Real-world examples show how AI agents streamline business processes

The trend: AI agents are transforming industries by streamlining operations, boosting productivity, and reducing repetitive tasks in sales and customer service, per VentureBeat.

Companies like Microsoft, Salesforce, and Zendesk are racing to shift from AI chatbots to AI agents that integrate more effectively into business operations. 

Use case—Baca Systems: Industrial equipment manufacturer Baca Systems uses AI agents to improve response times and customer satisfaction. 

• “For us, it’s not about how we eliminate headcount or reduce staffing,” said Andrew Russo, enterprise architect at Baca Systems. “Our goal is, how do we make sure the customer is back up and running as quickly as possible?”
• Before AI, customer inquiries often took minutes, but using Salesforce’s Agentforce, customers get responses in as little as 5 to 10 seconds.
• Baca Systems’ AI agents provide technical troubleshooting and preventive maintenance solutions 24/7. In addition, they identify customer cases and suggest relevant answers, enabling faster service.

Use case—eZCater: An online marketplace for restaurants and caterers, eZCater uses its AI agents to streamline operations for complex tasks, including modifying orders and updating customers’ dietary restrictions, providing venue recommendations, and handling routine tasks and customer service.

• AI agents excel at  “restaurant discovery,” guiding customers to venues based on preferences, budget, and location.
• The company also credits AI’s ease of integration as a reason for its continued adoption.
• “The technology has become so accessible in the last six months,” said Erin DeCesare, eZCater’s CTO. “You can easily see how this is going to rapidly become the norm.”

Our take: AI agents are already offering businesses a cost-effective alternative to expanding headcount, which is valuable for smaller companies.

Slow, careful AI integration could go a long way toward adoption, especially since nearly two-thirds, or 64%, of consumers would prefer that companies not use AI for customer service, per a Gartner survey.

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