Experts of Experience: Digital Labor Is Now – Why 2025 Will Be a Turning Point

Hosted by Lacey Peace and Ro Chocker, presented by Salesforce Customer Success

Introduction

In the pivotal episode titled "Digital Labor Is Now: Why 2025 Will Be a Turning Point" from the podcast Experts of Experience, hosts Lacey Peace and Ro Chocker delve into the transformative role of AI agents in the modern workforce. Featuring Usman Nasir, AVP of Agent Force Acceleration at Salesforce, the conversation explores how businesses are integrating digital employees alongside human workers, the technological logistics involved, and the profound implications for customer experience (CX).

The Shift to Human and Digital Workforce

Usman Nasir sets the stage by announcing a significant paradigm shift:

"2025 is the last year that CEOs will be managing human only workforce because we're now going to have human and digital employees working side by side." (00:00)

This transition marks the emergence of AI agents as integral components of organizational structures, enabling businesses to meet and exceed customer expectations through enhanced efficiency and personalized interactions.

Importance of Data Quality

A critical factor highlighted is the role of data in powering AI agents. Nasir emphasizes:

"Your AI agents are only as good as the quality and the consistency of the data that you're providing to them." (00:27)

With nearly 80% of an organization's data being unstructured—comprising emails, PDFs, and Slack conversations—AI agents like those managed through Salesforce’s AgentForce are essential in sifting through this information to provide accurate and relevant responses.

Introducing AgentForce

AgentForce emerges as Salesforce's solution to creating, testing, and deploying AI agents with minimal coding required. Nasir explains:

"AgentForce is Salesforce's solution and our platform to help our customers create, test and deploy AI agents with a lot of configuration options." (07:50)

By unifying organizational data and applications, AgentForce allows businesses to build AI agents that act as autonomous digital workers, performing complex tasks efficiently.

Use Cases for AI Agents

The conversation categorizes AI agent use cases into two broad categories: External Customer-Facing and Internal Employee-Facing.

1. Customer Service and Support

   • Nasir notes this as the most prominent use case, where AI agents handle inquiries, resolve issues, and perform actions like creating support tickets or scheduling appointments.

2. Order Management

   • Common in retail, agents manage tasks such as tracking orders, processing returns, and handling refunds.

3. Personal Shopper

   • Especially in retail, AI agents provide personalized product recommendations based not just on browsing history but on individual preferences and events.

4. Employee Assistance

   • Internal use cases include sales coaching, HR inquiries, and knowledge management. For instance, within Salesforce, AI agents integrated into Slack assist employees with questions about benefits or policies.

Nasir illustrates the versatility of AI agents, stating:

"Anything that you can think of within your organization to help your employees save time, coach them, those are the type of use cases." (31:00)

Addressing Misconceptions About AI Agents

A significant portion of the discussion is dedicated to dispelling common myths about AI agents:

1. AI Replacing Human Workers

   • Nasir clarifies:

     "AI agents are not going to completely replace human beings." (19:40)

2. Accuracy and Hallucinations

   • He emphasizes that the reliability of AI agents hinges on data quality:

     "If the data is not accurate, the answers might be inaccurate." (20:00)

3. Trust and Control

   • Through AgentForce, organizations can set strict guardrails, ensuring AI agents operate within defined boundaries.

4. Transparency in AI Reasoning

   • Unlike other AI tools, AgentForce allows visibility into the agent's decision-making process during testing:

     "You can see the step by step thinking and the reasoning that the agent is doing." (22:34)

Preparing for a Hybrid Workforce

Transitioning to a workforce that includes both humans and AI agents requires strategic planning:

• Leadership and Decision-Making

  • AI agents can analyze vast data sets to support faster, data-driven decisions.

• Scaling and Innovation

  • Leaders can leverage AI for strategic planning and fostering a culture of continuous innovation.

Nasir advises leaders to embrace AI as an intellectual partner:

"Adopting AI as an intellectual partner is one of the most critical skills that leaders can build." (17:02)

Change Management and Adoption

Implementing AI agents is as much a cultural shift as a technological one. Nasir outlines key strategies for effective change management:

1. Leaders Adopting AI First

   • Demonstrates commitment and provides a model for the rest of the organization.

2. Communicating Benefits

   • Ensures employees understand how AI will enhance their roles, not replace them.

3. Fostering a Culture of Experimentation

   • Encourages continuous learning and adaptation as AI technologies evolve.

4. Ensuring User Adoption

   • Focuses on making AI agents user-friendly and visibly beneficial to encourage widespread use.

Early Lessons and Best Practices

Having launched AgentForce less than a year ago, Salesforce shares valuable insights from the initial rollout:

1. Data is Paramount

   • High-quality, well-organized data is essential for effective AI agent performance.

2. Prompt Design and Engineering

   • Crafting precise and clear prompts leads to better AI responses.

3. Modular Design and Guardrails

   • Building AI agents with defined roles and restrictions prevents errors and ensures reliable operation.

4. Continuous Iteration and Testing

   • Regularly refining AI agents based on feedback and performance metrics is crucial for sustained success.

Nasir emphasizes the importance of starting with low-risk, high-frequency tasks to demonstrate quick ROI and build confidence within the organization:

"Start with low or moderate risk profile. For example, tracking orders or answering FAQs." (37:10)

Notable Quotes

• Usman Nasir (00:00):

  "2025 is the last year that CEOs will be managing human only workforce because we're now going to have human and digital employees working side by side."

• Usman Nasir (00:27):

  "Your AI agents are only as good as the quality and the consistency of the data that you're providing to them."

• Ro Chocker (02:01):

  "This is a great episode for the skeptics... we got really into the weeds. He talked a lot about specific use cases and troubleshooting in real time."

• Lacey Peace (13:47):

  "I choose to believe, and I'm optimistic in the future of this world where it can be human plus AI."

• Usman Nasir (17:02):

  "Adopting AI as an intellectual partner is one of the most critical skills that leaders can build."

Conclusion

The "Digital Labor Is Now: Why 2025 Will Be a Turning Point" episode of Experts of Experience offers a comprehensive exploration of the rising integration of AI agents into the workforce. Through insightful dialogue with Usman Nasir, the episode underscores the transformative potential of digital labor, the importance of strategic implementation, and the necessity of cultural adaptation within organizations. As businesses navigate this hybrid workforce landscape, the lessons and best practices shared provide a valuable roadmap for leveraging AI to enhance both employee and customer experiences.

Learn more about AgentForce and how it can revolutionize your customer experience at salesforce.com/agentforce.