TLDR: Japanese payment brand JCB has significantly improved its work efficiency by adopting Microsoft 365 Copilot. Since its rollout in June 2024, Copilot achieved an 83% average monthly usage by March 2025, with users reporting an average saving of six hours monthly across top use cases. The company plans to expand licenses to all employees in FY2025, leveraging generative AI to streamline daily tasks, enhance internal operations, and support customer service.
JCB, Japan’s sole international payment brand, is proactively navigating the rapidly evolving FinTech landscape by strategically integrating generative AI into its operations. The company’s vision for AI-driven work transformation is structured into three key levels: streamlining daily work, enhancing internal tasks, and bolstering customer service. The initial focus has been on ‘Level 1: streamline daily work,’ aiming to build foundational skills for more advanced AI applications.
The decision to adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot was driven by its seamless integration with existing Microsoft Office applications, which JCB employees already use daily. Ms. Yonna Maezawa from JCB’s System Planning Department highlighted the ease of adoption, stating, “Employees already used Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint daily, so we could easily imagine them clicking the Copilot icon on the familiar taskbar. It would be a natural extension of their routine, making adoption seamless.” Furthermore, the readily available Microsoft 365 Product Terms and Data Protection Agreements facilitated a smooth internal risk assessment.
JCB initiated a Proof of Concept (PoC) in January 2024, distributing 440 Copilot licenses across approximately 70 departments. Participants were selected to ensure diversity in job roles and demographics, allowing for comprehensive data collection. A survey conducted at the end of the PoC (March 2024) revealed that 70% of 300 respondents reported time savings in information gathering and searching, averaging about five hours per person monthly. This positive outcome justified further expansion.
In June 2024, the number of Copilot licenses increased to 1,000, and by October, it expanded further to 1,600 due to high internal demand, with a lottery system used for additional licenses. By March 2025, Copilot achieved an impressive average monthly utilization rate of 83%.
To ensure effective and responsible use, JCB implemented mandatory training videos covering basic operations and a quiz to confirm understanding of the company’s generative AI guidelines. This prerequisite aimed to educate employees about potential risks while encouraging hands-on experimentation.
An internal ‘Generative AI Utilization Hub’ was launched using Microsoft SharePoint’s Discussion Board feature. This platform serves as a central repository for training videos, Copilot information, and a space for employees to share knowledge and best practices.
To further boost utilization, weekly Copilot tips are posted on Microsoft Teams. Ms. Maezawa noted, “Some users are so busy they forget that Copilot even exists. The weekly posts are designed not only to share useful information but also to encourage these users to engage with Copilot.” These tips focus on practical prompts and features directly relevant to work tasks, leading to increased engagement, particularly with features like prompt sharing.
JCB’s commitment to productivity, including initiatives like limiting meetings to 30 minutes, has been reinforced by Copilot. A January 2025 survey identified meeting-related tasks (taking minutes, summarizing, understanding content) as top time-savers. Mr. Akasaka stated, “Our survey showed that this task alone saved 1.4 hours per person each month.”
Overall, Copilot improved work efficiency by approximately six hours per person per month across its top five use cases. Other significant time-saving areas included searching and collecting internal information, and email summarization. Department-specific usage patterns emerged, with sales representatives using Copilot for idea generation in proposals, international departments leveraging translation features, and program coding ranking as a top time-saver (averaging 13 hours saved per month).
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Looking ahead, JCB plans to distribute Copilot licenses to all employees in FY2025. The company is exploring Microsoft Copilot Studio for low-code development of custom agents to automate recurring tasks. Microsoft Viva Insights is being used to visualize Copilot utilization, and surveys via Microsoft Forms collect qualitative feedback to refine adoption strategies. Mr. Akasaka emphasized, “We’ll continue driving Copilot adoption at both individual and team levels.”
