Companies invest in launch of Copilot business
transformation practice, new capabilities and client training to
accelerate and scale gen AI adoption
Copilot enables transformation for clients such
as Repsol and Bricorama
In a strategic move to address the unprecedented demand for AI
transformation, Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Avanade, their joint
venture with Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), are launching a
copilot business transformation practice, supported by Microsoft,
and co-investing in new capabilities, solutions and training to
help organizations securely and responsibly reinvent their business
functions with generative and agentic AI and Copilot
technologies.
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the full release here:
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Accenture, Microsoft and Avanade Help
Enterprises Reinvent Business Functions and Industries with
Generative AI and Copilot (Graphic: Business Wire)
"The investment we are making with Microsoft takes our
long-standing partnership to the next level, helping our clients
accelerate and integrate AI at scale as a catalyst for
reinvention,” said Julie Sweet, chair and CEO, Accenture. “The
powerful combination of Microsoft Copilot, agentic and generative
AI technologies, and Avanade’s and Accenture's deep industry and
functional expertise will help enable enterprises to reimagine
their processes and operations, discover innovative ways of
working, strengthen their security and open up new pathways to
value.”
The Copilot business transformation practice will provide the
technology and industry experience clients need to help accelerate
and expand their use of Copilot and agents across the enterprise.
The companies will collaborate on AI and Copilot agent templates,
extensions, plugins and connectors to help organizations leverage
their data and gen AI to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and
drive growth. The companies will help clients leverage Microsoft’s
gen AI-powered security capabilities to elevate the efficiency of
their security operations and help analysts make better, faster
decisions.
The practice consists of 5,000 professionals from Accenture and
Avanade, supported by Microsoft product specialists who will work
closely with the Accenture Center for Advanced AI. The team will
tap into more than 50,000 Microsoft Copilot-trained professionals
across Accenture and Avanade to help deliver industry and
functional transformation. Clients will have access to specialized
engineers and early access to the latest technologies, including
the Accenture AI Refinery™, to create custom models and solutions.
Accenture will leverage learnings from its use and deployment of
100,000 Microsoft 365 Copilots and agents, with a commitment to
expand to approximately 200,000 users.
“We are pleased to deepen our collaboration with Accenture to
help our mutual customers develop AI-first business processes
responsibly and securely, while helping them drive market
differentiation,” said Judson Althoff, executive vice president and
chief commercial officer at Microsoft. “By bringing together
Copilots and human ambition, paired with the autonomous
capabilities of an agent, we can accelerate AI transformation for
organizations across industries and help them realize successful
business outcomes through pragmatic innovation.”
Accenture and Avanade have already developed agents to
streamline workflows, boost revenue and enhance customer
experience. For example, a supplier discovery and risk agent can
deliver real-time market insights, agile supply chain responses and
better vendor selection, which could result in up to 15% cost
savings. A procure-to-pay agent could improve efficiency by up to
40% and enhance vendor relations and satisfaction by addressing
urgent payment requirements and avoiding disruptions of key
services. They have also invested in building functional and
industry Copilot solutions that are delivering client value,
including:
- Microsoft 365 Copilot – The companies have developed
M365 Copilot solutions such as a readiness assessment and value
accelerator, among others, to help clients effectively implement
and successfully adopt and scale the technology for maximum value.
They are helping Repsol, a global multi-energy company, deploy M365
Copilot and a four month study has shown impressive results.
Employees are saving a gross average of 121 minutes per week,
enhancing productivity and the quality of outputs by 16%.
Additionally, 61% favor the AI-enhanced workflows, noting improved
confidence and motivation. Productivity gains were most significant
in technical and professional roles, with engineering roles saving
nearly 97 hours annually per employee. Maintenance roles saw even
greater benefits, saving about 225 minutes weekly, which
significantly enhanced the precision and consistency required in
their tasks. These results underscore the transformative potential
of generative AI in optimizing business operations and boosting
employee satisfaction across the board.
- Industry and Functional Copilots – Together, the
companies have developed Copilots for a variety of industries and
functions including finance, manufacturing, supply chain, retail
and consumer goods and healthcare. For example, they developed a
Manufacturing Copilot powered by Microsoft Manufacturing Data
Solutions in Fabric, to transform the shop floor and the way
factory workers operate.
