Haileybury College - IComm Case Study

Introduction

To fully realise the potential of Copilot, users need to understand how to use it effectively and efficiently in their daily workflows. This requires not only thoughtful user training, but also a detailed change management plan to address the behavioural and cultural aspects of adopting a new technology.

In this case study we will present how IComm helped Haileybury College, a top independent school in Australia, with campuses locally and internationally. We deployed a proof of concept (PoC) for Microsoft 365 Copilot, involving 35 users across three different groups. We will also demonstrate how IComm’s Copilot Rapid Adoption solution enabled them to achieve better business outcomes with user training and change management to help their users ‘Work Smarter, not Harder’.

Background

Haileybury College with a rich history, is a co-educational school with campuses in Melbourne, Sydney, Darwin, and Beijing. With a strong drive to innovate and improve its teaching and learning practices as well as leveraging technology to enhance its business efficiency and productivity. They have long supported cutting-edge technology and have a longstanding relationship with IComm, through delivery of multiple Teams Meeting Room systems and migration of a legacy phone system to the use of Microsoft Teams as a collaborative tool.

The Haileybury management and board had expressed a strong interest in deploying Microsoft 365 Copilot, as they recognised the benefits of AI for their teaching and admin staff. They wanted to improve their workflows in areas such as email management, document creation, presentation design, meeting preparation, note-taking, data analysis, and reporting.
However, they also faced some challenges in adopting Copilot, such as:

Lack of awareness and familiarity with Copilot’s features and capabilities
Resistance or hesitation to use Copilot due to concerns about quality, accuracy, and security of the generated content
Difficulty in integrating Copilot with their existing tools and processes
Lack of time and resources to learn and experiment with Copilot

Therefore, the college approached IComm to assist them with deploying a PoC of Microsoft 365 Copilot for 35 users and to provide them with a tailored training and change management solution to increase the adoption and value of Copilot.

Solution

IComm proposed its Microsoft 365 Copilot Rapid Adoption solution, which is designed to help organisations deploy Copilot in a timely and effective manner, and to provide users with the necessary skills and support to use Copilot in their daily work.

Microsoft 365 Copilot Rapid Adoption

As part of a tailored solution, IComm delivered the following:

Multiple User Needs workshops and Copilot demos for three different user groups across all campuses: ICT staff, teaching staff, and administrative staff. Each user group had different workflows, tools, and pain points that Copilot could address.
Development of a tailored Copilot training plan for each user group, based on their unique requirements and expectations. The plan specified the learning objectives, outcomes, and measures for each training session, as well as the user personas and scenarios that would be used.
Delivery of three pilot user group training sessions for each user group, covering the relevant Copilot applications and solutions for their workflows. The training sessions were interactive, engaging, and practical, and allowed the users to ask questions, provide feedback, and share best practices.

“Integrating AI into any organisation poses a significant challenge for IT Departments. We are often seen as experts across numerous technology platforms, though the reality is different.

While we strive to meet these expectations, it is practically impossible to master every feature and the latest platforms. Therefore, we rely on our vendors who have the time and subject matter experts in specific technology platforms like Copilot.”

~ Faizul Zakaria, Director of Information Communication Technology at Haileybury College

Results

The Copilot Rapid Adoption solution delivered by IComm resulted in the following outcomes for the customer:

Increased awareness and familiarity with Copilot’s features and capabilities among the pilot users
Reduced resistance or hesitation to use Copilot, and increased confidence and trust in the quality, accuracy, and security of the generated content
Improved integration of Copilot with the existing tools and processes of the pilot users
Increased time and resource efficiency by using Copilot to automate and enhance various tasks and workflows
Increased satisfaction and engagement among the pilot users with Copilot and Microsoft 365

Examples of how Copilot improved the workflows of the pilot users:

ICT staff using Copilot to generate email responses, triage issues, create process documents, and summarise reports
Teaching staff are using Copilot to create lesson plans, presentations, quizzes, and feedback forms, and to adjust the tone and style of their content to suit different audiences and purposes
Administrative staff used Copilot to create meeting agendas, prepare for meetings, generate meeting notes, create action items, and transfer meeting notes to other platforms

The feedback from the pilot users was overwhelmingly positive, and they expressed their interest and enthusiasm to continue using Copilot and to learn more about its features and functionalities. They also reported that Copilot helped them save time, improve their productivity, and enhance their creativity.

“IComm is one of the trusted vendors that provide effective training programs to enhance awareness and adoption of new technologies.”

~ Faizul Zakaria, Director of Information Communication Technology at Haileybury College

Insights from Haileybury College

Faizul Zakaria, Director of Information Communication Technology at Haileybury College, shared his perspective:

“Integrating AI into any organisation poses a significant challenge for IT Departments. We are often seen as experts across numerous technology platforms, though the reality is different.

While we strive to meet these expectations, it is practically impossible to master every feature and the latest platforms. Therefore, we rely on our vendors who have the time and subject matter experts in specific technology platforms like Copilot.

IComm is one of the trusted vendors that provide effective training programs to enhance awareness and adoption of new technologies.”

Faizul’s words underscore the crucial role of collaboration in navigating the complexities of modern technology. By partnering with IComm, Haileybury College ensures its teaching and admin staff are not only well-equipped to leverage Microsoft 365 Copilot but also positioned to stay ahead of the curve, driving ongoing innovation and excellence in the educational sector.