AI agents: The hidden force multiplier behind high-performance teams

IMAGINE your business as a high-stakes game – each level packed with relentless challenges, where every decision can make or break your results.

Now, picture having the dream team – they know the rules better than anyone, anticipate every move and ensure you stay ahead to get the ultimate prize money.

Welcome to the “Squid Game” of business, but with a game-changing twist. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the odds, you have artificial intelligence (AI) agents as allies who understand your needs and can take action for you.

They streamline workflows, tackle backlogs, solve complex problems in real time and proactively address customer needs, freeing you to focus on strategy and growth.

With AI agents, you are not just playing to survive – you are playing to win.

Why AI projects fail?

AI agents are more than just the next big thing. Just as 3G connectivity reshaped smartphones, they are the breakthrough that transforms AI’s potential into real business value.

But let’s be honest: Not every business is making the most of this potential. Many have dabbled in flashy AI experiments that did not solve real business issues. They were simply “solutions looking for problems”.

Companies poured money and resources into building their own large language models (LLMs) and rolling out isolated copilot experiments, which failed to deliver accurate and valuable outputs with incomplete data.

In these cases, the AI lacked the right context to perform complex tasks alongside humans.

It is no surprise that over 80 per cent of AI projects fail.

Turning data chaos into harmony

AI is only as good as the data it works on. For most companies, that data is all over the place. The average organisation uses over 1,000 apps, and more than 70 per cent of them do not talk to each other. That is a big problem.

So, how do we fix that? The answer lies closer than you might think.

Instead of relying on LLMs trained on public internet data, businesses should tap into the rich potential of their internal data by bringing it all together.

Unified data offers a clear, 360-degree view of your business and customers. It allows AI agents to provide accurate, personalised responses, helping you build stronger customer relationships.

Data platforms like Salesforce’s Data Cloud make this process surprisingly simple. It connects structured and unstructured data – transaction records, emails, product information and corporate policies – without requiring a massive system overhaul thanks to advanced capabilities like zero-copy from existing data management platforms.

This “single source of truth” powers AI to do its best work.

Take Saks, for example. The American luxury retailer uses Data Cloud to unify its data and deploy AI agents through Salesforce’s Agentforce, a new digital labour platform with customisable, independent AI agents.

The result? Shoppers get personalised recommendations and real-time support, whether online or in-store. Saks not only delivers exceptional customer experiences, but also scales its operations efficiently. It is a win-win.

Now, imagine if Saks did not unify its data. Customers would get generic suggestions instead of tailored recommendations, leading to frustrating back-and-forth conversations. Nobody wants that.

Rise of the digital labour 

Once data is unified, businesses can unleash the true power of AI agents. Unlike copilots that must be prompted with instructions, AI agents can execute tasks alongside humans autonomously, without constant supervision. Think of them as your reliable teammates who are always on the ball.

This is where Salesforce’s Agentforce stands out.

The platform offers pre-built skills and customisable low and no-code features, which you can further refine through natural language instruction. As such, these agents can hit the ground running, helping businesses tackle challenges, uncover opportunities and drive topline growth in record time.

Consider a bank that works with thousands of business clients. At first glance, many customers may appear to be small and medium-sized enterprises with limited spending. But a closer look reveals they are dividing their spending across multiple bank divisions.

Operating 24/7, the AI agents can understand customer needs and preferences, helping the bank quickly deepen those relationships, identify opportunities and capture revenue that might otherwise be lost to competitors.

The future is already here

The rise of AI agents could not come at a better time. Customer expectations are higher than ever, and teams are stretched thin trying to keep up. AI agents are the solution, offering a more thoughtful, efficient way to work and deliver meaningful results.

AI agents are not about experiments or disjointed tools. It is about creating a system that integrates data, AI and automation seamlessly – one that enables a digital workforce to scale your business and unlock new growth.

Your dream team is already here; all you need to do is welcome them in.

Salesforce’s Agentforce 2.0 is the world’s first digital labour platform for enterprises, helping businesses streamline operations and drive growth. To learn more about Agentforce 2.0, visit this website.

This article is written by Sujith Abraham, senior vice president and general manager of Salesforce Asean.