Empowering their users: How Microsoft Copilot transformed information access for the UK division of VINCI Construction

  • finance
  • IT
  • operations
  • engineering & projects

Ensuring ready access to critical company policies, processes, and templates for a large number of users was an important consideration for the UK division of VINCI Construction, which offers a range of services within the construction sector.

The problem: inefficient search

The UK division of VINCI Construction use an SAP tool called Signavio as a central repository for various processes relevant to its diverse operations of building, civil engineering, highway maintenance, production and facilities management.

This included crucial areas such as health and safety, HR, environment, and sustainability. However, user engagement with Signavio was limited because getting the answers they needed from the system quickly presented a challenge.

Users struggled to find critical information, leading to lost time and potential inefficiencies in a heavily regulated industry. Their internal team, "The Way We Work" (TWWW), sought a better solution, 

The key requirements for the system were to make it easy for people to find what they're looking for; to hopefully summarise the content of those documents and get more user interaction.
Yogesh Patel
Quality Improvement and Innovations Director, UK division of VINCI Construction
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The solution: Microsoft Copilot Studio Chatbot

We partnered with the UK division of VINCI Construction to address this challenge by using Microsoft Copilot Studio to create an intuitive, natural language chatbot. Our approach began with a focused proof of concept that demonstrated Copilot's ability to:

  • Interrogate complex process maps: Answering detailed questions.
  • Refine questions: Allowing users to dig deeper.
  • Consolidate knowledge: Pulling information from Signavio and their SharePoint Intranet.
  • Provide actionable results: Delivering direct links and guidance.
  • Maintain data currency: Ensuring up-to-date information.

This robust proof of concept led to a full implementation within six months. Our team built a Microsoft landscape extension that integrates with and periodically pulls data from both the SAP Signavio platform and enables search on SharePoint. Copilot was thoroughly tested and “tuned” to understand the business’s unique data structures and specific terminology, ensuring highly accurate and relevant responses.

The results: improved accessibility

While measurable KPIs are still developing, qualitative feedback from user acceptance testing (UAT) has been overwhelmingly positive:

  • Measurable time savings: Users reported spending less time looking for documents. 
  • Enhanced user experience: Users found the new system much easier to navigate.
  • Reduced reliance on support: Anticipated reduction in queries to the TWWW team.
  • Improved platform perception: The chatbot is expected to boost engagement with information resources.
  • Intelligent signposting: The chatbot guides users even when questions are outside its current scope, preventing frustration.

This project fundamentally transforms how over 5,000 employees access critical information, fostering greater efficiency, accuracy, and autonomy.

Our work with the UK division of VINCI Construction on this project has been a fantastic collaborative experience. We partnered closely with Microsoft, using Microsoft Copilot Studio to transform how 5000 users access critical information across its UK operations. This rapid and impactful deployment shows the immense power of this technology to simplify intricate workflows, and we're excited about the strong foundation it builds for future innovations together
Tim Rowe
Head of Strategic Innovation, Delaware UK & Ireland

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Like the UK division of VINCI Construction, many organisations struggle with vast amounts of information trapped in disparate systems. Our expertise in using Microsoft Copilot and other AI solutions can unlock your data, empower your employees, and drive significant operational improvements.

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