As we kick off 2025, we find ourselves in a truly transformative era of business technology.

What makes this technological era truly revolutionary is not just the breakthroughs themselves, but their unprecedented accessibility. Organizations of all sizes can work with a trusted managed services provider to access solutions powered by artificial intelligence. These solutions offer speed and accuracy while reducing costs.

It is clear that success will belong to organizations that can harness these technologies while maintaining a focused commitment to sustainable and responsible innovation.

At Dow headquarters in Midland, Mich., for example, invoices flow in an unending stream. Billing statements from up to 4,000 daily shipments – emailed PDFs, electronic data interchange transactions, paper – move through the system 24/7, detailing everything from freight surcharges to refrigeration costs. Each invoice is a part of the company’s large supply chain puzzle. Dow specialists must check every line item against contracts and other points in that shipment’s journey.

A better approach

To handle this efficiently, Dow teamed up with Microsoft to automate shipping invoice analysis with Copilot and AI-powered agents. This arrangement helps to improve Dow’s global supply chain, creating efficiencies and value in ways that were not possible before.

To transform the invoice verification process at Dow, the team built two types of AI agents. The first is an autonomous agent, created in Copilot Studio, that checks incoming emails for attached PDF invoices. Then, it organizes the data for analysis.

Dow gets 20% of its shipping invoices as PDFs. That’s over 100,000 invoices each year. It is important to have clear access to this data. The autonomous agent scans for billing errors. It shows these errors on a dashboard.

Employees can then use a second tool called the Freight Agent, a prompt-and-response solution in Copilot. Employees can ask questions and get answers in natural language to investigate further.

Just a few weeks into the proof-of-concept phase, employees used the agents to check thousands of invoices. They focused on outbound land-based shipping in North America. The agents flagged problems and showed possible savings.

Once the system is fully used for all shipping methods around the world, Dow expects improved accuracy that will help with logistic rates and billing. In the first year, this should help the company save millions of dollars in shipping costs.

Invoice errors that typically required hours, days or weeks of tedious manual auditing now surface in a few keystrokes. You can see significant savings opportunities, unmasked line by line.

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Feeding in more granular data can highlight additional, hidden issues: Why are fees so high for carrying particular materials? Are we seeing duplicate invoices? What can we do to reduce unloading delays?

This technology, once limited to research labs and big companies, is now available to businesses of all sizes. It is driving innovation everywhere, from small startups to large global enterprises.

The implications for business are profound. Organizations that adapt to these technological shifts will thrive, while those that resist change risk obsolescence.

Digital transformation is not just about using new tools. It is about rethinking how we work, compete, and create value in today’s world. One of the key advantages of AI agents is their ability to automate repetitive tasks. For instance, AI agents can handle email management by categorizing messages, prioritizing important emails and even drafting responses. This declutters your inbox and ensures that you address critical communications promptly.

AI agents can turn meeting recordings into text. They can also create searchable summaries and make slides for presentations. This helps teams stay organized and informed.

Another area where AI agents excel is in data analysis and insights. These agents can analyze large datasets and find trends. They give data-driven recommendations. This helps businesses make better decisions quickly. This ability is especially useful for small and medium-sized businesses, which often lack resources for in-depth data analysis.

AI agents improve customer service by offering instant help through chatbots. These chatbots can answer common questions and send complex issues to human agents. They also give personalized recommendations based on customer data. This not only improves your customers’ experience but also frees up human agents to focus on more complex tasks.

AI agents can further facilitate seamless communication and collaboration among team members. By automating workflows and enhancing productivity, these agents ensure that teams can work more efficiently and effectively.

AI-powered platforms can even schedule meetings by looking at calendar and suggesting the best meeting times. This cuts down on the usual back-and-forth in scheduling.

The integration of Microsoft AI agents into business operations offers a multitude of benefits. From automating routine tasks and managing communications to analyzing data and enhancing customer service, these intelligent agents are transforming the way businesses operate. By working with an experienced MSP, your organization can use AI to save time, boost productivity and drive growth in an increasingly competitive market.

Carl Mazzanti is president of eMazzanti Technologies in Hoboken, providing IT consulting and cybersecurity services for businesses ranging from home offices to multinational corporations.