Quick answer
Yes, but only once you've properly adopted them, not just tried them for a fortnight. And the time you get back is usually more modest than the marketing suggests.
This guide covers who benefits most, how to run a proper trial and what to expect.It's for anyone weighing up whether to bring AI into email, scheduling, meetings and task management, including the team leads making that call. It's the practical version, not the sales pitch.
What is an AI assistant?
An AI assistant is software that takes on the repetitive parts of your working day, like the back-and-forth of scheduling or the meeting notes nobody wants to write up. It gets better at anticipating what you need as it learns how you work.
They tend to come in three forms:
Where does the time go?
Nobody's hired to manage their inbox. Yet a surprising amount of the working day disappears into sorting emails, meetings that get moved three times and writing up notes afterwards.
The promise behind AI assistants is simple: hand the admin to software so people can get on with the work that needs a person. The question is whether that promise holds up when you're using these tools every day, not just testing them for a week.
How AI assistants save time
• Time back
Automating the small, repetitive jobs cuts down admin. Not dramatically, but noticeably.Fewer things slip through the cracks.
• Clashing meetings
Follow-ups that never happen and replies that contradict each other are exactly what automation is good at catching.
• More headspace for the work that matters
With routine jobs off your plate, there's more room for the decisions only you can make.
• A clearer line between work and home
Less admin creeping into your evening usually means a better work-life balance, even if the change is small at first
Where these tools tend to show up
• Scheduling Microsoft Copilot, x.ai and Google Calendar
AI find a time that suits everyone, cut down email chains and chase replies so you don't have to.
• Email
Copilot, Gmail Smart Compose and Superhuman AI draft replies in your tone and bring the emails that need an answer to the top.
• Writing and editing
Grammarly, Jasper, ChatGPT and Copilot proofread, shorten long reports and give you a first draft to work from.
• Meetings
Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai, Sembly and Copilot transcribe live, pull out decisions and actions, and connect to Zoom, Teams and Google Meet.
• Tasks and projects
Trello AI, Asana AI, ClickUp AI and Copilot assign work, chase deadlines and flag where things are getting stuck.
Why does Microsoft Copilot keep coming up?
Most standalone tools are built to do one job well. Copilot's advantage is that it's already inside the apps most teams use every day, like Outlook, Word and Teams.
There's no extra login and no new way of working to learn, which removes a lot of what usually stops people using a new tool.
Why does Microsoft Copilot keep coming up?
Some, yes, but only once your team has properly adopted the tools rather than just trying them. Automating scheduling, drafting routine emails and using transcription tools does cut down manual work.
What the research shows: independent studies tend to find the time saved is more modest than the marketing suggests. In the first few months, it's often minutes a week rather than hours. The bigger gains usually come later, once a tool is properly built into how a team works
How to choose and adopt an AI assistant, step by step
1
Work out what's repetitive. Make a short list, such as sorting emails, scheduling, meeting notes and routine drafting
2
Time it before you start. Track how long each task takes over a week or two, so you've got something to compare against
3
Pick one or two tools to try. Choose the ones that match your biggest time drains: Copilot if you already use Microsoft 365, or Otter.ai if meetings are the problem.
4
Run a proper trial (two to eight weeks). Keep the group small, agree what success looks like and give people some quick training, rather than assuming it's obvious
5
Check how it's going. Look at how much the tools are used and how long the target tasks now take, and ask people what they think
6
Adjust, then roll out. Tweak the settings and agree some ground rules for anything automated, like replies or actions. Then roll it out further once you can see it's working.
A checklist for running a trial
How long each task takes now (minutes per day)
A named owner and clear success measures, such as the percentage drop in time spent sorting emails, or how many people are using the tool
Where it needs to connect: calendar, Teams, email and project tools
A proper look at data and privacy, including what the tool stores and who can see transcripts
A short training plan: 15 to 30 minutes, plus a quick reference guide
Regular reviews: weekly during the trial, monthly after
A checklist for running a trial
• Judgement and relationships still need a person.
AI assistants can't replace anything that relies on judgement or a real relationship with a colleague or client.
• Adoption is everything.
A tool nobody uses doesn't save anyone time. It has to become part of how the team works.
• Check the output, don't just trust it.
Transcripts and drafted replies need a second look. Mistakes and missing context happen more often than you'd think.
• Know where your data goes.
Check how each provider handles data, transcripts and storage before rolling anything out more widely
A checklist for running a trial
Where to start
If most of your day runs through Microsoft 365, start with Copilot. It's already built into the apps your team uses.
If meetings take up most of your time, try Otter.ai or Fireflies.ai for transcription, and feed the notes into wherever you keep yours.
Our guides, "Microsoft 365 adoption checklist" and "Meeting transcription: pilot plan", have templates and example measures if you want to take this further. Or get in touch with our automation specialists and we'll help you plan a trial
Do AI assistants replace the need for a human assistant or admin support?
No. They're not built for judgement calls, managing relationships or the kind of context only a person has. What they do is take the repetitive layer off the top of that work.
Do I need separate tools for email, scheduling and meetings, or does one tool do it all?
You can use the best tool for each job if you prefer. But if your organisation already uses Microsoft 365, Copilot covers a lot of this from inside the apps you already use, which usually makes it easier to get people using it.
How long before I see a benefit?
Give it time to settle in. Scheduling usually shows quick wins, while the wider time savings tend to take a few months to show.
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