Delivering Operational Efficiencies Across a Major UK University
A suite of Copilot agents delivering operational efficiencies across a major UK university, from automating vendor security and GDPR audits, to deflecting routine service-desk calls, to turning service-desk transcripts into actionable Power BI insights.
Company Overview
The client is a major UK university with a large student population, a complex research portfolio, and the regulatory overhead that comes with both.
IT Services was under pressure on two fronts: routine operational tasks like vendor security and GDPR audits were slow and manual, and the service desk was absorbing a high volume of repetitive student queries that lengthened wait times for more complex issues.
Problem Statement
Vendor security and GDPR checks were manual and time-consuming, the service desk was overloaded with routine student queries that pushed up wait times for complex issues, and valuable performance insight sat locked inside unstructured call transcripts that nobody had time to extract.
Outcome Delivered
Vendor security and GDPR audits are now automated end-to-end, routine student queries are deflected at first touch, and unstructured call transcripts feed a live Power BI view of service quality, freeing IT Services for higher-value work entirely within the existing Microsoft estate.
Executive Overview
We designed and delivered a suite of Copilot-based agents across the university's Microsoft estate, targeting the highest-friction operational tasks. Vendor security and GDPR audits are now automated end-to-end, freeing specialist time; routine service-desk traffic is deflected through a RAG-enabled agent answering student queries; service-desk call transcripts are converted into structured Power BI insights on call drivers, resolution quality and customer satisfaction; and complex build requests are guided through a conversational agent that translates intent into accurate IT tickets.
IT Services moved from being overloaded with repetitive work to having time for higher-value change, with vendor and GDPR assessments handled automatically, routine queries deflected at first touch, and leadership given a continuously updated Power BI view of service-desk performance that drives targeted improvement, all within the existing Microsoft tooling footprint.
Our Approach
We mapped the highest-friction IT Services processes with the client's leadership team, then selected the right agent pattern for each: standalone Copilot agents for repetitive, prompt-heavy tasks; RAG-enabled agents, which answer using curated reference data so guidance stays accurate; and scheduled agents wired into Power Automate for end-to-end business workflows.
We built the solutions inside the existing Microsoft estate, layered in governance and audit from the start, and designed each agent to feed a continuous-improvement loop rather than a one-off automation.
Challenges
Challenges Faced
Every engagement starts with a clear-eyed view of what was actually getting in the way, because you cannot fix what you cannot see. Here we set out the real constraints the client was working within, the costs and risks they were carrying, and the gaps that needed closing before any meaningful progress could be made.
Let's Transform Your Enterprise Today
Send an EnquiryManual vendor and GDPR audits
Vendor security and GDPR checks were manual and time-consuming, tying up specialist staff.
Service desk overloaded
The service desk was overloaded with repetitive student queries day to day.
Long waits for complex issues
That volume pushed up wait times for the more complex issues that needed real attention.
Insight locked in transcripts
Valuable performance insight sat locked inside unstructured call transcripts nobody had time to extract.
Deployed solutions
What We Did
A look at how we approached the work, from the first discovery sessions through to the changes we put in place, and the thinking behind each decision along the way. The aim is always the same, to deliver something measurable that the client owns and can build on, rather than a one-off fix that fades once we leave.
Copilot agents for heavy prompts
Standalone Copilot agents handle repetitive tasks that require large, complex prompts, such as running GDPR and security-policy scans on new vendors.
RAG agents for accurate guidance
RAG-enabled agents answer student queries using curated university knowledge, from Wi-Fi setup to application support, reducing service-desk load.
Power Automate integration
Trigger-based agents run on file arrival or schedule, for example daily transcript extracts, pushing structured output into Dataverse, Excel and Power BI.
Service-desk call analytics
Call transcripts are analysed for why the user called, whether it was resolved, and whether they understood and were satisfied, feeding a live performance dashboard.
Guided ticket creation
A conversational agent helps students and tutors describe what they need, determines the right build, verifies it with the user, and automates ticket creation.
Native to the Microsoft estate
The entire solution runs natively inside the university's Microsoft estate, with no new tooling, no shadow IT, and no compromise on data governance.