The challenge
Implementing new technology doesn’t guarantee its adoption. A global retail brand had invested in a suite of Microsoft tools to help streamline workloads and increase efficiency for its employees. There were two key areas where employees needed support to maximise adoption and efficiency.
Firstly, there were differing levels of Power BI use and capability across the company’s finance, IT, and data teams. While some employees were advanced users of Power BI, capability varied significantly across teams. This made it difficult to establish a consistent approach to reporting, visualisation and analysis, reducing the value the organisation could derive from its data.
In addition, Microsoft Copilot had the potential to transform how employees completed everyday tasks, from creating presentations and analysing data to producing reports, summarising information and managing administrative workloads. Employees across sales, merchandising, marketing, finance, HR, risk, IT and customer service needed practical guidance on how to apply Copilot to the specific activities that occupied much of their working day.
In both cases, the organisation needed to close the gap between Microsoft technology investment and workforce capability. Upskilling wouldn’t just require learning how to use the tools - any training needed to be delivered by Microsoft Certified Trainers, focus on how to apply Co-pilot and Power BI to day-to-day scenarios and create better insight, greater productivity and more efficient ways of working.
Furthermore, with the teams carrying significant operational responsibilities, the organisation needed a training solution that was fast to deploy, practical and flexible enough to fit around day-to-day demands.
The solution
The global retail company turned to Code Nation to deliver. Code Nation, part of the Reed group, is a Microsoft Training Services Partner, specialising in creating programmes that drive performance, productivity, and digital transformation.
Following the global retail brand’s brief, Code Nation’s Microsoft Certified Trainers delivered a programme of practical skills and knowledge structured around each team’s needs.
Through practical, scenario-based training, employees from across IT, finance and data teams learned how to create more effective Power BI dashboards, analyse performance trends and deliver reporting that supported faster, evidence-based decision making.
When it came to Copilot, the training was tailored to the day-to-day priorities of each function. Sales, marketing and merchandising teams explored how Copilot could accelerate the creation of PowerPoint presentations, campaign plans and customer-facing content. Finance teams learned how to use Copilot within Excel to analyse data, identify trends and streamline reporting processes. Other functions focused on practical applications relevant to their roles, helping employees quickly embed the technology into existing ways of working.
Rather than focusing on the features of the technology alone, the programme centred on practical business outcomes. Employees identified where repetitive or time-consuming activities could be streamlined and learned how Copilot could help reduce manual effort while maintaining quality and accuracy.
The results
Code Nation’s Microsoft-accredited programme achieved its aim of helping employees use Power BI and Copilot more effectively in their day-to-day roles, improving productivity, strengthening data capability and increasing confidence in the use of Microsoft technologies.
The programme strengthened Power BI capability across the retailer’s finance, IT and data teams, enabling employees to create more effective dashboards, analyse trends, generate actionable insights and produce more consistent reporting. By building capability across a broader group of employees, the organisation reduced reliance on a small number of advanced users and empowered teams to make greater use of data in day-to-day decision making.
Copilot training delivered similarly practical outcomes. Employees from multiple commercial and corporate functions identified opportunities to apply Copilot to everyday tasks, from creating presentations and developing content to analysing information and streamlining routine administrative activities. Sales, marketing and merchandising teams accelerated the creation of PowerPoint presentations and campaign materials, while finance teams enhanced their ability to analyse data and generate insights using Copilot in Excel.
Not only did the solution deliver the organisation’s workforce development goals, it achieved this while minimising disruption to day-to-day operations. Roz Atherton, Managing Partner at Code Nation outlines what made the programme effective:
“Our approach combined Microsoft-certified training with bespoke content tailored to each team's goals and challenges. Through a blend of focused sessions and bite-sized learning, employees gained practical skills they could apply immediately, helping them make better use of Power BI and Copilot in their day-to-day work.”
If your organisation has invested in Microsoft’s suite of platforms but is having trouble translating this to improved workforce efficiency and effectiveness, Code Nation’s rapidly deployable, highly structured training programmes can help you take that important step. Find out more.
