“Salespeople should not be data entry clerks.”

(And there are many others who shouldn’t be either!)

Imagine how amazing it would be if we could halve the time we spend in front of a screen with a mouse and keyboard, clicking buttons, searching through folders, and updating Excel, CRM systems, and replying to emails.

That’s inefficient.

If you ask me, this is exactly what “the promise of AI” is about.

That we can increasingly let software handle all the tedious work.

That we become less dependent on traditional software interfaces.

That we can go for a walk, talk to our personal assistant, who then writes, designs, and organizes on our behalf.

They work for us, so we’re not reduced to being just fingers that type and click around.

Salespeople shouldn’t be reduced to data entry clerks. Imagine spending an entire workday each week on data entry instead of selling—that’s the reality for many salespeople today. Studies show that salespeople spend up to 20% of their time entering data into CRM systems, which is equivalent to losing one full workday every week. Sales professionals want to be out in the field, building relationships and closing deals, not stuck behind a desk doing administrative work.

Traditional CRM systems were designed as “systems of records” focused on organizing data rather than driving actions. Even with added AI features, these systems haven’t evolved beyond their original purpose. To truly support salespeople, future CRM systems need to shift from being record-keeping tools to action-oriented systems that function like a virtual assistant. This assistant would allow salespeople to document meetings, dictate emails, and access customer data on the go, freeing up time for what they do best—selling. The future of CRM isn’t about better data entry; it’s about enabling salespeople to be more effective by minimizing administrative burdens.

“Salespeople should not be data entry clerks.”