内容来源：https://news.microsoft.com/source/canada/features/ai/first-west-credit-union-copilot-deployment/

内容总结：

加拿大最大信贷联盟引入AI助手，以技术赋能个性化金融服务新范式

加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省第三大信贷联盟——第一西部信贷联盟近期宣布，在其内部全面部署微软Copilot人工智能助手，成为加拿大首家全员应用该技术的金融机构。这一举措旨在通过数字化变革，强化其服务的"人情味"，为超过28万名会员创造更精准、高效的个性化体验。

从"翻查文档"到"一键获取"：AI重塑服务流程

分行经理阿迪·巴提亚的亲身体验印证了转型成效。过去，临时顶替同事接待客户时，他不得不花费大量时间在系统中检索资料，难以专注沟通。如今，Copilot能在几秒内整合政策、流程与历史案例，形成完整视图。"顾问能全盘掌握信息，迅速定位关键问题，清晰解释方案，"巴提亚表示，"这使我们将精力真正聚焦于会员本身。"

三阶段推进：从内部试点到全员覆盖

该联盟的AI转型步伐迅速而稳健。领导团队一年前观摩演示后，率先在内部开展小范围测试；至2024年底，已向200-300名早期使用者发放许可。首席转型官达雷尔·贾格斯强调，技术部署始终以数据安全为前提："我们在封闭环境中构建AI代理，确保内容经过严格审核，既保护隐私又提升回答质量。"

实效凸显：房贷业务效率跃升，协作文化悄然生长

在核心的房贷续约业务中，AI代理帮助顾问快速提取SharePoint文档中的步骤详情，单次业务处理时间显著缩短。首席运营官保罗·布罗德尔指出："这不仅解放了顾问自身，更减少了因咨询同事产生的协同时间损耗。"而员工间自发形成的"技术追新"氛围，使得推广过程"由被动推行转为主动求变"。

开放共享：金融联盟的协同进化哲学

尽管在AI应用领域领先，第一西部仍秉持信贷联盟传统的协作精神。"合作体系的美妙在于共享，"布罗德尔表示，"我们视同业为伙伴，积极分享治理框架、培训方案等实践心得，推动整个生态系统共进。"该联盟已向全国同业开放Copilot应用经验，CEO劳尼·斯金纳与首席技术官更亲自参与知识传递。

未来展望：让个性化服务惠及更广人群

目前该联盟30%会员拥有专属理财顾问。随着AI接手行政事务，释放的人力将转向深化客户关系。斯金纳展望道："AI放大了人类顾问的核心价值——它以更高精度匹配会员需求，让我们在每一次互动中传递独特关怀。"下一步，联盟计划通过数字渠道与会员建议中心，将个性化服务延伸至更广泛的会员群体。

（图片来源：布莱恩·豪厄尔）

中文翻译：

Copilot助力加拿大大型信用社超越数字局限，提供更个性化服务
当第一西部信用社旗下机构Island Savings的分行经理Adi Bhatia临时需要顶替同事工作时，他意识到必须快速掌握日程表上所有预约客户的财务细节和业务流程。

以往这意味着要在对话过程中反复翻阅文件、核对信息，导致无法专注服务信用社会员。但现在借助Microsoft Copilot，即便临时接到任务，会前准备也变得轻松自如。

"过去顶替同事接待会员时，我需要花费大量时间从系统里收集背景资料。"Bhatia表示，"现在通过Copilot搜索就能立即掌握客户来访目的。我们可以在客户抵达前快速锁定业务流程，而不必等对方坐在办公室时才手忙脚乱地查询。这套流程优化让我们能将更多时间用于服务会员，而不是在客户面前埋头操作系统。"

作为拥有逾28万会员的卑诗省第三大信用社，第一西部近期成为加拿大首家在全组织范围部署Microsoft 365 Copilot的金融机构。如今1300多名团队成员都能在微软工具套件中使用Copilot，这为第一西部注入了强大的人工智能动能。

这项大胆的数字化转型旨在强化线下网点的服务温度，通过简化流程与会员建立更深入的联系——无论客户亲临网点、来电咨询还是线上互动。

第一西部首席执行官Launi Skinner指出："我们的宗旨是助力会员、社区和团队蓬勃发展，为加拿大民众的财务生活注入健康与乐观。科技在提供个性化建议、建立以信任为基础的人际关系方面发挥着关键作用。更快速地获取优质数据及存储的会员信息，能显著提升团队提供精准财务建议的能力。"

