Commercial productivity has been chasing a promise for years: that sales teams spend more time selling and less time on digital “paperwork.” However, in practice, everyday tasks—updating CRM, searching for scattered information, drafting repetitive emails, preparing notes for meetings—continue to dominate, consuming hours and energy. By 2026, this administrative friction has become the number one enemy. And, according to a new Salesforce study, the clear response from teams is: AI Agents.
The company reports that, in a survey of 4,050 sales professionals conducted between August and September 2025, AI and AI agents are identified as the top growth tactic for 2026. The most striking figure summarizes the mindset shift: 9 out of 10 salespeople trust AI and AI agents to bridge the productivity gap.
Friction isn’t due to a lack of talent: it’s a lack of time
The report describes an increasingly common pattern: organizations demand more sales activity (more contacts, more personalization, more follow-up), while teams are trapped by internal processes and disconnected tools. It’s not a matter of effort; it’s about “bandwidth.”
The evidence lies in data that particularly affects those just starting out in the profession. On average, salespeople spend about 40% of their time actually selling. For Generation Z, that drops to 35%, with a very specific penalty: roughly two additional hours per week spent on manual data entry, whereas more senior profiles dedicate that time to researching accounts, preparing conversations, and building relationships.
This results in a dangerous mix for any organization: less productive time, less learning, and a sense of stagnation. The study highlights two symptoms related to the “mentoring drought”: 46% of young respondents say they rarely receive feedback on their sales conversations, and 47% say they lack enough practice (roleplay) before talking to clients. Coupled with perceptions of limited growth opportunities, it’s no surprise that Generation Z appears most open to changing jobs.
Agents: from one-off automation to the sales engine
Until recently, AI in sales was associated with specific tasks: lead scoring, forecasts, content suggestions, or draft emails. That stage is now mainstream. According to the study, 87% of sales organizations already use some form of AI for tasks like prospecting, forecasting, lead scoring, or writing.
The new, and defining, development for 2026 is the leap toward AI agents: software that not only suggests but executes chained actions within defined boundaries. In the survey, 54% of salespeople report having used agents, and almost 9 out of 10 plan to do so by 2027. The industry’s message is clear: agents are transitioning from curiosities to operational infrastructure.
Users themselves project tangible impacts if deployment is complete: reducing research time by 34% and content creation time (like emails) by 36%. In other words, saving hours.
Competitive advantage isn’t just “having AI,” it’s using it better
One of the most uncomfortable findings for lagging teams is that adoption isn’t uniform. Salesforce states that top-performing teams are 1.7 times more likely to use prospecting agents than underperformers. In market terms: purchasing tools isn’t enough; they must be well integrated into processes and culture.
The study also explains why prospecting has become prime territory for agents. Nearly half of salespeople rank cold calling among their worst tasks, but a healthy pipeline demands more contacts and persistence than many teams can sustain. Despite dedicating almost a full workday weekly to prospecting, 48% admit they lack the capacity for “proper cold outreach.” That’s why the interest: 55% already use AI for prospecting, and another 38% plan to do so.
Salesforce even provides an internal example: their agents contacted 130,000 leads and generated 3,200 opportunities in four months, with expectations to multiply those numbers tenfold the following year. Beyond the exact figures, the core message is conceptual: automating what previously “fell through the cracks” due to lack of time.
The least glamorous bottleneck: data
If there’s a consensus across the industry, it’s that agents perform well only with good context. Here, the study emphasizes the often less-visible but crucial task: data hygiene.
Over half of AI-enabled leaders (51%) acknowledge that disconnected systems hinder their initiatives. To counteract this, 74% of professionals report prioritizing data cleaning tasks (eliminating duplicates, fixing errors, standardizing formats). Again, high performers are ahead: 79% prioritize data hygiene compared to 54% of lower performers.
The takeaway is clear: without connected data, agents become fragile, producing inconsistent results and risking automated errors. The future of sales agents depends not just on better models but also on integration, governance, and data quality.
A new era: less “busywork,” more relationships
Salesforce’s message can be summed up as: “eliminate the junk work” so that sellers can focus on what they do best. By 2026, the question isn’t whether AI will enter sales but which organizations turn it into a strategic advantage and which remain stuck in perpetual pilot mode.
Because if time remains the scarcest resource, commercial productivity will depend on two fronts: agents that execute and data that doesn’t betray.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an AI agent in sales, and how does it differ from an assistant?
An assistant typically helps with specific tasks (summarizing, drafting, suggesting). An agent can execute complete workflows (research, prepare outreach, update records, prioritize leads), usually within boundaries and with company approvals.
How much time can AI agents save in prospecting and email drafting?
According to Salesforce’s referenced survey, salespeople expect that, with full implementation, agents could reduce prospect research time by around 34% and content creation (such as emails) by about 36%.
Why is data hygiene in the CRM critical for agents to work effectively?
Because agents make decisions and execute actions based on available context. If there are duplicates, incomplete fields, or disconnected systems, errors increase, automation fails, and recommendations become “nonsense.”
What impact does administrative friction have on junior salespeople and Generation Z?
The study suggests that Generation Z spends less effective selling time (35% versus 40% average) and wastes roughly two extra hours weekly on manual data entry, besides reporting less feedback and fewer practice opportunities before real calls.
via: salesforce