The UK Government’s exploration into Microsoft 365 Copilot has revealed clear benefits for how public sector organisations can work smarter, faster, and with greater impact. Across a diverse cross-government experiment, departments trialled the use of Copilot with real work scenarios to assess its potential.
The findings show significant promise: Copilot has the power to reduce administrative burdens by an average of 26 minutes a day – a time saving equating to over 13 working days per year.
Copilot in Context
Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI-powered assistant embedded in familiar Microsoft applications such as Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Teams. By drawing on context from emails, documents and meetings (while respecting permissions), Copilot can generate content, summarise information, draft replies, analyse data and more.
For time-pressured public sector teams, this means less time spent on repetitive tasks, and more time focused on strategic work that delivers value to the public.
Government Efficiencies With Microsoft 365 Copilot
The experiment involved over 20,000 civil servants over a 3-month period. They explored real use cases for Copilot, ranging from policy and project work to administration, communications and analysis.
Three high-level benefits emerged:
Productivity Gains Without the Overhead
Civil servants reported that Copilot was able to help them reduce the effort and time required for common tasks, notably in the areas of email management, content creation, and meeting preparation.
These time-savings helped users work more efficiently, particularly in roles where output volume is high and deadlines are tight.
Participants highlighted that even if Copilot’s initial output wasn’t perfect, it gave a good starting point, cutting the “blank page” problem.
Faster Access To Insights For Better Decision-Making
In data-heavy environments, Copilot helped users quickly understand complex content. By analysing Excel data, summarising Teams meeting notes, or extracting key points from long documents, Copilot enabled faster access to insights. This was particularly valuable for:
- Programme and project managers tracking performance
- Analysts comparing datasets
- Policy teams reviewing stakeholder input
This improved information flow supports more confident, timely decision-making—an essential requirement in public sector environments.
Starting Point For Digital Transformation and AI Upskilling
While productivity was a clear win, departments also recognised Copilot’s strategic potential. It encourages a more digital-first, AI-enabled way of working that aligns with wider civil service reform goals.
Users reported growing confidence in experimenting with AI, supported by peer learning and community forums. IT leaders saw opportunities to embed Copilot into digital strategies and to standardise best-practice use across teams. This cultural shift—towards curiosity and innovation—can be as impactful as the technology itself.
Where Copilot Delivered The Most Value
The report identified several job roles and tasks where Copilot had the greatest benefit:
- Administrative support: Scheduling, drafting agendas and organising follow-ups
- Policy and comms teams: Creating briefings, letters, FAQs and presentation slides
- Project delivery: Progress reporting and risk analysis
- Analysts: Interpreting Excel data and summarising meeting outcomes
Crucially, these benefits were seen in both senior and junior roles, showing the versatility of Copilot across different levels of government.
Implementation Considerations
Despite the positive outcomes, departments acknowledged that Copilot is not a “plug-and-play” solution. Real value comes from planned, supported rollouts that consider:
- Digital maturity: Copilot works best when organisations are already using Microsoft 365 effectively
- Training and change management: Users need time, support, and practical examples to embed Copilot in daily routines
- Governance and security: Ensuring content permissions are respected and usage aligns with data protection policies
In short, Copilot should be seen as part of a broader digital enablement strategy, not a standalone solution for workplace transformation.
The Case for Copilot Adoption
The experiment clearly demonstrated that Microsoft 365 Copilot can unlock significant productivity gains, support smarter decision-making, and accelerate digital change across the public sector.
For government leaders facing pressures to do more with less, while upholding standards of accountability, transparency and security, Copilot offers a compelling proposition. But success depends on thoughtful implementation, user readiness and continuous learning.
By investing in the right digital foundations, government departments can position themselves to harness the full potential of generative AI, while ensuring their teams are better equipped to meet today’s challenges.
Looking to access the benefits of Copilot for your organisation? Get in touch:
Contact Us
