It’s one thing to invest in the latest technology; it’s another to actually see it change the way your team works.
You’ve likely heard the buzz, seen the demos, and finally rolled out Microsoft Copilot across your organization. You’ve championed the time-saving benefits and the productivity boosts. But then, the silence sets in. You start to wonder: Is my team actually using this, or is it just another icon gathering digital dust on their taskbars?
Measuring the ROI of AI has traditionally been a guessing game. However, Microsoft is changing that with a new feature called Benchmarks.
What is the Copilot Dashboard?
Benchmarks live inside the Copilot Dashboard, powered by Viva Insights. Think of it as your “AI weather report.” It’s designed to give leadership a clear, data-driven picture of how Copilot is being integrated into the daily workflow.
Instead of relying on anecdotal evidence (like that one “power user” in marketing who won’t stop talking about it), you get hard data on:
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Active Usage: How many people are actually opening Copilot?
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App Integration: Are they using it to draft emails in Outlook, summarize meetings in Teams, or crunch numbers in Excel?
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Retention: Are people coming back to use it daily, or did they try it once and give up?
How Do You Stack Up?
One of the most interesting aspects of the Benchmarks tool is its ability to look “outside the house.” It allows you to compare your company’s AI adoption against similar businesses—whether that’s by industry, company size, or region.
This peer comparison is a reality check. It helps you determine whether your team is leading the AI charge in your sector or falling behind the curve. If your competitors are leveraging AI to clear their administrative hurdles faster than you, that’s an insight you need to know now, not a year from now.
Addressing the “Big Brother” in the Room
We get it—tracking usage can feel a bit like surveillance, and privacy is a valid concern. Microsoft has been clear that this data is handled with a high degree of sensitivity.
External peer data is anonymized and aggregated. You aren’t seeing exactly what a specific competitor is doing, and they aren’t seeing your specific prompts. The goal isn’t to spy on individuals; it’s to identify organizational trends.
From Surveillance to Support
The real value of this visibility isn’t “catching” people not using AI; it’s identifying where extra support is needed.
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If your sales team is thriving with Copilot but your HR team hasn’t touched it, it’s not necessarily a performance issue—it might be a training gap.
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Since only about 5% of AI pilot programs typically make it to full-scale adoption, having a map that shows exactly where the engine is stalling is the best way to ensure your investment doesn’t go to waste.
The Bottom Line
The era of “guessing” if your tech stack is working is over. With Benchmarks, you can move from hope-based adoption to a strategic, data-backed rollout.
Are you ready to see how your team is actually performing? If you want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your Microsoft 365 environment, we can help you navigate the setup and strategy. Contact us today to learn more about optimizing your team’s technology.