Open Cloud

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400+ Person Event Staffed with 3 Caricaturists via Platform Search

Microsoft needed to hire three caricaturists for a large-scale event at their headquarters with over 400 attendees. Finding multiple qualified artists who could deliver quality work and handle the volume of guests at a corporate event presented a significant challenge. The event organizer used GigSalad to search for and book three caricaturists for the Microsoft headquarters event. The platform enabled them to review profiles, assess talent, and coordinate with multiple artists for the same event. All three caricaturists performed exceptionally well at the 400+ person event. The artists were described as a joy to work with, did amazing jobs, and event attendees loved their drawings, making the event a success.

Delivered by

GigSalad

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Achieved Nearly 90% Attendee Recommendation Rate in Metaverse Event

Microsoft's internal MLADS conference, gathering 4,000 technologists, aimed to foster collaborative ideation. Facing digital event fatigue, Microsoft needed to find an innovative way to restore the event's unique, collaborative ethos within a virtual environment. The challenge was to transform a traditional digital event experience into something more engaging and true to the conference's spirit. To address this, Microsoft partnered with Opus Agency to integrate a portion of the MLADS conference into the metaverse. They leveraged AltspaceVR, a Microsoft acquisition, creating a unique virtual world accessible via VR headsets and PCs. This immersive solution allowed attendees to participate in three special content sessions and multiple networking hours, mirroring the interactive dynamics of an in-person event. The innovative metaverse experience successfully revitalized attendee engagement and satisfaction. Nearly 90% of attendees indicated they would recommend the MLADS conference to a colleague or friend. The same percentage reported their needs were met by the virtual format and expressed overall satisfaction with the event, even reverting to natural in-person behaviors like congregating at the back of the virtual room.

Delivered by

Opus Agency

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Delivered 9 Videos in 9 Days and Required 0 Edits

Microsoft’s Office Video and Production Team faced a request to produce nine videos within 10 days, which exceeded the capacity of its small internal team. The timeline was extremely tight and created a bandwidth challenge for existing staff. The team needed a way to deliver quickly without sacrificing quality. The team used an enterprise talent solution to find skilled independent video production professionals who could work quickly and cost-effectively. They staffed the project with external support to extend production capacity beyond the in-house team. They adopted a hybrid approach that combined full-time employees with independent talent to keep production moving at scale. The initial project was completed in nine days and required zero editing on the delivered work. The team met the original goal of producing nine videos within a 10-day window. This approach freed internal team members to focus more strategically and enabled continued production and larger scaling over time.

Delivered by

Upwork

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Delivered 9 Videos in 9 Days and Reduced Editing to 0

Microsoft's Office Video and Production Team faced a request to produce nine videos within 10 days, far beyond their small internal team's bandwidth. The team needed to scale production quickly without sacrificing quality. Traditional approaches could not meet the timeline with available resources. Microsoft used an enterprise talent platform to find skilled independent professionals who could deliver quick, low-cost, high-quality video production at scale. The team engaged independent video production talent to expand capacity beyond the internal team. Microsoft implemented a hybrid work model that combined full-time staff with independent professionals to meet demand. The initial project delivered nine videos in nine days. The delivered work required zero editing, exceeding expectations. The hybrid approach freed internal team members to focus more strategically while enabling ongoing production and larger scaling.

Delivered by

Upwork

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Deployed 1 Structured Freelance Talent Pool for PowerPoint Template Design

Carol Taylor, Director Content Experience at Microsoft, was asked to increase freelancer use for design work. The team needed to refresh existing PowerPoint templates while maintaining consistent quality. They also faced the challenge of scaling work beyond small updates as demand grew. Microsoft piloted freelance support by starting with small template refresh projects. The effort expanded into creating new templates and graphics. The team built a structured talent pool that included a design consultant and a project manager to handle day-to-day coordination, track milestones, and review deliverables. They also created briefs and guidelines to keep output consistent as projects ramped up. The pilot grew from refresh work into broader template and graphics design. Day-to-day execution became more manageable through a structured talent pool with dedicated coordination and review. Briefs and guidelines helped keep quality high as volume increased. Collaboration tools supported the team as onboarding needs changed.

Delivered by

Upwork

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Deployed 3 Collaboration Tools and Delivered New Template Designs

Microsoft needed to increase freelancer use for PowerPoint template design while maintaining consistent quality. The team started with smaller efforts that refreshed existing templates. As needs grew, the scope expanded and required more structured day-to-day coordination. They ran an initial pilot focused on refreshing existing templates and then expanded into designing new templates and graphics. The team built a structured talent pool that included a design consultant and a project manager to manage daily activities, track milestones, and review deliverables. They also created briefs with clear guidelines to help standardize expectations as work ramped up. The pilot scaled from template refresh work into new template and graphics design. A structured talent pool and written briefs supported consistent deliverables as more work was added. Collaboration across the effort was supported using SharePoint, Teams, and Power BI.

Delivered by

Upwork

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Deployed 24/7 On-Demand Support for Account, Billing, and Subscription Queries

Microsoft wanted to align Account.microsoft.com (https://Account.microsoft.com) with its Shift Left strategy by deflecting contact to digital channels and encouraging customers to self-serve. The goal was to generate cost savings that could be reinvested into its workforce to improve productivity. It also needed an innovative, flexible service model without a large upfront investment in resources or overhead costs. Microsoft implemented an IVR option that let callers choose to “message an Expert.” After selecting the option, customers received an instant text message linking to a Messenger widget. Through the widget, customers connected with a crowd of experts who provided support for account, billing, and subscription needs. The implementation provided on-demand support availability around the clock. It supported contact deflection and improved self-serve for Account.microsoft.com. It also enabled Microsoft to draw on fans’ knowledge and enthusiasm to help resolve customer queries without a large upfront resource investment.

Delivered by

Limitless GigCX