The evolution of sales techniques and technology over the years has been significant. For example, the current sales process is highly supported by artificial intelligence technology. Many projects traditionally completed by Sales Development Representatives are now done via AI. For example, AI SDRs operate faster, are more scalable and possess a higher degree of accuracy when it comes to filling gaps in outreach to effectively initiate conversations with prospects. However, human SDRs still operate in the field and provide an invaluable niche. Therefore, the future of successful sales is predicated upon the interchange–handoffs–between AI SDRs and human SDRs.
The New SDR Process Comparison
Where in the past, human SDRs would do all the work to prospect from beginning to end including pitching and converting much of that is now done for them with AI-based SDRs. From doing research on people and companies to pitching and converting in the preliminary stages, AI-based SDRs can quickly determine quality and do the necessary preliminary outreach, similarly to warming up prospects in the first few rounds. One of the key benefits of using an AI SDR is the ability to scale outreach while maintaining consistency and speed, freeing up human reps to focus on high-value interactions. Yet where AI can complicate things is the deeper funnel stages, when a prospect may not necessarily know what to say to keep a deeper prospecting conversation going.
What Humans Do Better Than AI For Now
Humans have qualities that not everything generated via machine can obtain at least not yet. Emotional intelligence is one human driven aspect that compels human SDRs to use intuitive reasoning versus programmed robotics to build a relationship or avoid redirecting conflict. Human SDRs are also critical when complex conversations arise deeper probing conversations beyond just surface area with any given prospect concern and human representatives are less likely to offend, providing sensitive and complex answers when warranted. Lastly, although machines can pitch, humans can sell with a natural connection facilitating the dot connection toward conversion.
When Should You Pass the Ball?
Understanding when you should pass the ball from AI SDRs to human reps is critical for closing a deal. As a rule of thumb, it’s time to hand off the conversation when prospects begin to ask more complex, detailed questions or if they’re resisting with objections that require further explanation or personalized attention. While AI does an excellent job of the qualification stage, selling is much easier with a human who can more confidently engage and address a prospect’s specific situation.
AI-Informed Post Handoff
AI doesn’t stop doing its job at the handoff. Rather, it continues to work with human reps from behind the scenes, providing details from past conversations, potential outcomes. This kind of information gets human reps caught up before jumping into a live conversation, easing a handoff and demonstrating more comprehensive awareness of each prospect’s experience, concerns, and needs.
The Danger of Transfer Points/Avoiding Failure at Handoff Opportunities
The biggest danger that exists with an AI-to-human handoff is lost momentum. If an AI SDR has been talking quickly, prospects will be annoyed by the accuracy and slower human reps. If they are spitting back information they received early on, it’ll disappoint those who got accustomed to the rapid-fire communications. Therefore, AI remains crucial in keeping up the pace, keeping responses fluid and ensuring any rapport previously built does not falter.
Personalization is the Name of the Handoff Game
Handoffs will thrive on personalization. Whether by way of AI or human reps, customers expect salespeople to be up to date on every conversation, what they like, and everything they desire up to that point. Utilizing AI feedback properly enhances a human rep’s power to make the dialogue as customized as possible, ensuring a connection to the customer and practically guaranteeing them that the company appreciates them for their unique benefits and that it’s not just about making a sale.
Human Compassion Will Trump AI Efficiency for Trust Based Organizational Relationships
AI may empower effective use of time but as a business, one cannot have an all or nothing approach. Once everything is automated even if it is to great levels of efficiency there runs a risk of being non-human, non-trustworthy organizations. Where outreach is too automated, it’s up to the SDRs to save the day through compassion and human touch. AI based predictive outreach can only go so far without an actual human following up. Thus, the more AI is relied upon for first impressions and outreach, the more important human presence becomes at the start. In the long run, trust will not be gained by automation but instead transparent human interaction. Loyalty, satisfaction and retention will revolve around human compassion over programs and automation.
Human Intervention and Ongoing Learning Will Be Crucial Wherever AI and Humans Intersect
Wherever there are handoffs between AI and humans, ongoing learning and development champions. Organizations need feedback loops from humans to give AI better predictive capabilities. In the same steed, if human reps know what AI can and cannot do, they will better be able to engage their partners with more backstory and clarity regarding purpose and use with customers. The more both AI trained tools and human trained tools know about each other, the better integration into projects will be possible and the more productive partnerships will form for increased efficiency over time.
Making Sure Sales Teams Are Trained to Collaborate
In order for the new prospecting process to function properly, training the human sales team is essential to maximize AI integration throughout the sales handoff. For example, salespeople need to understand what AI SDRs can and cannot do, what info they’ve already collected and how AI processes data. Being in the loop enables human reps to continue a conversation where AI left off, answer questions that an SDR might not be able to because of AI restrictions, and create a genuinely customized experience all imperative skills for satisfying customers in the long term.
