Streamlining Sales Departments with AI

The time is ten past tomorrow; and even as we speak the world of sales is shifting.

Yesterday I read a TechCrunch article that highlights an AI platform with the potential to transform sales processes and enhance productivity within sales teams. It appears to be good for SME businesses as well as large corporates.

So I thought I’d take a closer look at Pilot AI and similar tech that focuses on recording and analyzing sales calls, and note why I think they could be worth keeping an eye on.

(Note: I have no affiliation, financially or otherwise, to Pilot AI or its competitors mentioned in this article)

How does this AI innovation impact businesses specifically?

Developed by Maxwell Lu, a former product engineer at Salesforce (a great place for someone to earn their stripes in the sales tech world), Pilot AI aims to streamline the process of listening to sales calls, extracting relevant information, and filling in CRM fields on behalf of sales people. 

It generates notes, summarizes calls, and highlights questions asked, prospect responses, and next steps. 

If it works as intended, this AI tool could save sales reps considerable time throughout their processes, giving them more time to focus on selling products and less on admin tasks.

(Zoho recently published an article saying that the average salesperson spends 36% of their time stuck in administrative tasks.)

Any potential drawbacks or risks for businesses implementing this AI?

While the benefits of Pilot AI seem promising, it's important for New Zealand business leaders to consider potential risks and drawbacks when implementing this or any similar AI sales technology. 

An obvious risk with AI sales tech would be the importance of ensuring the accuracy of AI-generated notes, since incorrect data could easily lead to miscommunication or missed opportunities downstream. 

Another big factor to consider is how easy it could be for sales reps to feel threatened by AI automation. If this happened, the benefits of a tool like Pilot AI could be outweighed by negative effects on morale and perception of job security. 

This highlights something I talk about regularly, which is that as business leaders looking to implement AI transformation; it is imperative to keep an open line of communication with your staff. In this instance that means communicating well with your sales teams, and involving them in the process of testing and then implementing AI tech. 

What job titles or tasks would be most affected by this AI tool?

Obviously. Sales reps and sales leaders could benefit the most from Pilot AI. 

By automating note-taking and CRM updates, sales teams can potentially focus more on building client relationships, closing deals, and driving revenue. 

Plus, if it works as it claims, AI sales tools like this could be super helpful to sales leaders wanting to potentially gain better insights into their team's performance, identify patterns and trends, and make more informed decisions.

How does this AI tool relate to existing technologies and trends in the business landscape?

Pilot AI is part of a growing trend of AI-powered solutions aimed at streamlining sales processes. 

Other startups like Winn.ai and Attention also use AI and natural language processing to improve CRM management and automate tasks like drafting follow-up emails. 

While Pilot AI might not be unique in what it does (its founder, Maxwell Lu openly admits as much in the TechCrunch article), its streamlined and affordable nature makes it an attractive option for businesses.

Wrapping it up

William Penn once said, "Time is what we want most, but what we use worst."

With that in mind, Pilot AI and similar tools that record and analyze sales calls are well worth keeping an eye on. 

Potentially, they are about to powerfully overhaul and streamline sales processes and boost productivity, allowing your sales team to focus on what truly matters – building relationships and driving revenue. 

So, while I'm not over-hyping Pilot AI or its competitors, sales AI tools like them are worthy of consideration to test how they could enhance your sales team's efficiency. 

Keep exploring!