Skinner强调，通过将AI融入日常工具，第一西部正推动文化转型，使团队更注重创新与会员服务："Copilot消除了行政负担，让顾问能全心服务会员。这意味着更迅捷的响应、更清晰的方案，以及跨渠道的深度人际连接。"

跨越式转型
第一西部部署Copilot的进程相当迅速。约一年前，领导团队观摩了这款AI助手增强工作效能的演示，当即产生浓厚兴趣。随后数名员工开始在内部生态中进行测试。截至2024年底，已向内部早期使用者发放200-300个许可，验证Copilot在不同岗位的适用性。

这些先行者帮助机构探索定制化应用方案。其中一个概念验证聚焦于非结构化数据——那些难以系统整理的文本密集型信息。

"团队需要处理海量信息，"第一西部首席转型官Darrell Jaggers解释说，"我们并未增设新的查询路径，而是让现有可信信息变得可检索、可操作。Copilot能在数秒内将搜索转化为解决方案，把政策、流程、资源等内容整合为清晰的即时步骤，让顾问自信从容地专注眼前会员。"

在推广Copilot过程中，第一西部推出了零售贷款助手，将海量可用资源（文档、流程、更新）整合至AI助手，为员工快速提供解决方案。

"顾问能在几秒钟内明确后续步骤，"Skinner描述道，"大家的反应充满惊喜，直呼'太神奇了！'这不仅是进步，更堪称巅峰突破，正是他们梦寐以求的解决方案。"

早期试用组的成功经验为过去半年的大范围推广铺平道路，许多员工都迫不及待地想体验这款引发全员热议的工具。

第一西部首席运营官Paul Brodeur表示："Copilot的需求是自然生长的。每个人身边都有使用者在分享体验，于是形成'那边发生了什么？我该如何参与？'的氛围。这种自下而上的变革管理远比强制推行更容易成功。"

通过让用户组先行试用，再组织他们共同工作、学习与分享，"我们得以向全机构展示可快速复制的成功案例，这种推广方式确实令人振奋。"Brodeur补充道。

数据赋能
对于第一西部而言，抵押贷款续约是业务重要组成。Brodeur透露，从9月1日到今年底，需要续约的抵押贷款数量将超过去年全年。这对员工来说原本是复杂耗时的流程——过去他们需要进入Microsoft SharePoint站点翻阅数十份文档。

如今第一西部在SharePoint基础上构建的智能助手，可使顾问快速查询文档并获取续约流程的逐步指引。

"每笔续约业务都能显著节省时间，"Brodeur算了一笔账，"因为以往当顾问对流程不够确定时，他们会向邻座同事求助。这样不仅消耗自己的时间，还会占用同事时间。解放这些时间资源意义重大。"

在分行运营中，Bhatia强调团队利用Copilot的搜索能力获取全方位关联信息，为会员互动做更充分准备。

"查询Copilot能获得全景视图——政策、清单、相关案例，让顾问为会员会议做全面准备。"他解释道，"这种360度视角增强信心：他们能精准提出后续问题，并清晰解释各项选择。"

Skinner在实地考察多个分行后确认，全组织都洋溢着积极氛围："团队为能快速获得高质量答案而振奋。Copilot不仅加速工作进程，更提升成果质量——让人腾出精力补充背景信息，提供更优质快捷的建议。"

审慎推进
尽管Copilot为业务带来多重助益，第一西部仍谨慎部署系统，严格保障会员数据安全。该信用社采用封闭系统，意味着会员数据不会外泄。在建立完善流程前，部分数据不会用于机构正在构建的智能助手。

"我们带着明确目标加速前进，"Jaggers表示，"在数据接入智能助手前，我们确保内容经过净化、确权与治理——并将部署环境保持封闭。这既保护隐私，又提升答案质量，还能建立信任。额外收获是文化层面的：推动关于数据管理责任归属的深度讨论。"

金融服务未来展望
第一西部已在数字化转型中迈出坚实一步，但仍有漫漫长路。加拿大信用社体系的特点在于协作精神，因此尽管第一西部在AI应用领域领先市场，却未将其他机构远远抛在身后。

