Boyer is making an impression in the world of Microsoft AI, with one rep calling the company’s AI strategies and offerings “revolutionary.” From using Copilot internally to presenting at Microsoft AI events to installing custom AI agents for customers, Boyer has positioned itself as a forward-thinking Microsoft partner.
So where did it all begin?
A Journey Into AI
While the term “artificial intelligence” has been around since the 1950s, generative AI tools stole the show in November 2022, with the debut of ChatGPT. Microsoft launched Copilot a few short months later.
Boyer embarked on our own AI journey in the wake of this launch, starting with an internal AI forum in 2023. The goal was to spark interest in the capabilities of AI and foster collaboration.
“The efficiency play was there … even when we didn’t fully understand it,” said Matt Fleming, VP of IT. “It’s such a great tool to gain efficiency and give you time back.”
By spring 2024, most of the Boyer team had M365 Copilot licenses and had gone through internal training on best practices. The IT team also created an AI policy to help govern proper use of the vast, untamed world of generative AI.
As employees shared the various ways they were experimenting with large language models, the team grew its skills together, learning from each other what did or didn’t work.
Fast forward to spring 2025, when Boyer hit the turbo button on AI. We created the AI Lead position, attended three AI events, created a series of AI workshops and debuted custom AI agents.
“I’ve been using (AI) nonstop for at least the past two or three years — I’d say almost every single day,” said Caleb Funderburk, Boyer’s AI & Product Development Lead.
Why Microsoft AI?
Fleming said that while there are hundreds of AI tools to choose from, there was no doubt which tech stack Boyer would choose. Besides the fact that Boyer is a Microsoft partner implementing these tools, Fleming pointed out on a recent Copilot & Coffee webinar that Microsoft’s reputation makes it a dependable option.
“The true benefit for Boyer and for our customers is that Microsoft’s been here forever. They’re going to be here five years down the road still investing in AI — and being on the cutting edge of the technology,” he said.
Fleming noted that the very name of Microsoft’s AI stack — Copilot — is well-thought out and intentional.
“It’s meant to be an assistant to take those low-level tasks off your plate so you can get to those more strategic (tasks),” he said.
Funderburk added that while people sometimes equate Copilot with a “souped up search tool,” it is actually a powerful tool for increasing productivity in the workplace.
A key benefit of Microsoft AI that sets it apart from competitors is its ability to access company data without compromising security.
“Microsoft Copilot is already grounded into your company’s data policies and processes. That’s where the real ROI shows up because it’s not just saving you time in your day-to-day. It’s saving time within your business,” Funderburk said.
Fleming pointed out that with Microsoft’s AI stack, a user can tell Copilot where to gets its information. This cuts down on wrong answers (a common concern with AI) because you’re limiting it to only search internal resources you know to be accurate and relevant.
Seeing ROI with AI
According to Fleming, 94 percent of Boyer employees now use Microsoft AI on a regular basis. Sales and IT use it the most. “I use it all the time for everything,” he added.
For example, Fleming said that having AI on a meeting saves him from having to take detailed notes himself.
“Memory wise, I know that I don’t capture everything all the time. That’s one of the big benefits that I’ve noticed out of Copilot is I’m much less reliant on my notes … So that’s definitely an easy efficiency gain,” he said.
Another big win comes with creating complex Power BI reports. Fleming estimates that generative AI can get him about 85 percent of the way there, saving him considerable time on each report.
As the Boyer team continues to look for ways to be more efficient, Funderburk said identifying all those little places where productivity stalls is the first step.
“We really see AI as helping employees become more self-sufficient. … It’s about removing the bottlenecks that they have to deal with on a daily basis,” he said.
That was the catalyst for Boyer Central Agent, a retrieval tool that helps team members quickly access information from their ERP — without going into the actual system. Boyer’s CEO frequently needs visibility into data that sit within the system, but he has no interest in becoming an ERP expert just to gain that access.
With Boyer’s custom AI agent, he no longer has to waste time navigating an unfamiliar system or requesting data from someone else. This small but mighty agent proved so helpful internally that Boyer has already installed it for some of our customers as well.
“We really see AI as helping employees become more self-sufficient. … It’s about removing the bottlenecks that they have to deal with on a daily basis.”
Matt Fleming, VP of IT at Boyer
Working Smarter, Not Harder
Funderburk said it’s important to think strategically about AI use. Simply deploying any Microsoft AI technology isn’t the answer. At Boyer we’ve learned to think through specific business use cases where AI makes the most sense and can truly benefit the company.
“A business pain point becomes an AI opportunity or agent opportunity when it’s repeatable, when it’s measurable, and when it’s tied directly to either lost time or revenue,” Funderburk said. “Start with those bottlenecks that drain time or block growth. That’s where you’ll probably see the fastest return on investment.”
When thinking about Boyer’s use of AI internally, Fleming prefers to “start small, win fast.” At Boyer, those small efficiency gains are snowballing into big wins for the company.
And we’re still just scratching the surface of AI’s potential. Fleming believes Boyer is at a “halfway point” with AI maturity. The company excels at using Copilot’s generative AI and retrieval agents.
The next step is to focus on task and automation agents. These are already in the works, and Boyer expects to save exponentially more time as the team continues to build those AI skills.
“We’re a small, scrappy organization so we need every little advantage we can get,” Fleming said.
Related: Read about our migration from Microsoft Dynamics SL to Dynamics 365 Business Central.
