for AI-driven transformation

For years, our sellers have worked with a patchwork of tools—MSX (our internal sales platform), Dynamics 365, Outlook, Teams, pipeline trackers, and more.

Each serves a purpose, but together they created friction.

“We have great data across our tools. But it’s a ton of information to drill into while you’re going from call–to–call and you really just need to have a quick answer on something. That hasn’t been easy to do in the past.”

Jeremy Dollar, principal technology specialist, Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions

In the past, sellers had to jump between systems to update forecasts, respond to customers, and satisfy internal reporting. The result was a fragmented experience that slowed them down.

Sellers often felt they spent more time updating systems than engaging with customers.

“We have great data across our tools,” says Jeremy Dollar, a principal technology specialist with Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions (MCAPS). “But it’s a ton of information to drill into while you’re trying to work with the customer. You’re going from call–to–call and you really just need to have a quick answer on something to know in the moment what’s going on with that customer. That hasn’t been easy to do in the past.”

Dollar spends most of his time working in the Microsoft sales pipeline, helping Microsoft customers understand how they can benefit from Microsoft products and finding solutions to match their needs.

Our sellers also have the responsibility of updating sales data and maintaining CRM records.

It isn’t anyone’s favorite task. Whether it’s MSX, Dynamics, Salesforce, or a myriad of other systems, manual data entry feels like a tax on their time. Forecasts lag. Pipelines go stale. And the tools meant to help end up getting in the way.

This complexity creates friction. Sellers have to jump between systems to find customer data, update opportunities, or prepare for meetings. The lack of integration can slow them down and pull focus away from customers.

“It’s the mundane work that nobody likes to do, but we all have to do it. It’s always been a sort of ‘sales tax’ that we all associate with the CRM,” says Bob Lincavicks, a principal technical specialist with Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions.

The challenge isn’t just technical—it’s behavioral. Many sellers rely on personal systems like notebooks or spreadsheets to track contacts and deals. CRM becomes inconsistent, and data quality suffers as a result. Without a unified experience, sellers are left to stitch together their own workflows.

Moving into modern sales management with Copilot for Sales

Enter Copilot for Sales.

Copilot for Sales is our AI-powered assistant built specifically for sellers. It brings CRM data, productivity tools, and generative AI together—right inside the Microsoft 365 apps sellers already use every day, like Outlook, Teams, Word, and Excel.

It’s not just another chatbot. It’s a deeply integrated experience that helps sellers:

• Prepare for meetings with AI-generated summaries, recent email threads, and opportunity insights.
• Draft emails with CRM context and BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline) analysis.
• Update CRM records directly from Outlook or Teams—no more switching tabs or searching through systems.
• Create tasks and follow-ups from meeting recaps with just a couple of clicks.
• Collaborate in real time using adaptive cards, deal rooms, and shared spaces in Teams.

Copilot for Sales is designed to proactively surface the information and capabilities that sellers need when they need it, in the flow of their work.

It’s built on the same infrastructure as Microsoft 365 Copilot, meaning it benefits from enterprise-grade security, Microsoft Graph data, and seamless integration across the Microsoft ecosystem. And it works with multiple CRM systems like Dynamics 365 and Salesforce, so sellers can stay in the flow of work—regardless of their CRM

The result is less time spent on admin tasks and more time selling.

Keeping sellers in the flow

Copilot for Sales isn’t just a new tool. It’s a new way of working—one that’s built around the seller, not the system.

Copilot for Sales transforms how Microsoft sellers work by delivering high-impact features directly into their daily flow. These aren’t just enhancements—they’re game changers.

Copilot for Sales is there for sellers in the tools they already use—Outlook and Teams. Instead of toggling between systems, they’re seeing customer emails, account insights, opportunity data, and meeting history all in one place.

When a seller opens an email, Copilot surfaces the full conversation thread, shows related opportunities, and highlights recent meetings. During calls, it captures insights and follow-ups. Afterward, it prompts sellers to log notes, create opportunities, and assign tasks—without ever opening the CRM.

This integration saves time and reduces friction. Sellers no longer jump between apps or lose momentum. They work where the action is.

“Copilot for Sales connects all the disparate tools our sellers use. Before, all of that information was spread out and tedious to find. Now it’s readily accessible in the context of where a seller is working, whether in Outlook, Teams, Word, or otherwise.”

