AI Assistants: What They Do and Why You Need Them

How much time could you save by automating the repetitive and manual tasks you do each day? While the answer is different for everyone, the reality is that AI assistants are helping people across industries boost productivity and efficiency, allowing teams to focus on more meaningful and strategic work.

Slack’s 2023 Workforce Index found that 94% of executives said incorporating AI into their organizations was an urgent priority. And as of January 2024, one in four desk workers reported having tried AI tools for work, compared with one in five in September 2023, which means adoption is on the rise.

To ensure your organization doesn’t fall behind, it’s important to understand what you stand to gain by implementing AI. Here’s what you need to know about AI assistants and how they can benefit your workplace.

What are AI assistants?

AI assistants are software tools that use artificial intelligence technology to complete digital tasks. They are designed to automate repetitive workflows, organize and analyze data, summarize data insights, and answer rules-based, predefined questions using machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP).

AI assistants are often built into or easily integrated with AI-powered work operating systems like Slack. Tools like Agentforce allow you to build custom AI assistants for specific tasks and use cases. For example, Agentforce integrates with Slack and lets companies build and deploy autonomous AI agents across all business areas, including sales, customer service, marketing, IT, finance, and commerce.

How AI assistants increase productivity and efficiency

AI assistants help teams improve productivity and efficiency in many ways. Here are a few examples:

• Streamlining daily tasks. Teams can use AI assistants to simplify everyday tasks such as scheduling meetings and organizing information. Slack AI can quickly create concise meeting summaries, highlighting key information and next steps. It can also summarize long conversations from channels and threads and highlight action items.
• Automating routine processes. Automation tools can handle routine and repetitive tasks, preventing teams from getting bogged down by administrative duties. For example, Slack’s built-in Workflow Builder allows teams to create custom workflows for everything from sorting emails to sending reminders, generating summaries, and updating reports and task lists.
• Customizing workflows. AI assistants can learn about individual or team preferences over time using ML and NLP to provide better assistance in certain areas. For example, if you always schedule an all-hands meeting on the second Tuesday of each month, an AI assistant can schedule the meetings for you and invite the necessary team members (accounting for time zone variances), send reminder notifications, and even summarize and send meeting notes to missing team members.

 

Common ways businesses use AI assistants

In addition to using AI assistants to improve internal administrative processes, businesses often use these tools for other key areas, including project management, data entry and analysis, customer service support, marketing personalization, employee onboarding and training, and IT and technical support. Here are several of the most common use cases:

Team collaboration

AI assistants can streamline processes that often slow teams down, such as coordinating schedules or accessing data. Slack AI’s search feature uses natural language prompts to scan entire channels and threads for key insights. This quick data surfacing capability lets teams find the information they need faster to make important decisions.

With AI summaries, non-essential information is filtered out, and long conversations are quickly distilled into action items teams can use immediately. AI assistants can provide instant access to relevant files and documents to keep projects on track. They can also help with complex scheduling and meeting coordination, helping teams across time zones collaborate when it’s convenient for everyone.

Project management

Virtual AI assistants can really help with project management by automating things like task assignments, keeping track of progress, and managing resources more efficiently. For example, Slack AI can support project managers by summarizing task lists or meeting notes. Managers can then tag team members in project channels or set up automated workflows that remind individuals about upcoming tasks and deadlines, such as: “Project A is 80% complete, with two remaining tasks due this week,” or, “Task X is overdue by two days — please confirm status.”

Agentforce integrates with Slack to pull CRM data into workflows. This lets managers assign and follow up on tasks based on triggers, such as lead progression or a new project phase. AI agents can track project milestones and provide real-time updates to stakeholders via external channels like Slack Connect, keeping them informed between meetings.

Customer service

AI assistants are transforming the way customer service teams operate. By automating responses and directing customer queries to the right representatives, surfacing information in real time, and personalizing customer interactions, AI assistants help teams deliver faster and more efficient customer service. This has a direct impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty.

AI chatbots can address common customer questions, such as checking order status, and troubleshoot basic problems like password resets. This allows service reps to focus on more complex situations that require patience, empathy, and problem-solving skills. Self-service options facilitated by AI can even enhance customer experiences. In fact, Salesforce research found that 61% of customers would rather use self-service options for simple issues.

AI assistants can tag high-priority customer service tickets, escalate them to human reps, and resolve urgent issues faster. When a customer ticket is passed to a human rep, that rep has the customer’s history in front of them so they can pick up where the AI agent left off, creating a seamless experience.

Implementing AI assistants for more streamlined workflows

AI assistants are driving significant change in the workplace by automating tasks, streamlining workflows, and improving team collaboration. By taking manual and repetitive tasks off employees’ plates, they can apply their skills elsewhere, which can lead to more fulfilled teams and more satisfied customers. AI’s ability to improve decision-making, productivity, and collaboration makes it a valuable choice for businesses looking to streamline operations and achieve better results that drive growth and customer satisfaction.

Learn more about how Agentforce can optimize your workflows and supercharge your team.