Super thinking: How UniSuper is using Microsoft 365 Copilot to deliver faster and better outcomes for members

UniSuper is one of Australia’s largest superannuation funds, managing more than A$139 billion and serving more than 647,000 members. Known for managing 70 per cent of its investments in-house, the fund prides itself on its ability to act swiftly and innovate where others may hesitate. Now, as generative AI reshapes the financial services industry, UniSuper is embracing this technology to empower its people to deliver more value to members.

When public-facing tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT gained traction in early 2023, UniSuper quickly recognised generative AI’s transformative potential and joined the Microsoft 365 Copilot Early Access Program, initially rolling out 300 licenses. In July 2024, UniSuper scaled up, purchasing 1,200 licenses for its workforce.

“Building foundational AI capabilities within our workforce is critical to improving our operational efficiency in the immediacy and will contribute to the delivery of personalised retirement outcomes for our members in the future,” says Peter Chun, CEO of UniSuper.

“The expansion of Copilot across all of our employees is a fundamental component of establishing the employee skills and capabilities needed to unlock the benefits of generative AI.”

“We’re confident that the adoption of Copilot is going to manifest in better experiences for our people at UniSuper. It’s a tool that allows them to leverage their skills and focus more on that high value work they want to do, and less on the manual, repetitive work that keeps them tied up during the day.”

Realising the value of Copilot

UniSuper’s use of Copilot spans diverse applications and is delivering significant value according to Matt Bright, Senior Manager of Emerging Technology and Efficiency.

At the heart of the rollout is enabling the fund’s financial advisors to streamline how they engage with members and increase the number of members they can speak to. Advisors are saving roughly 30 minutes per client interaction on Microsoft Teams by using automated, bespoke file notes that summarise key details of each conversation. This innovation is expected to save advisors 1,700 hours annually and increase the number of members they advise by seven per cent.

“It allows our advisors to spend less time on administrative tasks so that they can service more members,” says Bright. “It also gives us improved visibility and monitoring over the quality of interactions we are having with our members.”

Beyond financial advice, Copilot has become integral to UniSuper’s project management processes. Employees use it to draft business requirements and project plans, saving them time and improving the quality of their work.

“Copilot instantly gives our people a starting point and 25 per cent of progress that might otherwise have taken a few weeks,” Bright explains. “It enables them to spend more time on delivering project outcomes and refining plans because they’re not starting from scratch.” 

Copilot’s ability to simplify complex tasks has also driven greater inclusivity and participation at UniSuper. Employees who might previously have felt intimidated in technical or complex discussions use the tool to educate themselves and contribute confidently.

“It basically gives our people a door into a conversation that they otherwise wouldn’t have fully participated in,” says Bright.

UniSuper has also identified that Copilot can play a key role in its risk and compliance efforts with use cases such as leveraging Copilot to review finite details in contracts at scale improving the fund’s ability to ensure compliance clauses are in place while reducing the need for manual scrutiny.

While metrics like time savings are a key focus, UniSuper also evaluates Copilot’s success holistically. “Are people enjoying their work more? Do they have better work-life balance? Are they spending more time on high-value tasks? These are some of the questions we’re asking to measure Copilot’s true value,” says Bright.

Building capability and confidence

UniSuper’s approach to training has evolved as its employees’ understanding of Copilot has deepened. EAP participants initially received tailored guidance, then the organisation developed a comprehensive training framework as adoption grew.

The framework includes fundamental and role-specific training through Microsoft partner Capgemini as well as self-paced learning modules through the Microsoft Copilot Academy. Other resources such as prompt templates, short video demonstrations and a shared community of practice ensure employees can learn through hands-on experience.

UniSuper has also created its own AI Champions Network, with enthusiastic employees who serve as ‘super users’ of Copilot and advocates within their teams. “We want our champions to be hands-on,” says Bright. “They see the shift that’s coming in the way of working through AI and want to be at the forefront.

“My background is actually in risk and compliance consulting, but I saw an opportunity to explore how AI could be used safely and responsibly. That decision has opened up an entirely new career dimension for me.”

Since making Copilot available to all employees, UniSuper has seen a significant uptick in adoption. Bright attributes this to organic knowledge transfer and company-wide, team-driven conversations. “It’s the stimulated discussion and sharing of experiences between employees,” he says.

Responsible AI adoption in regulated industries

UniSuper’s exploration of AI and Copilot was guided by an early adoption AI working group with executive sponsorship from the fund’s Chief of Staff, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Risk Officer. Representatives from every business unit, including HR and technology and risk, participate in shaping UniSuper’s approach to AI.

“Our AI Governance processes allow us to approach AI from both a governance perspective and an opportunity point of view,” Bright adds. “We want to make sure we could get the most out of generative AI in a safe and secure manner.”

Initially, Copilot was piloted among UniSuper’s leaders and AI enthusiasts, allowing the organisation to establish risk, compliance and training frameworks before rolling it out more broadly. This also laid the foundation for building trust and momentum in adopting Copilot.

“One thing we learned is that successful adoption has a lot to do with seeing people using it and hearing about their experiences,” Bright says. “When that comes from your senior leaders, it’s much more powerful.”

Exploring for greater impact

Looking ahead, UniSuper plans to continue to explore higher-value use cases for Copilot by exploring innovative ways to extend beyond the out of the box experience and developing agentic support agents tailored for high-volume processes.

This initiative aims to enhance efficiency and streamline operations, providing more scalable support solutions for their members, with a particular focus on project delivery and IT Service Management processes.

Additionally, as part of its security- and risk-focused approach to AI, UniSuper continues to improve and expand its risk and control environment for using Copilot, instilling confidence and trust in their technology environment.

For organisations embarking on their own generative AI journey, Bright emphasised the importance of change management.

“It’s important to listen to feedback and understand that people are generally starting from square one when it comes to using Copilot,” he says. “Even if they’ve been exploring other tools like those you can access publicly, it’s a very different experience and user interface compared to M365 Copilot. So, you need to be patient and willing to help them to create daily habits.

“It’s also worth noting that you don’t need to be a technologist to achieve the right outcomes using Copilot. If you can articulate what you want to achieve, Copilot can help you get there.”