The Ethics Involved with AI to Human Handoff
If something happens during the handoff down the line, however, the ethics of transparency and privacy apply. Companies must inform prospects if and when they’re being handed over from AI to human and vice versa. Ethical considerations and transparent practices should always be applied in the sales process. Using data ethically, communicating ethically, and frankly, being clear that AI is involved only creates more trust and a better position for the company in the prospect’s eyes.
The Best AI to Human Handoff is Humans Engaged with AI
Ultimately, the best handoff from AI to humans in the future is through using AI where it’s most beneficial to enhance human engagement not the reverse. For example, AI can help companies pinpoint which prospects have the highest likelihood of conversion so that only those are approached by human sales reps. Letting AI do what it does best in the beginning empowers sales reps to do what they do best in the end, improving communication, conversion, and enjoyment.
New Sales Handoff Tech on the Horizon
Everything related to AI that will be released in the future, advanced empathic evaluations, ongoing call intelligence, enhanced sentiment analysis will only further improve the rapport between AI and humans during the sales handoff in the future. New capabilities will allow for even more effortless transitions, as evaluations of a lead’s desires, needs and emotional responses will be so precise that human agents can jump into calls precisely when required with supercharged advanced understanding of every variable involved.
Measuring Success of AI-to-Human Handoffs
Monitoring AI-to-human sales handoffs enables businesses to officially evaluate their tactics using fresh information. For instance, customer satisfaction, prospect engagement rates, conversion statistics, and deal velocity reveal how effective or ineffective certain elements of the handoff worked. Organizations can further reassess and realign strategies based on such assessments over time to create a culture of continuous improvement that keeps sales effectiveness where it needs to be.
Achieving Competitive Advantage through Effective Handoffs
The companies that can thrive in the transition between AI-to-human sales will find themselves in a position to achieve never-before-seen sustainable competitive advantages over all other industry players, especially in today’s ever-changing and ever-growing landscape. Merging the exact nature and scope of what AI can do with the emotional awareness, empathy, and relationship-driven logic of a human salesperson gives this company the upper hand in digital prowess and human connection. This is the key to ensuring buyers receive the personalization, relevance, and significance required during any interaction with a company from prospecting interest efforts to the closing of sales.
This balance creates the framework for success. When AI provides the data-driven intelligence required for sales strategy and human reps foster compassionate, emotionally charged relationships, prospects will trust the company and its sales personnel. Today’s prospects want to feel as though companies are invested in their particular pain points, needs, and motivations; when AI gives human salespeople the recommended selling information to fluidly express personalized stories and solutions, rapport is built faster. When prospects see there’s a human on the other line wanting to help as opposed to a cold corporate entity looking only to make a sale they trust the organizations, resulting in higher customer satisfaction and retention.
In addition, companies that build such competencies for proper AI-to-human handoffs also experience shorter sales cycles. For example, AI-driven SDRs can quickly assess leads and opportunities to determine which projects are worth the effort and efficiently manage top-of-funnel outreach. When they can effectively transfer consistent leads down the funnel to human sales teams and with enough context and AI-informed recommendations human sales teams can more rapidly address deeper objections, present recommendations more closely aligned with the client’s interests and needs, and close the deal faster than competing sales teams who lack this context and work from guesswork fueled by Google searches.
Ultimately, this level of technological prowess combined with human nuance and decision-making and interpersonal engagement is a substantial competitive advantage for any company pursuing long-term viability. Companies that excel here will not only improve their current state of affairs around selling but also their positioning for strategic initiatives down the line. The more companies can adjust the equilibrium sustained between human and AI efforts, the more empowered they’ll be to create effective, streamlined sales teams and processes that get ahead of shifting client demands in diverse marketplaces and ensure long-standing viability, profitability, and growth even when others struggle to do so.
Final Thoughts: Shaping the Future of Sales Handoffs
Ultimately, the sales handoff approach will rely on an organization’s ability to perfect human-AI collaboration and the best of both worlds the precision, analytical ability and speed of automation that AI can provide and human beings’ compassion, perspective, instincts and adaptability. As clients elevate their standards, prospects seek even more timely, personalized experiences and added compassion, involvement and situational awareness. While AI can process many humans within a short timeframe, access extensive amounts of data for follow-up natural language processing or provide voluminous reporting, human agents possess the empathy and soft skills necessary to seal the deal when responding to complex inquiries, parsing through sensitive objections and establishing real, trusting relationships.
Thus, the compounded advantage of using both AI SDRs and human salespeople enhances rapport and improves sales efficacy. Companies able to seamlessly blend both types of employees will enjoy the advantages of both worlds in meeting customer needs. Customer satisfaction improves as prospects are never left high and dry between transitions; customer loyalty increases as companies cultivate differentiated and competitive advantages through intentionally blended incremental integrations as needed. Ultimately, the company that can effectively employ both resources will find itself in a position to garner a competitive advantage, cultivating deeper relationships with customers over time that translate into improved sales efficacy and lasting success.
