Less stress, more success: Agentic AI holds the key to workplace productivity

It’s 8.30am and Sameer, a project manager at a leading technology firm, is already knee-deep in his morning work routine. But today, something feels different. As he opens his project management tool, he’s greeted by a new colleague: a virtual assistant named Alex, who has already analyzed his team’s performance, identified potential bottlenecks and even suggested a few strategic adjustments to keep the project on track.

Alex is an AI agent, part of a sophisticated, game-changing system blending the efforts of humans and machines by taking initiative, making decisions and acting on behalf of its users.

These intelligent agents are reshaping our professional lives by working alongside their human counterparts to automate mundane tasks, provide insightful recommendations and even step in to manage projects with limited human oversight. They’re not just following commands; they’re anticipating needs, learning from experience and adapting to new challenges in real time.

Indeed, according to research by Harvard Business School and the Digital Data Design Institute, AI agents are fast becoming “digital teammates,” marking a new category of employee.

4 big trends shaping the future of digital work

Let’s look at four broad trends influencing the evolution of the digital workplace.

1. Enterprise AI at scale

Organizations are ramping up their use of AI across the board. By 2028, about one-third of enterprise software applications are expected to feature agentic AI, which means many everyday work decisions will be made autonomously. This technology will transform how we handle routine tasks and streamline business operations. It brings humans and AI agents together to work toward the same goals, making everything more efficient and collaborative.

2. Responsible AI and governance

Creating AI that both employees and customers can trust is crucial for long-term business success. The rapid deployment of AI should not overlook the need for a constant focus on ethics, risk and compliance. Organizations are setting up governance frameworks to tackle issues like bias, transparency and security in their AI systems, making AI not only smart but also fair and safe.

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3. Workforce enablement and training

AI is becoming a powerful ally for human talent. Organizations are training their employees to create a hybrid workforce where humans and AI collaborate constantly and easily. This approach will maximize the potential of both people and technology.

4. Hybrid work

The global move toward hybrid work is here to stay. By 2025, fewer than 50% of workers are likely to be in the office full-time, with flexible “3-2” schedules — referring to employees working three days in the office and two days remotely, or vice versa — becoming the norm. This shift is fueling the need for AI and collaboration tools that keep teams connected and productive, no matter where they are.

A smart assistant on call

NTT DATA is at the heart of this transformation, working alongside Microsoft to bring intelligent new tools to the workplace.

Microsoft 365 Copilot is a perfect example of these principles in action. It integrates seamlessly into daily workflows and offers context-aware digital assistance.

Copilot, powered by GenAI and advanced Microsoft Azure OpenAI large language models (LLMs), acts as a smart companion in Microsoft 365 applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams. Whether you’re drafting documents, analyzing spreadsheets, summarizing meetings or asking questions, it’s there to help — just like a trusted colleague who’s always available.

This technology uses your organization’s own data through Microsoft Graph to provide secure, contextually relevant responses, making it a valuable asset. Plus, it comes with enterprise-grade security, adhering to Microsoft’s strict compliance and privacy standards to guarantee data privacy and access control.

Putting Copilot through its paces

When NTT DATA’s Digital Workplace Services team wanted to truly understand how best to advise our clients on workplace AI, we decided to first put Copilot to the test internally.

We started with a pilot program across a few key departments, and in just a few months, the results were impressive.

An internal survey showed that users gave Copilot a perfect five-star rating for overall satisfaction. Two-thirds of our employees reported a personal productivity boost, and 62% felt more creative in their jobs thanks to Copilot. The time savings were also substantial, with users saving an average of 20 hours per month by letting Copilot handle tedious tasks.

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Agents for every organization and industry

Building on these internal successes, we launched our Smart AI Agent™ Ecosystem to help our clients adopt and manage agentic AI at scale.

This suite of products and services features our Productivity Cockpit framework, which integrates Microsoft Copilot Studio with additional tools and prebuilt agent templates. These agents can be tailored to specific roles or industries, offering organizations a ready-to-go platform.

Industries ranging from financial services and retail to hospitality are seeing remarkable improvements in employee productivity and customer service by deploying agentic AI. These solutions cut down support ticket volumes and speed up resolution times, leaving customers more satisfied.

Our modular approach to agent design allows us to quickly configure domain-specific solutions. For example, we have onboarding agents, prompt-as-a-service copilots, growth agents, ask-me agents and service agents. They are continuously updated and can be customized to fit your organization’s and industry’s unique needs.

• ALSO READ → Beyond the basics: Dive into GenAI with Copilot for Microsoft 365 and Copilot Studio

The ROI is clear

Investments in AI translate into measurable business value. In 2024, a Forrester analysis projected a potential ROI ranging from 132% to 353% over three years for organizations that adopt Copilot.

These gains stem from a faster time to market, cost savings through increased efficiency and improved employee retention. The insights provided by AI are also uncovering new revenue opportunities.

Beyond the numbers, the introduction of agentic AI and Copilot is also making a real difference to the workforce. When employees experience less stress and burnout, employee satisfaction levels increase and customer service improves.

Take the next step

By collaborating with Microsoft, we’re helping organizations integrate Copilot and other agentic AI technologies into both daily workflows and strategic initiatives to get better results across the business.

Organizations that embrace these advances today will be at the forefront of tomorrow’s digital workplace strategies, benefiting from a highly productive and creative workforce using AI in a secure and ethical way.