Microsoft Scenario Library Manufacturing Identify new suppliers

Available with: Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat

Manufacturing scenario: Identify new suppliers

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Scenario

Procurement teams can use Copilot Chat to assist with research and collaboration to find new suppliers.

1. Identify new sourcing options

Ask Copilot to quickly find new potential suppliers with an initial set of criteria to support further research.

Microsoft Copilot icon

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat1

Sample prompt: Find and list new potential suppliers for [product/service/category] that meet the following criteria: [list your criteria, e.g., location, certifications, capacity]. Present the results in a table for further research.

Get help with quick research into a supplier shortlist ensure that suppliers meet your organization’s criteria for financial viability or have required certifications.

Microsoft Copilot icon

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat1

Sample prompt: Summarize the key highlights from these supplier annual reports and ESG reports. Also, identify any recent acquisitions or divestitures.

Have Copilot expedite research into potential quality and service issues by providing an assessment of customer satisfaction for the potential suppliers.

Microsoft Copilot icon

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat1

Sample prompt: Assess customer satisfaction for these suppliers [copy and paste a list] using available online sentiment and reviews.

Ask Copilot to verify whether suppliers or products meet specific industry criteria or capabilities by getting help summarizing lengthy and potentially confusing product specifications to get the required information quickly.

Microsoft Copilot icon

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat1

Sample prompt: Run a web search to help me Check if these suppliers [copy and paste a list] and their products [copy and paste a list] meet our industry’s required certifications and standards.

Ask Copilot to draft communications such as approval requests, status emails, and supplier communications.

Microsoft Copilot icon

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat1

Benefit: Get a first draft faster with Copilot by providing a few details and letting Copilot figure out the best way
to say it.

Try in Prompt Gallery: Kickstart a draft

KPIs

Opportunity to impact key functional area KPIs

How Microsoft Copilot can help improve product time to market

Use Copilot capture customer needs and then support coordination of product development activities.
Boost productivity
  • Rapidly find information
  • Diagnose problems faster
  • Check for similar issues and resolutions
  • Quickly send follow-up communications

How Microsoft Copilot can help employee turnover rates

Retain critical plant and headquarters staff by improving the work/life balance of all workers by simplifying overhead tasks. Improve skilling to provide more growth opportunities and increase internal hiring.​
Improve quality of internal materials and processes
  • Improve job descriptions for further role clarity
  • Improve company meetings with summarization and recap
  • Completely focus during the meeting

How Microsoft Copilot can help customer satisfaction

Improve customer service performance with tailored LLMs for higher first-time call resolution. Improve customer communications whether through improved writing or improved call scripts.​
Incorporate feedback
  • Rapidly analyze customer feedback
  • Quickly create recommendations
  • Swiftly update scripts and processes
  • Create communications to socialize the changes

How Microsoft Copilot can help minimize scrap rate

Quickly identify quality issues by accessing and analyzing quality logs. Reduce the cost of any recall programs that are required with effective management and tailored responses.​
Speed problem resolution​
  • Rapidly find information​
  • Diagnose problems faster​
  • Check for similar issues and resolutions​
  • Quickly send follow-up communications​

How Microsoft Copilot can help supply chain performance

Use AI to generate evaluation criteria for new materials and suppliers. Review contracts to make the most effective deals and use AI analysis to evaluate supplier performance.
Speed data analysis and reporting​
  • Quickly analyze trends​
  • Generate informative charts​
  • Create strategy presentations ​

How Microsoft Copilot can help minimize production downtime

Use Copilot to analyze information from manufacturers apps to predict and prevent equipment failures, manage inventory levels and identify training that can help staff keep machines operating. 
Speed problem resolution​
  • Rapidly find information​
  • Diagnose problems faster​
  • Check for similar issues and resolutions​
  • Quickly send follow-up communications​

1Access Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat at m365copilot.com, or the Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat mobile app and set toggle to “Web”.

2Access Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat at m365copilot.com, the Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat mobile app, or the Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat app in Teams, and set toggle to “Work”.

3AI Agents allow Copilot to access your organization-specific apps. In the past this would have required an API call to get data from a system of record.

The content in this example scenario is for demonstration purposes only. You should evaluate how Copilot aligns with your organization’s business processes, regulatory requirements, and responsible AI principles.