What is an AI Sales Assistant?

Sales

What is an AI Sales Assistant?

By Seismic On October 8, 2024

In this article, we'll explain what an AI sales assistant is, how it works, and why it's a critical technology for go-to-market (GTM) teams. Read on to understand key uses for AI in sales and the important categories of AI technology to consider.

Summary

Artificial intelligence (AI) is generating a lot of buzz in the sales industry, leaving many confused about how the technology can support their roles and improve business outcomes. What's clear is that AI is changing the sales industry and introducing new tools that impact every phase of the sales process. Sales organizations need to understand how to harness the potential of AI to deliver superior customer experiences and stand out in today's complex market. In this article, we'll define what AI sales assistant software is and explore what it can do for GTM teams.

Every interaction in the sales cycle generates data, but until recently, exploiting the full power of that information was next to impossible. With AI-powered enablement, sellers can now better understand their interactions with buyers and leverage the right resources to deliver the best experience possible for their customers.

What is an AI sales assistant?

An AI sales assistant is a software application that utilizes AI technologies like machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP) to support and improve the sales process. AI for sales assists sellers with various tasks, enhances their day-to-day activities, and streamlines workflows. AI sales software relies on ML algorithms, predictive analytics, and generative AI to provide data-driven insights, automate tasks and workflows, and improve overall efficiency in the sales cycle.

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How to use AI for sales

When considering how to use AI in sales efforts, the possibilities may seem overwhelming. To get started, focus on your most critical workflows and then expand your use cases over time. How AI is used in sales will vary by organization, but the following examples are common uses to consider.

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Examples of AI sales tools

Seismic recently surveyed 1,400 leaders in sales, enablement, and customer success across the globe to find out how fundamental AI technology is to their GTM efforts. A whopping 93% of enablement tech users say AI is driving their future investments, and 91% say AI improves agility and speed to market. What’s clear is that global GTM leaders believe that investing in AI sales tools will positively impact business outcomes and bolster their future success.

By now, you may be wondering, “Where do I begin?” Once you decide how you’ll use AI in your GTM motions, it’s critical to select the AI tools for sales that will support your unique needs. While there is no magic formula for choosing the best AI tools for sales, the following are examples of tools that support distinct phases of the sales process:

Chatbots and virtual assistants: Through a web chat interface, chatbots use machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) to engage in conversations with customers in real-time, answering questions, qualifying leads, and helping them progress along the customer journey. Virtual assistants, powered by NLP, support business activities like scheduling meetings and setting reminders. A popular AI sales bot is ChatGPT, and well-known virtual assistants include Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri.
Predictive analytics and lead scoring: Using AI for sales prospecting is becoming increasingly popular. Predictive lead scoring technologies like MadKudu, OutFunnel, and 6sense use AI to provide accurate predictions of which leads have a high probability of converting, helping sales reps prioritize leads and focus on the most promising accounts. The software assigns a score by analyzing historical data, considering many factors, including buyer behavior, demographics, and engagement levels. By pursuing high-quality leads, organizations can experience higher conversion rates and increase revenue.
Sales engagement platforms: Platforms like Salesloft, Microsoft Sales Copilot, and Outreach Sales Execution serve as a hub for sales activities like email outreach and phone calls, in addition to deal workflows. These tools help sellers determine which prospects to interact with, the optimal timing for engagement, and what to say, all while capturing and tracking sales activities.
Conversational intelligence: A conversational intelligence platform uses AI and machine learning to capture voice and text data and combine it with sentiment analysis to help organizations better understand customer interactions. As noted in the section above, organizations can use this technology to transcribe and analyze customer interactions such as emails, calls, and chats, helping sellers improve communication skills, understand customer needs, anticipate concerns, and address them preemptively. Leading vendors in the conversational AI for sales market include Gong, IBM, Microsoft, Google, and AWS.
Sales forecasting: Sales forecasting tools use AI algorithms to analyze relevant information like sales data and trends to accurately predict pipeline volume and forecast the likelihood of closing. This helps organizations project revenue, understand pipeline health, and identify opportunities and risk, providing the intelligence to refine strategies and achieve targets. Examples of sales forecasting tools include Salesforce, Clari, and Zendesk.

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How Seismic’s platform leverages AI sales tools

Using an AI sales assistant has quickly evolved from a trend to a new way of doing business that is transforming the entire sales process. Many use cases and technologies are available to help organizations improve sales motions, with seemingly small changes yielding big results.

As an early adopter of AI, Seismic began leveraging AI in 2015 to help GTM teams maximize their potential. Over the years, our platform has continued to adapt, providing sellers with support ranging from contextual information and just-in-time intelligence to AI-generated lessons, meeting preparation, and support on mundane tasks. The recent introduction of Seismic Aura in 2021 and Seismic for Meetings and Seismic for Microsoft Sales Copilot in 2023 demonstrates our commitment to innovation in AI-powered enablement.

Seismic Aura is the engine that powers the AI features in the Seismic Enablement Cloud™. Seismic Aura analyzes large and complex data sets, giving sellers insights and context-driven recommendations that are personalized for every opportunity.
Seismic for Meetings centralizes meeting activities, enabling sellers to personalize content, present, and follow up with prospects and customers all in one tool. The platform uses AI to generate post-meeting summaries, suggest relevant materials to share after the meeting, and provide valuable analytics for sellers and managers on content usage, sales behaviors, and emerging conversation themes.
Seismic for Microsoft Sales Copilot helps organizations streamline workflows and provides sellers with contextual information such as content and training recommendations within the Microsoft tools they already use daily.

Regardless of where you are in your journey with AI technology, Seismic is here to help. If you’d like to learn more about AI sales tools in enablement, please request a demo.

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Examples of AI sales tools

Chatbots and virtual assistants: Through a web chat interface, chatbots use machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) to engage in conversations with customers in real-time, answering questions, qualifying leads, and helping them progress along the customer journey. Virtual assistants, powered by NLP, support business activities like scheduling meetings and setting reminders. A popular AI sales bot is ChatGPT, and well-known virtual assistants include Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri.

Predictive analytics and lead scoring: Using AI for sales prospecting is becoming increasingly popular. Predictive lead scoring technologies like MadKudu, OutFunnel, and 6sense use AI to provide accurate predictions of which leads have a high probability of converting, helping sales reps prioritize leads and focus on the most promising accounts. The software assigns a score by analyzing historical data, considering many factors, including buyer behavior, demographics, and engagement levels. By pursuing high-quality leads, organizations can experience higher conversion rates and increase revenue.

Sales engagement platforms: Platforms like Salesloft, Microsoft Sales Copilot, and Outreach Sales Execution serve as a hub for sales activities like email outreach and phone calls, in addition to deal workflows. These tools help sellers determine which prospects to interact with, the optimal timing for engagement, and what to say, all while capturing and tracking sales activities.

Conversational intelligence: A conversational intelligence platform uses AI and machine learning to capture voice and text data and combine it with sentiment analysis to help organizations better understand customer interactions. As noted in the section above, organizations can use this technology to transcribe and analyze customer interactions such as emails, calls, and chats, helping sellers improve communication skills, understand customer needs, anticipate concerns, and address them preemptively. Leading vendors in the conversational AI for sales market include Gong, IBM, Microsoft, Google, and AWS.

Sales forecasting: Sales forecasting tools use AI algorithms to analyze relevant information like sales data and trends to accurately predict pipeline volume and forecast the likelihood of closing. This helps organizations project revenue, understand pipeline health, and identify opportunities and risk, providing the intelligence to refine strategies and achieve targets. Examples of sales forecasting tools include Salesforce, Clari, and Zendesk.