A few years ago we all joked that AI would come for our jobs, but today, the reality is that some roles make sense to let AI Workers handle. No little kid dreams of following up and circling back with prospects all day. Some roles are ripe for automation, freeing humans up to dream bigger and move faster.
In this guide, we’re helping sales and marketing leaders understand and prepare for the sales teams of tomorrow.
Labor has always been the biggest chunk of an organization’s operating budget, typically accounting for over 50% of a company’s spending. Humans are expensive–we know this.
Before AI, the Software market fueled the Labor market–you couldn’t operate the software you needed without headcount. But now, those markets are starting to overlap.
With AI Workers, labor comes built-in to the cost of your software, dramatically reducing company’s spend for roles that are easily automated.
Today’s AI models have a skillset that makes them excellent at taking roles that are focused on time-consuming, repetitive tasks that take up a large chunk of our days. These tools free the humans on your team up for bigger and better projects.
We like to think of the AI technology you’ll be coming into contact with at work in two categories: The AI Copilot and the AI Worker.
You’re likely already using AI Copilots in many facets of your work. AI Copilots ride shotgun with human users to help guide your tasks from recommending actions to real-time copy editing. Tools like Grammarly and Lavender help guide you as you write emails to prospects. Sprout Social and LinkedIn have features that help you tweak social media copy or schedule posts for optimal impressions. Gong uses AI to analyze your calls and make helpful suggestions.
The AI Worker, however, is a new breed of AI. AI Workers can take over a role autonomously without a human driver in the seat, saving your company time and cash.
When it comes to what roles to automate on your team, the “AI is coming for our jobs” narrative needs some examining.
Hiring AI Workers doesn’t mean you're replacing every role within a team, it means you’re replacing the roles that are already on their way out and paving the way for new career paths.
We’re on the precipice of an AI Worker boom for entry-level roles, but today there are several roles that can already be automated.
Dip your toe in with off-hours coverage gaps, keeping your business rolling on evenings, weekends, and holidays. AI Workers don’t have to hit the ground running during prime time. You can test their contributions and understand how they fit into your team first.
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Every month, 4 million workers in the US quit their jobs–it’s inevitable. You’re going to run into folks who move up into other roles, move into other departments, etc. Instead of hiring another person to backfill that role, hire an AI Worker and hold them accountable to the same quota and standards you would your human workers.
Specifically, the Inbound sales function. We’re already seeing AI SDRs and Agents and Artisans–whatever you want to call them, AI Workers are ready to take over the front-line sales functions.
You'll always need the touch of a human AE to close enterprise deals, though there are plenty of AI tools and Copilots that make the day-to-day operations of these more complex roles easier. But the SDR and BDR functions are ripe for automation. AI BDRs are already here–there are tons of companies automating outbound efforts, LinkedIn social selling, dialing, and email prospecting. Same with AI SDRs–they aren’t just coming, they’ve arrived.
Inbound SDRs are entry-level sales roles for a reason–they’re often given to recent grads who just want to get their feet wet in the world of tech sales. It’s a stepping stone, one rife with redundant tasks, mundane admin work, and pressure from hungry AEs. A typical day in the life of an Inbound SDR is repetitive, filled with tasks that aren’t exactly exciting, and ripe for automation.
Nothing generates more excitement in our SDR Leader events and discussions than AI! Some are nervous because much of the current day-to-day work can be automated, but I expect the outcome for human SDRs to be similar to other recent advancements in the profession. When things that do not require a human are automated, more time is freed up for activities that only a person can do.
As the lamplighters of the late 1800s would tell you–role replacement is the cost of innovation. But those lamplighters didn’t cease to exist. They became electricians. Darkroom technicians became digital editors. Town criers became social media marketers.
The World Economic Forum predicts that by 2025, AI will lead to the creation of 97 million new jobs. When technological advancement kills one job, it gives life to a dozen more, and the same will be true with the future SDR Org structure.
Piper is your new AI SDR, on a mission to convert your inbound traffic into qualified pipeline, 24/7, 365.
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