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Stephan Kuhnert, co-founder and co-CEO of Empower, the leading software suite for Microsoft Office.
With over 3 million users worldwide, including more than half of Germany's DAX companies—Germany's largest enterprises—he helps organizations save time, boost productivity, and ensure brand consistency in every document they create. An interesting note: one of their customers is Microsoft itself.
Key Takeaways
(0:00 - 01:05) Welcome Stephan Kuhnert
(01:05 - 04:00) Stephan sees AI revolution as biggest evolution in how people use Microsoft 365
(04:00 - 12:32) What have you seen as the challenges for Microsoft in adapting its products for clients
(12:32 - 14:58) Trust is one of these elusive notions
(14:58 - 19:12) In today's world the first impression and the visual appearance is the document
(19:12 - 30:48) If the content looks more professional, people are even more influenced
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1. Making Microsoft Work for Everyone: Insights from Stephan Kuhnert
Stephan reflects on his early career. He talks about the days before cloud-based Office when every document had multiple “final” versions—final, final version two, final copy—and how people constantly copied, pasted, and updated information manually. Collaboration was messy, with conflicts and multiple versions causing frustration.
The conversation then moves to how Microsoft 365 changed the game. Cloud-based collaboration allows teams to work on a single file without conflicts or losing track of versions. This shift has been one of the most profound changes in office productivity over the past decade and has set the stage for more advanced features like AI. Stephan notes that AI is promising, but its full potential is still emerging in Microsoft tools.
Alex and Stephan also discuss the challenges companies face when adopting software like Empower. Stephan points out that people often resist changing habits. Even when powerful features are available, many users stick to familiar workflows because learning new software takes time and effort. He emphasizes that software today needs to be intuitive and simple to use—people expect apps to work as easily as a smartphone app.
Design habits in Microsoft Office come under the microscope as well. Alex recalls how early Office versions encouraged bullet points and shortcuts to simplify content creation, but this also led to widespread “bad design habits.” Stephan explains how Empower helps sophisticated brand teams inside large companies create content that respects brand guidelines while being visually effective and easier to consume.
What really stood out to me back then were the “final” files: final, final version two, final. Then you would do the copy-pasting, update the date, the names of the people—yeah, okay. That was really my normal life. (Stephan Kuhnert)
2. Why On-Brand Documents Matter: Trust, Productivity, and Microsoft 365
Stephan highlights that most enterprise users aren’t trained designers, and as a result, over half of all documents don’t follow brand guidelines—wrong logos, fonts, templates, and more. This inconsistency isn’t just cosmetic; it affects how clients and leads perceive a company. In fact, their research shows that 94% of people notice low-quality documents and experience a loss of trust because of them.
The conversation dives into practical solutions. Stephan emphasizes the importance of awareness at the organizational level—having someone like a communication director or CEO recognize the problem is key. Simple steps, such as automatically distributing the correct templates when opening PowerPoint, can make a big difference. On top of that, tools like Empower can enforce brand consistency automatically, ensuring employees stay on-brand while still working efficiently in Office.
Alex and Stephan also touch on measurable results: when companies maintain on-brand messaging and optimize their materials, win rates can increase by around 2x. The discussion shows how brand consistency, productivity, and trust are all interconnected, and how technology can help companies balance speed with quality.
In our latest study, which we conduct every four years, 94% of people said they experience some loss of trust when they see low-quality documents. (Stephan Kuhnert)
3. First Impressions Matter: How Documents Build Trust in Business
Alex opens the discussion by pointing out that trust is felt intuitively. Simple errors, like typos in a résumé, immediately signal carelessness, while visual identity—fonts, templates, layouts—sets a professional tone. Stephan draws a vivid analogy to personal appearance: just as someone would ensure their clothes are clean and appropriate before meeting a client, digital documents need the same care. A polished, on-brand document communicates attention to detail, professionalism, and reliability, whereas a sloppy or outdated-looking file signals the opposite.
Stephan emphasizes that first impressions in business have shifted from physical interactions to digital ones. Today, clients often judge a company by the quality of documents, presentations, or shared links. Even if a company invests heavily in branding—lobbies, offices, websites—these efforts can be undermined if the everyday materials shared with clients are inconsistent or low quality. This is particularly relevant in sales, where documents are shared with multiple stakeholders beyond the person you interact with directly.
The conversation highlights research showing that 94% of people notice low-quality documents and experience a loss of trust because of them. Stephan explains that consistent, high-quality documents not only reinforce brand perception but can also influence measurable business outcomes, like client engagement and win rates. Alex adds that in enterprise contexts—like annual reports or ESG documents—these digital assets act as virtual “lobbies” for the company, representing a multimillion-dollar brand impression.
One person may speak to you directly, but they’re sharing your information with many others who never speak to you. That’s the challenge in sales today: you might reach one or two people directly, but the others are seeing your documents too. You want to make a good impression there. (Stephan Kuhnert)
4. Making Complex Content Look Effortless: Design, Trust, and Smart Communication
Stephan points out that most employees aren’t trained designers. Tools like Empower help people produce professional, on-brand content without needing design expertise. The goal is to remove obstacles to engagement and make business materials look polished, regardless of who creates them. Alex adds that our expectations for design are shaped by everyday experiences with consumer apps and social media, raising the bar for all professional communication.
The conversation also covers practical strategies for companies. Starting from unstructured Word or PowerPoint files, organizations can create on-brand content libraries that employees can personalize while maintaining consistency. When paired with tools like Empower and Relayto, these libraries allow users to navigate content easily, reducing the need for off-brand ad-hoc materials. This approach scales personalization, enforces design standards, and helps complex ideas survive in today’s fast-moving media landscape.
Even the most analytical, skeptical people—financial analysts, for example—claim they aren’t influenced by presentation. But studies show that when the same people are given a well-designed versus a poorly designed document, they’re more persuaded by the well-designed one. (Stephan Kuhnert)
5. Precision Meets Productivity: How German Rigor Shapes Great Documents
Stephan explains that in Germany, there’s a strong emphasis on following guidelines and processes, which made German companies an ideal starting point for Empower. A key principle: if internal documents aren’t perfect, external documents will also fall short. He compares it to a McDonald’s Big Mac—if the packaging is wrong, the experience suffers. Similarly, in B2B contexts, even technical documents or security certificates must reflect brand quality.
They also explore the challenge of finding and reusing content efficiently. For example, Microsoft needed a way to search massive slide libraries and quickly assemble presentations without wasting time. Empower’s tools help users locate approved slides, assemble content efficiently, and ensure everything remains on-brand. Stephan emphasizes that software alone can’t solve poor documentation—companies must commit to organizing knowledge and maintaining standards.
If you never do it internally, you won’t catch typos or errors that get forwarded. There was one client—a very German company, huge—but they said, “Our product is documentation, like security certificates and technical content. That’s our product.”
(Stephan Kuhnert)
Check the episode's Transcript (AI-generated) HERE.