Unpacking AI’s impact on revenue teams

When it comes to AI usage, there’s a lot of small talk. Conversations often stay at the surface level, with statements like:

“Yes, we’re using AI. I’m not sure how much time it saves me, but it’s definitely helpful.”

“Honestly, I don’t know where the balance is with AI. I feel like I’m either overusing it or underusing it.”

With AI adoption being so widespread, the big questions that remain are about what usage, tools, and time savings look like. And we partnered with Outreach to get those answers.

Using insights from a survey of revenue professionals, we dig deep into how AI is being used on revenue teams, what workflows it’s impacting, and what outcomes it’s supporting. Here’s what we found:

As you might’ve guessed, nearly all revenue professionals reported using AI in some capacity. But when it comes to integration, the picture becomes more nuanced. Only 56% of respondents said they’ve meaningfully integrated AI beyond a test or pilot stage.

As for the workflows seeing the most AI usage? Prospecting and admin/reporting came in at the top of the list. Meanwhile, deal execution, forecasting, and coaching are areas where AI hasn’t been integrated as widely, though the potential is certainly there.

Now let’s get specific about what AI tools teams are using. Many teams are adopting multiple tools that make up an “AI stack.” For revenue teams, that could mean one tool is used to support prospecting while another is tapped for reporting capabilities.

This is reinforced by the fact that less than 15% of revenue pros rely on a single vendor-provided platform. And while tools with singular capabilities are often highly efficient and effective, using multiple AI tools can potentially cause duplicative work—especially if sellers have to input the same information into multiple platforms that aren’t talking to each other.

Sellers are seeing time savings from AI across the board. Though it’s mainly felt in internal admin and reporting, time savings aren’t concentrated in a single workflow.

However, it’s worth noting that when asked where they are saving time as a result of AI, survey respondents were given the option to choose all that apply. On average, they selected two out of five options, suggesting time savings are not being felt holistically just yet.

What are teams doing with the time AI is saving them? The majority are reinvesting it right back into selling. And this is true no matter where revenue folks are notching time savings from AI.

While this may not be surprising, the behavior is notable. It shows that AI is shifting seller bandwidth toward the highest-value activity in the sales cycle: selling. Secondarily, teams are also using time savings for strategic account planning, deal execution, and coaching.

The results of AI time-saving aren’t fully definitive. Among respondents, 28% said they haven’t seen a measurable impact from AI yet. But among those who have, revenue leaders are seeing the strongest impact in two areas: faster sales cycles and improved conversion rates.

Some wins from AI time-saving are less tangible. Plenty of respondents reported outcomes that aren’t as quantitative, like more consistent execution across teams, sales reps with more capacity, and stronger customer relationships.

There’s clear consensus among revenue teams on how they want AI agents to act: collaboratively. The majority want agents to either execute tasks with human review or recommend action without executing them. Only 7% of respondents expect AI to progress deals with minimal input from reps.

Clearly, revenue teams are ready for AI to be an active part of the sales cycle. At the same time, many aren’t willing to hand over the reins on deal-critical decisions or remove oversight guardrails.

Sellers reported using multiple AI tools mainly because no single platform met all their requirements. They also reported strategically using different tools that are best suited for different use cases and adopting tools independently to solve immediate needs.

However, the main appeal of a single solution is a simplified day-to-day workflow. And for teams looking to consolidate without sacrificing capability, there’s a solution built precisely to do that.

Outreach’s agentic AI revenue platform brings agents and humans together to power workflows across the entire revenue life cycle. As an end-to-end sales solution, it supports everything from forecasting and coaching to closing deals and building pipeline.

Teams using Outreach report outcomes that any revenue team would welcome: a 44% reduction in forecast prep time, 10x improvement in seller productivity, and 15% more pipeline coverage generated.

If you’re wondering what results your team could achieve with a single-platform AI solution, take the first step to find out with Outreach.