Denise Mills, senior business program manager, Microsoft Digital

Our sellers use natural language to interact with CRM data. They can ask questions like “What’s the latest with this opportunity?” or “Summarize my last meeting,” and get instant, contextual answers. This cuts down on prep time and helps sellers stay focused.

They can also summarize long email threads with a single click, capture leads from Outlook, and draft replies using CRM insights. Meeting prep is faster, follow-ups are automated, and CRM updates happen in the background.

One standout feature is the ability to create and edit CRM opportunities directly from Outlook. Sellers no longer need to switch tools or re-enter data—they do it all in the moment, in the app they’re currently using.

“Copilot for Sales connects all the disparate tools our sellers use,” says Denise Mills, a senior business program manager with Microsoft Digital, the company’s IT organization. “Before, all of that information was spread out and tedious to find. Now it’s readily accessible in the context of where a seller is working, whether in Outlook, Teams, Word, or otherwise.”

 Copilot for Sales helps sellers to quickly get ready for an upcoming customer engagement. It captures and summarizes the main points from recent interactions, helping sellers focus on the key points and make the meeting meaningful.

These features don’t just make work easier—they make sellers more effective.

Copilot for Sales: a day in the life

Microsoft sellers are using Copilot for Sales to streamline their day from start to finish—and the impact is showing up in every part of their workflow.

When preparing for meetings, sellers are reviewing summaries of past interactions, opportunity history, and forecast comments—all surfaced automatically in Outlook or Teams. They’re walking into customer conversations with full context, without having to dig through CRM records or email threads.

During meetings, Copilot is capturing action items, identifying sentiment, and tagging key participants. Sellers are staying focused on the conversation instead of scrambling to take notes.

After meetings, they’re turning those insights into tasks and CRM updates with just a few clicks. Follow-up emails are being drafted automatically. Opportunities are being created or updated in real time. Sellers are staying in the flow, and nothing is falling through the cracks.

“I don’t feel like I have to spend 90 percent of my call taking notes,” Lincavicks says. “I can be much more present and involved in the call itself.”

Deploying Copilot for Sales at Microsoft

Our journey began with a pilot. Microsoft launched Copilot for Sales inside our small, medium, and corporate (SMC) sales organization, where sellers were managing high account volumes and needed faster, more efficient ways to stay on top of their work. The pilot wasn’t small—eventually, it included the entire SMC group.

From the start, the focus was on learning. The team ran learning days, hosted academies, and delivered demos to help sellers understand how to use Copilot for Sales in their daily flow. These sessions weren’t just about training—they were about listening. Feedback from SMC sellers helped shape the product and guide future development.

That early momentum laid the foundation for broader adoption. It provided real-world insights, real usage data, and a clear sense of what sellers needed most.

Moving to enterprise scale

After proving success in SMC, we began expanding Copilot for Sales across the enterprise. The early pilot gave the team a head start—an audience that was already engaged, trained, and providing feedback. That momentum made it easier to scale.

The rollout wasn’t just technical—it was strategic. We in Microsoft Digital, the company’s IT organization, partnered with Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions (MCAPS), a global organization within Microsoft that brings together customer-facing teams and partner-facing teams to drive customer success and grow the business.

The MCAPS team worked with our IT change management teams to build a global adoption plan. They ran learning days, hosted demos, and worked closely with adoption leads in every region. The goal was to meet sellers where they were and show them how Copilot could fit into their daily workflows.

Creating real change and improvement as Customer Zero

As the first and most active adopters of Copilot for Sales, our internal sales teams are acting as Customer Zero. By putting Copilot into the hands of our sellers first, we can collect honest, in-depth feedback that the Copilot for Sales product team uses to rapidly iterate on new features based on genuine user needs.

Customer Zero means that the organization is not only adopting the technology but also shaping it, stress-testing workflows, and surfacing opportunities for improvement before sharing with the broader market.

“Our sellers are co-creators, actively influencing the future of Copilot for Sales,” Mills says. “The Customer Zero approach ensures that by the time Copilot for Sales reaches external customers, it’s already been refined by some of the most demanding and insightful users in the industry.”

Mills and her team work as a bridge between Microsoft sellers and the Copilot for Sales product team. They drive feedback loops, gathering insights from internal users—primarily sellers—and deliver that feedback directly to the product teams. This includes organizing research sessions, facilitating direct interactions between sellers and product managers, and ensuring feedback reflects global perspectives. Feedback from regions such as Japan, China, and Europe was crucial, especially in contexts involving language challenges or compliance with local regulations.

