Blending In AI SDRs To Maximise Pipeline Coverage by Frank Sondors

Tools like ChatGPT have, in my opinion, skewed our view and opinion of AI.

While helpful, people still don’t trust them enough to rely on them in a meaningful way. But that’s where I think we’re wrong in the way we approach AI - it shouldn’t replace humans, instead, it should become a new member of our teams. Just like any other expert, specializing in a specific field or area. One of the latest new things in sales are AI SDRs. At Salesforge, we have our own Agent Frank, one of the first AI SDRs to be launched. And ever since we first launched I get asked “Will Agent Frank replace my sales team?”.

And while it’s possible to exclusively use an AI SDR for your outreach, that’s not the best way to go. In some markets, using AI SDRs is against the law and they can’t be used for cold calling or social selling. That’s why it’s key to blend humans with AI Agents - allowing you to cover all possible scenarios. So, here’s 3 key things you need to focus on when integrating an AI SDR into your team to make sure you’re truly reaping all the benefits in a way that translates to pipeline growth:

#1 Come Prepared With Clear Goals In Mind

Testing an AI SDR is a perfectly valid goal. But if you’re looking to seriously leverage Agents, you need to define what it is you’re looking for, and how an Agent would fit into your broader go-to-market strategy. In some cases, outbound might not even be the right choice or would only be the right choice in certain areas of the business. This will influence how you set up your AI SDR, what sequences you use it for and even what leads the Agent will process.

For example, we have Agent Frank customers who are strictly looking to increase the number of processed contacts. But there are also those using Agent Frank to expand their outreach into new markets that their SDRs don’t speak the language of. Ultimately, the main goal will always be to get more bacon, but you should be clear about how an AI SDR will help you achieve that.

#2 Onboard The Agent Into Your Team

Throwing the Agent and your team into the deep end is a big no-no. As with a human employee, you would spend time educating them about your business and giving them time to get acquainted with your team.

An AI Agent is no different, except maybe it doesn’t take lunch breaks. With Agent Frank there’s a period of time for what we call “warm up” and training, when the AI SDR analyzes your materials (product decks, company websites etc.) and learns about what you offer. The warm up takes two weeks and after that the Agent is ready to work. You can and should use this time to educate your team about the tool and work out processes for managing the Agent’s work.

#3 Trust The Process

Humans rarely get it perfectly on the first try. And, it may come as a surprise, AI Agents aren’t usually perfect on the first try either.

The difference is an AI SDR can continue working and improving 24/7, meaning it will become the best version of itself quicker. And ultimately, that’s the biggest advantage of adding an AI SDR to your team - they can provide coverage when your team can’t, whether that’s in terms of languages, time zones or working hours. That’s why it’s important to trust the process.

In my opinion, most teams could benefit from getting an AI SDR colleague. Not to replace them, but to take care of the tasks that they might not have time for or that could be easily automated. But the human touch and intuition are irreplaceable, especially in the world of sales. And if you implement an AI Agent the right way, you definitely won’t be losing out on those abilities. Quite the opposite, actually. It will allow your team to focus on taking meetings, calls, and closing deals.