- Custom Copilots and Agents – The companies are using
Microsoft Copilot Studio to extend foundational Copilots, like M365
Copilot and industry and role-based Copilots, with enterprise
knowledge to create autonomous agents that act on certain triggers
or on the intent of the user to implement AI-powered, responsible
and efficient workflows. Avanade and Accenture helped Bricorama, a
French home improvement retailer, create a custom home improvement
Copilot called "pAInt." The pAInt app uses Azure OpenAI to guide
customers through their projects.
Udacity, part of Accenture LearnVantage, and Microsoft have
co-created a new Azure Generative AI Engineer Nanodegree program to
equip learners with the skills to design, build, and operationalize
AI-driven applications on Azure. In this fully online program,
learners will use AI models to solve real-world problems through
automation, data insights, and generative AI solutions. Learners
will develop custom Microsoft 365 Copilot applications and
implement models through hands-on projects with personalized
support from industry advisors. Udacity’s Nanodegree program is
available today and, for a limited time, learners can get started
with the first lesson for free.
Deeper Collaboration
Accenture will continue to support Microsoft in the
transformation of its functions – including finance, sales,
marketing and HR – with Copilot, leveraging its industry,
functional and generative AI consulting services. Microsoft also
selected Accenture to establish four Microsoft Co-Innovation Labs
to incubate blueprints for AI-led design and experimentation, with
immersive showcases within Accenture offices and Microsoft
Co-Innovation Labs. At the labs, the companies will build pilots,
leveraging assets developed by the Copilot business transformation
practice, to inspire reinvention.
Having seen the value of Microsoft Copilot in its business,
Accenture will leverage the latest Copilot agentic technologies to
facilitate AI enabled augmentation and help transform clients’
business processes across corporate functions and industry-specific
operations.
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company that
helps the world’s leading organizations build their digital core,
optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance
services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a
talent- and innovation-led company with approximately 774,000
people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at
the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in
helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We
combine our strength in technology and leadership in cloud, data
and AI with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and
global delivery capability. Our broad range of services, solutions
and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology,
Operations, Industry X and Song, together with our culture of
shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to
help our clients reinvent and build trusted, lasting relationships.
We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients,
each other, our shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at
www.accenture.com.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) creates platforms and tools
powered by AI to deliver innovative solutions that meet the
evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is
committed to making AI available broadly and doing so responsibly,
with a mission to empower every person and every organization on
the planet to achieve more.
About Avanade
Avanade is the world’s leading expert on Microsoft. Trusted by
over 5,000 clients worldwide, we deliver reliable, AI-driven
solutions that solve business challenges of all sizes and unlock
the full potential of people and technology. We empower
organizations to use Microsoft technology to optimize operations,
drive growth, and foster innovation, enabling them to excel in
delivering exceptional customer experiences.
Together with Accenture, we combine global scale with local
expertise in AI, cloud, data analytics, cybersecurity, and ERP to
create human-centered experiences. We are committed to doing what
matters for our clients, their customers, employees and partners by
designing solutions that prioritize people and drive meaningful
impact.
Since 2000, Avanade has leveraged its close partnership with
Microsoft to bring the latest technologies to market, serving as
Microsoft’s "Client Zero" and earning, with Accenture, Microsoft’s
Global SI Partner of the Year Award a record 19 times.
As a purpose-driven and responsible organization, Avanade
champions diversity, inclusion, and sustainability, ensuring our
work benefits society as well as drives business success.
Avanade. Do what matters. Learn more at www.avanade.com and
follow us on LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical information and discussions contained
herein, statements in this news release may constitute
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,”
“will,” “should,” “likely,” “anticipates,” “aspires,” “expects,”
“intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,”
“positioned,” “outlook,” “goal,” “target” and similar expressions
are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These
statements are not guarantees of future performance nor promises
that goals or targets will be met, and involve a number of risks,
uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and
could cause actual results to differ materially from those
expressed or implied. These risks include, without limitation, that
the partnership might not achieve its anticipated benefits and
risks and uncertainties related to the development and use of AI
could harm our business, damage our reputation or give rise to
legal or regulatory action, as well as the risks, uncertainties and
other factors discussed under the “Risk Factors” heading in
Accenture plc’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other
documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the
date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any
forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform
such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture’s
expectations.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241114938855/en/
Hannah Unkefer Accenture +1 206 839 2172
hannah.m.unkefer@accenture.com
Thomas Wittek Accenture +49 152 52507486
thomas.wittek@accenture.com
Microsoft Media Relations, WE Communications for Microsoft +1
425 638 7777 rapidresponse@we-worldwide.com
Claire Booty Avanade +44 7930760031 claire.booty@avanade.com
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