Microsoft's Published Productivity Data
Microsoft has published extensive research data from early Copilot adopters across thousands of organisations worldwide. These figures provide the foundation for calculating ROI in Malta organisations. The data comes from Microsoft's Work Trend Index and independent studies conducted during the first 18 months of general availability.
Faster First Drafts
Users report creating first drafts of documents, emails and presentations 70 percent faster with Copilot assistance.
Faster Information Search
Finding information across files, emails and Teams conversations is 29 percent faster with Copilot's natural language search.
Faster Meeting Catch-up
Users catch up on missed meetings 85 percent faster using Copilot's meeting summaries and action item extraction.
Daily Time Savings
Average daily time saved per Copilot user across all applications. This is the headline figure most organisations use for ROI calculations.
Additional metrics from Microsoft's research include a 64 percent reduction in time spent processing email, a 50 percent reduction in meeting duration when Copilot generates agendas and summaries, and a 40 percent improvement in the quality of first-draft content as rated by supervisors. These figures are averages — actual results vary by role, industry and how effectively Copilot is integrated into daily workflows. This is why proper training and adoption are critical to achieving maximum ROI.
Time Savings by Role
Different roles within a Malta organisation see different levels of time savings from Microsoft 365 Copilot. Understanding these role-specific gains helps you prioritise licencing decisions and calculate department-level ROI.
| Role | Primary Copilot Uses | Est. Daily Savings | Annual Hours Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive / Director | Meeting summaries, email triage, presentation creation, strategic document drafting | 1.5 hours | ~360 hours |
| Manager | Report generation, team communication, meeting follow-ups, data analysis | 1.3 hours | ~312 hours |
| Developer / Engineer | Code generation (GitHub Copilot), documentation, code review, technical specifications | 1.5 hours | ~360 hours |
| Administrative / Support | Email drafting, meeting scheduling, document formatting, data entry | 1.0 hour | ~240 hours |
| Finance / Accounting | Excel analysis, report creation, variance analysis, financial modelling | 1.2 hours | ~288 hours |
| Sales / BD | Proposal drafting, CRM data analysis, client communication, presentation creation | 1.4 hours | ~336 hours |
| Security Analyst | Incident investigation (Copilot for Security), threat hunting, security posture reports | 2.0 hours | ~480 hours |
Estimates based on Microsoft published data and Veracloud deployment experience. Actual savings depend on role specifics, training quality and adoption level.
ROI Calculation Methodology
Calculating Copilot ROI follows a straightforward methodology that any Malta CFO can apply. The core formula compares the total annual cost of Copilot licensing and deployment against the monetary value of recovered productivity.
Step-by-Step ROI Formula
Number of licensed users x (base licence + EUR 30 Copilot add-on) x 12 months + deployment and training costs. See our pricing guide for exact figures.
Number of licensed users x estimated daily time savings (hours) x 240 working days per year.
Annual hours saved x average fully-loaded hourly cost per employee (salary + benefits + overheads / annual working hours).
((Value of recovered productivity - Annual Copilot cost) / Annual Copilot cost) x 100
ROI Example — 50-User Malta Business
Let us work through a concrete example for a mid-size Malta business with 50 employees on Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
Annual Cost
Annual Productivity Value
Payback period: approximately 3 weeks
Even using conservative estimates — assuming only 60 percent of the 1.2-hour daily savings figure is realised — the ROI remains compelling at over 700 percent. This is why Copilot adoption is accelerating rapidly among Malta businesses of all sizes.
Industry-Specific ROI for Malta Sectors
iGaming Operators
Malta's iGaming industry sees exceptional Copilot ROI because of the combination of M365 Copilot for operations, GitHub Copilot for development teams and Copilot for Security for compliance and threat detection. A typical 200-person iGaming operator deploying all three products can expect annual productivity gains exceeding EUR 1.2 million against a total Copilot investment of approximately EUR 100,000.
Financial Services
Financial services firms in Malta see strong ROI from Copilot in Excel (financial modelling and analysis), Copilot in Word (regulatory reporting and client documentation) and Copilot Studio agents for client onboarding automation. Compliance teams benefit from faster regulatory report generation, while relationship managers use Copilot to prepare personalised client communications at scale.
Legal Firms
Legal practices in Malta achieve significant ROI through document drafting (contracts, opinions, pleadings), case law research summaries and client communication management. For firms billing by the hour, Copilot enables lawyers to handle more matters per day without increasing headcount.
Healthcare
Healthcare organisations see ROI primarily through administrative efficiency — clinical note summarisation, referral letter drafting, appointment scheduling and regulatory compliance documentation. Administrative staff in Malta's healthcare sector often spend 60 percent or more of their time on documentation, making the 1.2-hour daily savings figure conservative for this sector.
Beyond Time Savings — Qualitative ROI
While time savings are the easiest ROI metric to quantify, Malta organisations consistently report additional benefits that are harder to measure but equally valuable:
- Improved content quality. First drafts are more structured, better formatted and more consistent in tone. This reduces revision cycles and improves external-facing communication quality.
- Better decision-making. Copilot's ability to analyse data and summarise information means decisions are based on more complete information, faster.
- Employee satisfaction. Removing tedious tasks improves job satisfaction and reduces turnover — a significant cost factor in Malta's competitive employment market.
- Competitive advantage. Organisations that adopt AI early operate more efficiently than competitors who delay. In Malta's concentrated market, this advantage compounds quickly.
- Talent attraction. Offering AI-enhanced work environments helps Malta businesses attract international talent and retain existing employees who want to work with modern tools.
Measuring ROI After Deployment
Veracloud helps Malta organisations measure actual ROI after deployment using Microsoft Viva Insights and the Copilot Dashboard. These tools track active usage rates, feature adoption across applications, time spent in Copilot-assisted versus unassisted tasks and user-reported productivity improvements. We configure monthly reporting dashboards that give leadership teams clear visibility into the value Copilot is delivering.
For organisations that want to build a business case before deployment, Veracloud offers a complimentary ROI assessment that analyses your current workforce composition, identifies the roles with the highest potential savings and provides a customised cost-benefit projection specific to your Malta organisation. This assessment is available at no cost and with no obligation.