第一西部领导团队表示，与同业金融机构分享经验、寻求合作是他们的基因，长期来看协同发展将惠及所有信用社会员的财务未来。

"合作体系的魅力在于共享，"Brodeur坦言，"我们不视其他信用社为竞争者，而是同行者。当成功经验得到分享，整个生态系统都会进步。这意味着交换实用方案——治理框架、培训技巧、服务模式，使其他机构能快速适应。这种协作实现多方共赢。"

第一西部的下一步目标是让更多会员获得个性化关注。目前约30%会员拥有专属投资组合，由财务顾问定期联系。随着Copilot帮助顾问减少行政负担，更多会员将有机会获得一对一财务建议。此外，第一西部还计划通过数字解决方案及会员建议中心，运用AI触达那些在财务规划初期不需要详细建议的会员。

"对我而言，核心议题是如何构建一个人人蓬勃发展的未来型企业？"Skinner总结道，"如果Copilot能节省顾问原本花费在行政事务上的时间，将极大增强他们深化会员关系、提供更优财务建议的能力。人工智能放大了最珍贵的资源——人性化建议。它让我们能以更高精度创造更多价值，使每次互动都契合会员的独特需求。"

题图：首席执行官Launi Skinner与首席技术官Darrell Jaggers已向加拿大各地信用社分享使用Copilot的经验。摄影：Brian Howell

