Preparation Trumps Pace as Companies Achieve ROI from AI Agents
A new study by Salesforce found that being first to deploy AI agents doesn't necessarily mean reaching returns on investment (ROI) faster. In fact, among the 2,025 agentic AI leaders surveyed, Professional and Business Services were some of the slowest sectors to adopt AI agents but achieved meaningful ROI within 6.5 months.
The prime determinants of success are clean, accessible data; narrowly defined agent scope; and human escalation paths established in advance. On average, companies deploying AI agents hit meaningful ROI in about eight months with strong adoption and customer satisfaction gains.
Retailers running AI agents grew online sales at four times the rate of those that didn't. The study highlights that preparation rather than pace is key to success, as operational factors like data readiness and agent scope were most predictive of success.