Make the next meeting about the customer's work

A customer has attended a Microsoft webinar or bought Copilot licences. They understand some possibilities, but still need to decide where to begin.

The follow-up should answer a practical question: which part of their working week would they like to improve?

Ask them to bring two examples, such as preparing a customer proposal, reviewing a long document or turning meeting notes into actions. Ask where the source information sits, who uses it and what a good result looks like.

Separate strategy, readiness and adoption

For an MSP, there are two connected conversations. One concerns your own AI proposition: who you serve, what you offer and how delivery will work. The other concerns an individual customer's tasks and the support they need.

Microsoft's adoption resources connect business goals, use cases, champions and measures of success. They support an adoption conversation that extends beyond licence deployment.

We recommend a short written plan that distinguishes technical responsibilities from business adoption. The MSP may own tenant configuration and support. Customer managers own access decisions and working practices. Any consultancy responsibilities should be explicit rather than assumed.

Offer a defined first engagement

A manageable engagement might include a discovery session, a shortlist of role-based tasks, a practical workshop and a progress review. Agree the attendees, deliverables, exclusions and follow-up before work starts.

This is a suggested service structure, not a Microsoft requirement. It should fit the customer's size, readiness and appetite.

The workshop should use tasks the customer recognises. Staff need to practise giving instructions, checking source material and deciding when an answer needs more work. A reusable example from their own process is often more helpful than a large generic prompt library.

Review usefulness before expanding

At the review, ask what people actually used, which outputs needed correction and where additional support is needed. Agree whether to extend training, change the tasks or pause.

Custom development should follow a clear need. Some customers will get what they need through better use of existing tools. Others may have a repeated process that justifies an integration or agent.

Where PlatformWorks fits

PlatformWorks helps MSPs define their AI strategy and provides practical consultancy, workshops and adoption support for their customers. We can help after a Microsoft webinar or Copilot licence sale, with roles, scope and pricing agreed for the engagement.

We provide independent consultancy alongside the MSP's existing Microsoft relationship. This article is not a Microsoft-endorsed programme.