英文来源：

Copilot helps one of Canada’s largest credit unions go beyond the numbers to create more personalized service
When Adi Bhatia, a branch manager at Island Savings, a division of First West Credit Union, recently had to step in to support one of his colleagues, he realized he needed to know all the financial details and procedures for the upcoming appointments on his calendar.
Previously, this meant sifting through documents and cross‑checking details mid‑conversation, pulling focus away from members of the credit union. But now, thanks to Microsoft Copilot, preparing for the meetings, even on short notice, was a snap.
“In the past when I would cover a colleague’s appointments with members, I’d have to spend time gathering all the background information from our systems,” Bhatia says. “Now, we can use Copilot and search to see what they are coming in for. You can quickly find those procedures before, rather than when they are here in your office. It’s streamlined the process, so we are definitely spending more time with the members rather than looking in the system and searching for everything when they are sitting here.”
First West, British Columbia’s third-largest credit union with more than 280,000 members, recently became the first enterprise Canadian financial institution to deploy Microsoft 365 Copilot to every team member across its organization. More than 1,300 team members now have Copilot embedded in the Microsoft suite of tools, giving First West a powerful AI boost to assist its members.
This bold digital transformation is designed to ensure that the human touch is amplified at its branches, simplifying processes and procedures to create deeper connections with First West members — whether they are in branch, on the phone or online.
“Our purpose is about empowering our members, our communities and our teams to flourish — creating health and optimism in Canadians’ financial lives,” says Launi Skinner, CEO at First West. “Technology plays a huge part in enabling us to provide personalized advice and build authentic, human-to-human relationships based on trust. Having faster access to better data and stored member information elevates our team’s ability to provide tailored financial advice that’s truly impactful.”
By integrating AI into many of the tools the teams use, Skinner points out the cultural shift that’s enabling First West teams to be more innovative and member-focused: “Copilot moves the administrative load out of the way so our advisors can be fully present with members. That means faster answers, clearer plans and a stronger human connection across every channel.”
Making the leap
The path to Copilot was a quick one for First West. About a year ago, members of the leadership team attended a demonstration on how the AI assistant could augment and support work functions, sparking immediate interest. From there a few people began testing the tool within the First West ecosystem. By the end of 2024, 200 to 300 licenses were handed out to early adopters within the organization to see how Copilot would work in a variety of roles.
Those early adopters helped First West as they tested ways to make Copilot fit the needs of the organization. One proof of concept revolved around unstructured data – text-heavy information that isn’t organized in an easy manner.
“Our teams use a wealth of information,” says Darrell Jaggers, chief transformation officer at First West. “We didn’t add more places for them to look. We made the information we already trust findable and actionable. In seconds, Copilot turns a search into an answer, orchestrating our content — policies, procedures, resources — into clear, immediate steps, so advisors can move with confidence and stay focused on the members in front of them.”
One of the elements that First West launched during the rollout of Copilot was a retail lending agent, where it was able to take the voluminous available resources – documents, procedures, updates – and put them into an AI agent for employees that quickly provided solutions.
“Within seconds, advisors know exactly what to do next,” Skinner says. “The reaction was pure excitement — people were saying, ‘Wow!’ This wasn’t just a step forward; it felt like reaching the summit. It’s the solution they’ve been hoping for all along.”
The successes First West had with its early adopter group made it easier for the leadership team to roll out Copilot on a wider scale over the past six months, as many employees were excited to try the tools that had the organization buzzing.
Demand for Copilot was organic, says Paul Brodeur, chief operating officer at First West. “Everyone knew someone that was using it. And so, it became kind of like a ‘What’s going on over there and how do I get into that?’ And I think it really created an excitement and desire to have Copilot. In change management, it’s a far easier process to have people asking for change than having change done to you.”
By starting with that user group and then having them work, learn and share together, “we could start demonstrating some quick wins the rest of the organization could have access to, and I think it was a really exciting way to roll it out to the full organization,” says Brodeur.
Crunching the numbers
For First West, mortgage renewal is an important part of their business. According to Brodeur, between Sept. 1 and the end of this year, First West will have more mortgages up for renewal than it had all last year. The process can be complex and time-consuming for its employees. In the past, they would have to go into a Microsoft SharePoint site and search through dozens of documents to help with the process.
Now, First West has built an agent on top of SharePoint that allows advisors to query the documents quickly and get the step-by-step details for renewal.
“We’re conservatively saving (time) per renewal,” Brodeur says. “Because usually what happens is that if an advisor isn’t 100% certain about a process, they go to their closest colleague’s desk and ask them. And so, now it’s not just their own time they’re using up to look for information, they’re actually using up a colleague’s time as well. So, to free that up has been powerful.”
In branch operations, Bhatia highlights that team members leverage Copilot’s search capabilities to retrieve a broad set of related insights, enabling more holistic preparation for member interactions.
“When we query Copilot, it brings back the full picture — policies, checklists, related cases — so advisors prep holistically for member meetings,” he says. “That 360‑degree view boosts confidence: they can spot the next best question to ask and explain options clearly.”
Skinner, who has toured several branches to get first-hand experience of how employees are using Copilot, agrees that there is an increased excitement level throughout the organization.
“Teams are energized by how quickly they can get to high‑quality answers,” she says. “Copilot speeds the work and actually elevates the outcome — freeing people to add context and deliver better advice, faster.”
While Copilot has been a boon in many elements of First West’s business, the credit union is also careful in how it is deployed, given the safety of its members’ data. The credit union is on a closed system, which means member data is not exposed to the outside world. And until proper procedures are in place, some data will not be used in the agents being built at the organization.
“We’re accelerating with intention,” Jaggers says. “Before anything touches an agent, we make sure the content is clean, owned and governed — and we keep the deployment in a closed environment. It protects privacy, improves answer quality and builds trust. The bonus is cultural: better conversations about how we manage data and who’s responsible for it.”
The future of financial services
First West has taken a strong first step in its digital transformation, but there’s plenty more work to do. One factor about the Canadian credit union system is its spirit of collaboration. So even though First West is the market leader in its use of AI, it doesn’t mean they’ve left everyone else in the dust.
The First West leadership team says that working with other financial institutions to share their learnings and look for areas of connection is part of their DNA, and that in the long term, working together can only help the financial future of all members of credit unions.
“The beauty of the cooperative system is that we share,” Brodeur says. “We don’t see other credit unions as competitors but as peers — and when we share what works, the whole ecosystem improves. That means exchanging practical playbooks — governance guardrails, training tips and service patterns — so others can adapt them quickly. When this type of collaboration happens, everyone wins.”
The next step for First West on their journey is making sure more members get personalized attention. Currently, about 30% of the credit union’s members have a portfolio that assigns them to a financial advisor who checks in with them on a semi-routine basis.
The hope is that with Copilot freeing up advisors’ time by helping them reduce or eliminate administrative duties, more members have a chance to receive one-on-one financial advice. Additionally, First West hopes to use AI to touch other members who may not need detailed advice in the early stages of their financial journey through digital solutions and its Member Advice Center.
“For me the big question is – how do we build a future-ready business where everyone can flourish?” Skinner says. “If Copilot helps our advisors save time that they would have spent on the administrative side, that has a huge impact on their ability to deepen relationships with our members and provide even better financial advice.
According to the CEO, “AI amplifies what matters most — human advice. It enables us to deliver more value, with greater precision, and tailor every interaction to members’ unique needs.”
Top image: CEO Launi Skinner and chief technology officer Darrell Jaggers have shared their learnings using Copilot with other credit unions across Canada. Photo by Brian Howell.