The fear of robots replacing humans in production processes is as old as the concept of work itself. And the automation of tools and processes is not as recent as it seems: it was during the 19th-century Industrial Revolution that the first mechanical looms replaced artisanal weavers. A little later, during World War II, Alan Turing invented the first computer, a tool capable of assimilating and analyzing data much faster than a human brain ever could.
Continuous improvement is no longer an option if you want to adapt to the advancements in artificial intelligence, despite the restrictions imposed by our organic and neuronal constitution. And while we will never be able to calculate, collect, or analyze data as fast as a computer, we can always improve the tools we use daily to accomplish time- and energy-consuming tasks.
Today, artificial intelligence is already part of our daily lives—much more than we think. To realize this, we just need to let go of a widespread representation of this type of technology (no, the I, Robot scenario is a priori not likely to happen in real life) to understand it. Every time you use your GPS to reach a specific destination, an artificial intelligence system identifies the fastest route; and when Spotify recommends a custom playlist, a similar system selects that list for you. These examples remain very basic illustrations of what artificial intelligence can do for us daily; we just need to accept it to further improve its applications, both personally and professionally.
Do not give in to simplistic analyses of such a phenomenon—which would suggest that the constant improvement of machines and digital tools leads to massive unemployment among human populations. While the digitization of many trades may have led to their disappearance in previous years, it has also led to the creation of new jobs, in safer and often more fulfilling conditions for employees.
The risk is real for all businesses, regardless of their size or even their sector. When automation becomes so advanced that it can perform the same tasks as an employee at a reduced cost, companies will absolutely need to review their organization to manage the change as effectively as possible. Business process automation (or BPA, for business process automation) involves creating an internal, digital, and automated network within your company that can standardize and handle all sorts of particularly time-consuming processes. For example, BPA will help you standardize information communication within your organization, so that it can be more easily visualized and assimilated by your team members.
Communication among your employees will also be facilitated by the implementation of such a system, while also leading to a certain cost reduction—since automated processes will eliminate potential human errors. The digitalization of your organization can even lead you to implement micro-training modules (or micro-learning), to continuously train your sales force while tracking their progress in real time. Imagine software automatically reminding your team members of their tasks, or showing you a salesperson’s progress so you can congratulate (or even reward) them immediately? Such a tool would paradoxically offer you additional time to dedicate to a more human management of your sales force. You read that right: the automation and digitalization of sales management methods could significantly improve the quality of human interactions within your organization! Such tools already exist; don’t forget to define your sales and managerial objectives before comparing them, in order to choose an automation tool adapted to your needs.
And if you still think that automation can lead to the disappearance of the human factor for certain managerial tasks… you’re not entirely wrong, and that’s excellent news for you! Sales professions have never stopped evolving since their appearance; the question is not if you will transition to automating your sales processes, but when!