The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools by marketing and sales professionals continues to grow, but certain training on the roles they perform continues to fall behind.
In a new study from the General Assembly, 68% of sales and marketing experts use AI in the workplace. However, comprehensive job-specific training in AI has warned authorities that it creates risks related to governance and brand safety.
A survey of over 300 marketing and sales employees in the US and UK found that 55% of respondents use AI less than five times a day. Respondents say they use AI for content creation (57%), market research and analysis (49%), sales operations (47%), customer relationship management (42%), and advertising (41%).
Lacks AI training
Jourdan Hathaway, Chief Business Officer of the General Assembly, offered the sales and marketing team to be early and enthusiastic recruits of AI, but the sustained skill gap prevents them from reaching their full potential.
“It's possible that generic, one-size fit AI training worked three years ago,” Hathaway said in a statement. “Today, every department needs role-specific training.”
Impact on sales and marketing teams
That statement is backed up by almost a third (32%) of sales and marketing professionals who report they have not received formal AI training. 20% of trained training are too common, with 15% reporting that training focuses more on concepts than real applications, and 16% reporting that they are seeking AI training themselves.
When it comes to what motivates you to start using AI in the workplace, 39% of sales professionals want practical training specific to sales tasks and workflows, while 49% of marketers want clear examples of how AI can help you with daily responsibility.
The survey has made the issue that AI is already providing positive results to its sales and marketing teams. 67% of reporting tools free up time to focus on more strategic work, while 56% say their teams are more productive.
ROI is unknown
However, three out of five people who responded to the survey were less confident that AI use would increase revenue, and 46% were less confident that it would improve the customer experience. Additionally, 22% say AI hasn't affected their team's productivity, while 18% say AI has generated more work for them and has pulled them away from other strategic priorities. This reinforces the need for targeted, role-based training that will help maximize ROI from AI adoption.
“As AI agents handle increasingly complex tasks, that's important… Marketing and sales teams have the skills to effectively implement and manage them,” says Hathaway.
