Unified. Intelligent. Proven. Celebrating exceptional customer service experiences
One year ago, Microsoft launched its Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS) solution, powered by AI. In just 12 months, it has already helped reshape how organisations connect with their customers, turning reactive service centres into proactive, intelligent hubs of engagement.
We’re not just marking a product anniversary – we’re celebrating the progress businesses have made in delivering seamless, omnichannel experiences that are more personal, productive and cost-effective.
A new era of customer engagement
If you lead customer experience or service organisations, you’re already navigating rapid changes across industries. For example, subscription-based business models are putting customer retention under the spotlight, making every interaction an opportunity – or a risk.
Yet, for too many organisations, disconnected channels, long wait times and customer frustration remain the norm. A recent study commissioned by Microsoft found that, while UK sectors varied in their contact-centre response times, average wait times for utilities, retail, and energy customers were over 8 minutes, 12 minutes, and 35 minutes respectively. Research cited in Forbes suggests that such poor service can cause customers to switch providers.
Customers now expect more: fast, frictionless, consistent service across every channel. In our commissioned study, 87% of call-centre workers agreed that customer service expectations had increased, while 78% agreed that service queries had become more complex in recent years.
Today’s customers want intelligent self-service, but with human help available for more challenging issues. Equally, service agents need tools that reduce manual effort and give them the context to get issues right first time.
That’s the promise of our CCaaS platform – a connected, AI-powered contact centre where every part of the customer journey is integrated and streamlined.
Unifying service with intelligence, end-to-end
Imagine every stage of your customer service journey – from self-serve to agent-assisted – was seamlessly supported by a suite of AI powered, always up-to-date, and highly efficient solutions. By integrating Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service, Copilot, Teams Phone and Azure Communication Services, this vision becomes a reality:
- Customers can start conversations in the channel they prefer and get quick answers through AI-powered bots. When human help is needed, AI-powered routing directs them to the right agent, based on customer sentiment, intent and complexity.
- For agents, Copilot brings the full context – from a customer’s interaction history to relevant knowledge articles – into a single view, enabling faster, more empathetic responses.
Microsoft Teams Phone enhances voice quality and supports smooth, reliable conversations, while integrated tools make collaboration easy during live customer interactions. Analytics across the platform give operations teams clear insight into service performance, helping spot trends, improve efficiency and act before small issues become bigger problems.
Delivering results in the real world
This unified vision is already enhancing customer service outcomes at scale. Microsoft’s own Customer Service and Support (CSS) team – one of the largest globally, with over 45,000 agents in 92 contact centres across 120 countries – uses Dynamics 365 and Copilot daily.
Since adopting the platform, the team has seen faster first responses, shorter handling times and more cases resolved without escalation.
Microsoft CSS statistics source: Microsoft Office of Chief Economist. Wave 2.5 study about the early impact of Copilot in Dynamics 365 Customer Service across Microsoft commercial support. The numbers reflect results from 9,900 agents from a specific five-month period (April-September 2023). Findings were evaluated at the business unit level, not across the entire CSS organization. Full results language (where necessary): 9% faster First Response rate in several areas of Azure Core and Windows Commercial Support; 12-16% decrease in Average Handle Time observed by several businesses for agents handling chat cases; 7.5% reduction in Days to Close support tickets in a portion of Windows Commercial support line of business; 13% reduction in Days to Solution of support tickets in one Developer support line of business.
Read more about how Microsoft transformed customer service and support
Organisations across the UK are seeing similar gains. VIVID, a major housing provider, has used Microsoft’s CCaaS solution to transform both customer and employee experience. Call abandonment rates have plummeted, average speed to answer has fallen from six minutes to under a minute, and digital engagement has surged.
With simple queries handled through self-service, staff can now spend more time on complex, meaningful customer interactions. Explore how VIVID enhanced customer and staff experiences
Virgin Money has also embraced the opportunity. Their virtual assistant, Redi, built using Microsoft Copilot Studio, handles queries with a human tone – and knows when to escalate. Because it’s fully integrated with Dynamics 365, Redi stays compliant, on-brand and in sync with the rest of the service team. Read how a virtual assistant is helping reimagine Virgin Money’s customer experience
“By designing customer journeys in Microsoft Copilot, over 90% of our customers get what they want from Redi.”
Adam Paice, Head of Digital Proposition, Virgin Money
Experience the Microsoft difference
In today’s increasingly saturated markets, great customer experience is a powerful differentiator. Beyond resolving issues, brands that create meaningful moments inspire loyalty and trust. Moreover, when support staff are empowered with the right AI tools, they’re not only more productive but feel more satisfied at work.
Organisations are now accessing these benefits in one connected solution. Copilot-powered tools like Dynamics 365 Customer Service are helping agents work smarter, not harder – automating repetitive tasks, surfacing insights and ensuring every interaction feels personal.
And because it’s all built on a secure, integrated Microsoft ecosystem, you can scale confidently, backed by trusted data governance and responsible AI.
Start your customer experience transformation
One year on, Microsoft CCaaS has already transformed the way many organisations think about customer service. But the real opportunity is still ahead. If you’re ready to connect more personally and operate more efficiently, now is the time to explore what’s possible.
Find out more
About the author
Ayanna is a Go-To-Market Manager for the AI Business Process team based in London, with a focus on driving pipeline growth and strategic execution for Dynamics 365 Customer Experience and Customer Service solutions. Known for her cross-functional leadership and deep understanding of customer needs, Ayanna partners closely with sales, marketing and partner teams to accelerate deal velocity and influence AI transformation across key industries.