One of the primary ways Mills and her team capture feedback is through structured, role-specific listening circles. These sessions bring together our sellers, product specialists, and managers to share what’s working, what’s not, and what they need next from Copilot for Sales.

Each session is guided by a whiteboard framework and includes interactive polls, open discussions, and targeted prompts. We’re asking sellers about their workflows, their friction points, and how Copilot fits—or doesn’t fit—into their day. The goal is to surface barriers to adoption, identify unmet needs, and gather ideas for improvement.

Nurturing an active user community

We’re driving Copilot for Sales adoption through hands-on, role-specific enablement. It started with learning days and live demos across SMC and enterprise teams. These sessions are continuing today, helping sellers see how Copilot fits into their daily flow.

In one session, sellers walk through how to use Copilot to prep for a meeting, capture notes, and update CRM—all without leaving Outlook. In another, they practice using natural language prompts to summarize email threads or generate follow-up tasks. These aren’t just demos—they’re working sessions that show real value.

Champions are playing a key role. Microsoft is identifying early adopters who are enthusiastic about Copilot and equipping them with deep-dive resources. These champions are hosting office hours, answering questions, and sharing tips with their teams.

This grassroots approach is building momentum. Sellers aren’t just learning Copilot for Sales—they’re teaching it, sharing it, and embedding it into how they work.

Creating seller-focused benefits

The result is that Microsoft sellers are going beyond using Copilot for Sales—they’re relying on it.

“The CRM used to feel like a tax. Now it delivers value,” Lincavicks says. ”Copilot for Sales has made CRM data feel alive. For the first time, I feel like there’s the ability for my data to meet me wherever I want to do my work.”

It’s a recurring sentiment across our sellers and it’s a signal that the relationship between sellers and their tools is changing.

We’ve reached a turning point. When we first introduced Copilot for Sales, we were optimistic. We had a vision of what AI could do for sellers, but we didn’t yet have the proof. Now we do.

This isn’t just a story about new features. It’s about measurable impact. Sellers are seeing real gains in productivity, pipeline, and win rates. And they’re doing it without having to change how they work.

While Copilot for Sales certainly provides convenience to sellers, the biggest benefit is confidence.

“Copilot for Sales is incredibly helpful for getting ready for any type of customer engagement,” Dollar says. “It’s incredibly valuable to have that information proactively brought to your attention. It’s not about saving time at the end of the day, it’s about being able to be better and do more with the time that I have.”

The feedback is clear; Copilot for Sales isn’t just helping sellers work faster, it’s helping them work smarter, with more focus, more clarity, and more impact.

“It’s not just about making sellers more impactful—it’s about simplifying their world. They can create opportunities, update contacts, and capture meeting insights—all without leaving their flow of work. Simplification and ease of use drive impact.”

Kevin Wooldridge, senior director of business programs, Microsoft Digital

That’s a big deal. Especially in a company like Microsoft, where the sales ecosystem is notoriously complex. If we can simplify the experience here, we can do it anywhere.

This moment matters because we’ve moved from promise to performance. From pilots to platform. From hoping AI would help to knowing it does.

“It’s not just about making sellers more impactful—it’s about simplifying their world,” says Kevin Wooldridge, a senior director of business programs within Microsoft Digital. “They can create opportunities, update contacts, and capture meeting insights—all without leaving their flow of work. Simplification and ease of use drive impact.”

Looking forward

We’ve moved from promise to proof with Copilot for Sales. Now we’re building what’s next.

We believe the future of Copilot for Sales is agentic. We’re evolving from a conversational assistant to a proactive partner that can act on behalf of the seller. The approach is less “tell me what to do” and more “I’ve already done it.”

We’re piloting Lead Intelligence Agents that research prospects, draft outreach, and follow up automatically. Opportunity Intelligence Agents summarize recent interactions, flag risks, and suggest next steps. And Meeting Prep Agents surface possible objections, key stakeholders, and action items before a seller even joins the call.

We’re also integrating Copilot more fully into the tools sellers already use. In Outlook, sellers can now update CRM records directly from email banners, share CRM data with a simple @mention, and generate follow-ups with context-aware prompts. In Teams, meeting recaps now trigger opportunity creation and task assignments—even less jumping between systems.

The next generation of sellers won’t just use AI—they’ll rely on it. And they’ll outperform those who don’t. Sellers using Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales are already closing more deals, faster. They’re saving time, staying in the flow, and focusing on what matters.