Where to Begin Implementing Productivity AI: Start with the Business Challenge, Not the Tech

In the fast-evolving world of productivity AI, there’s a persistent misconception that continues to trip up businesses: AI starts with data. But in reality, it starts with understanding how the business operates and how users behave and make decisions within those business operations.

In 2025, many business leaders are feeling the pressure to “do something with AI,” but aren’t sure where or how to begin. A Gartner survey found that while 80% of executives are increasing AI investments, nearly half still struggle to move beyond pilot projects. The culprits? Misalignment with business objectives and unrealistic expectations of the desired outcome.

Productivity AI is defined as the art of automating manual processes, harnessing data for smarter decisions, and adding delight to the user experience.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through a practical way to approach productivity AI—starting with understanding business objectives, incorporating process automation solutions that are complemented with AI, and how to begin your AI journey to achieve positive results in 2025.

The average business can contain several hundred thousand manual tasks initiated and managed by people within the organization. So, the opportunity for ROI through automation is achievable, but it must begin with correct discovery and prioritization of what tasks can make the most positive impact on the business and its people.

The right use cases must be identified; regular communication between IT, business leaders, and their users can help with this.

Why Start with a Use Case?

From finance teams still chasing down approvals to HR departments bogged down by manual onboarding tasks, many organizations are stuck in time-consuming workflows. Add disconnected data into the mix, and it becomes even more challenging to make timely decisions.

That’s where productivity AI solutions can shine. When you start with a clear business use case—like streamlining customer collections or accelerating insurance claims processing—you’re in a strong position to build targeted solutions that deliver time efficiency, boost productivity, and free up your team for more impactful work.

1. Process Automation & Custom AI Delivery

Automating repeatable tasks is one of the easiest ways to achieve a fast return on investment (ROI) from productivity AI initiatives. Thanks to platforms like Microsoft Power Platform, building tailored automation doesn’t require starting from scratch.

Here’s a quick look at what the Power Platform includes:

These tools enable business unit leaders to identify bottlenecks and develop workflows tailored to real needs—without waiting for large-scale digital transformation projects. And it’s not about reducing headcount. It’s about giving your teams time back to focus on strategy, innovation, and the tasks that actually move your business forward.

Begin Your Productivity AI Journey with a Small, Specific Problem

You don’t need a massive AI overhaul to start seeing results. Focus on a single high-impact use case and scale from there. Example starting points—noted in the chart above—include:

• Invoice Processing Automation – Eliminate manual back-and-forth by creating auto-routed approval workflows.
• Employee Onboarding & Offboarding – Standardize checklists, ensure compliance, and automate documentation delivery.
• Claims Review – Build a custom interface to streamline intake and routing, while protecting sensitive data.

The best solutions often come from the people closest to the work—business unit leaders who experience the friction daily. These are the ideal partners to identify where AI can make the most significant difference.

If you’re ready to explore what’s possible, start by gathering input from across departments:

• What are the most repetitive or manual processes?
• Where is data most fragmented or hard to trust?
• Which areas consistently bottleneck growth, compliance, or customer satisfaction?

From there, build a prioritized list of opportunities, and explore how platforms like Microsoft Power Platform and Azure AI can bring those ideas to life.

Let MicroAge Help Make Your Productivity AI Vision Actionable

Whether you’re just starting out or have a few ideas in motion, the key is building an AI strategy that’s grounded in real business needs. MicroAge can help.

MicroAge’s Octem Data Intelligence and AI Services are designed to guide you through:

• Exploring Microsoft AI capabilities and real-world solution patterns
• Uncovering productivity challenges and use cases through interactive workshops
• Creating an actionable roadmap with tailored next steps

Let us help you start where it counts—with the business objective.

Let’s talk

Contact us today at (800) 544-8877 to begin building your internal productivity AI strategy.